Pakistan U19 112-2 (Sameer Minhas 76, Hamza Zahoor 15, Farhan Yousaf 11) beat New Zealand U19 110 all out (Hugo Bogue 39, Abdul Subhan 4-11, Ali Raza 3-36) by eight wickets. Harare Sports Club.
Pakistan’s bowlers needed barely half an hour after lunch to wipe out New Zealand for 110, and opener Sameer Minhas then knocked off the runs at a trot – job done with more than 32 overs unused.
“We kept things very simple,” Abdul Subhan told the host broadcaster. “Just a heavy length and the wicket did the rest.” Simple or not, it worked. Subhan’s left-arm seam fetched 4 for 11, while new-ball partner Ali Raza swung it away for 3 for 36. Between them they now sit one-two on the tournament wicket charts.
Key facts up front
• New Zealand slumped to 67-7 inside 14 overs.
• Their last four added 42, otherwise it might have been much uglier.
• Minhas registered a second consecutive unbeaten fifty and now averages 158 for the event.
The initial damage came quickly: Marco William Alpe lbw in the third over, Tom Jones nicking a wide one soon after, and Hugo Bogue – who did resist for 39 – undone by a sharp in-ducker from Subhan. From 48-1 the Kiwis nosedived, Nos. 5-8 contributing a combined eight runs. “We never really caught up after the new-ball burst,” coach Paul Wiseman admitted. “Credit to Pakistan – they were relentless.”
New Zealand’s modest total never felt defendable. Zahoor fell early, yet Minhas kept chipping drives through extra and pulling when the quicks dropped short. Usman Khan stuck around for 15 in a 67-run stand, but it was steady rather than flashy – Minhas hit the boundaries. When Farhan Yousaf joined him, Pakistan needed 14; the pair finished it with back-to-back sixes, leaving 197 balls unused and a healthy net run-rate bump ahead of Monday’s meeting with India.
A tidy, almost clinical win, but captain Saad Baig still spoke cautiously. “India are a different challenge. Good day today, park it, move on.” Sensible words – albeit easier to utter when everything’s clicking.
