India A players celebrate. PIC: ACC
Doha, Qatar: India A booked their place in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 in Doha, defeating Oman by six wickets at the West End Pak International Cricket Stadium yesterday.
A well-composed fifty by Harsh Dubey and several top-order cameos kept India A on track as they chased down a modest 136-run target with authority, with 13 balls in hand.
The victory secured a spot in the semi-finals for the Jitesh Sharma-led India A, as they finished second in their group. Meanwhile, Oman, third in Group B, and the UAE were eliminated.
Oman A, after opting to bat first, was given a fiery start by skipper Hammad Mirza. Mirza smashed 32 off 16 balls, hitting three boundaries and two sixes. However, except for Wasim Ali, who struck an unbeaten half-century, the rest of the batters failed to keep up the pace after his dismissal in the fourth over. Ali scored 54 off 45 balls, anchoring the innings while wickets fell around him.
Suyash Sharma (2 for 12) and Gurjapneet Singh (2 for 37) did most of the damage as Oman A finished with 135 for 7. Chasing 136, India A lost early wickets, with openers Priyansh Arya (10 off 6) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (12 off 13) departing early. Naman Dhir scored 30 off 19, while Harsh Dubey crafted an unbeaten 53 off 44 balls to keep their chase under control. Nehal Wadhera (23 off 24) fell with just two runs needed, before captain Sharma finished off in style with a boundary, sealing the win in the 18th over.
Pakistan Shaheens crush UAE
Earlier, table toppers Pakistan Shaheens produced a ruthless display to thrash the United Arab Emirates by 9 wickets in a one-sided contest, hunting down a target of 60 in only 5.2 overs.
Opting to bowl first, Shaheens’ bowling attack ripped through the UAE batting lineup. Sufiyan Muqeem led the charge with 3 for 12, while Ahmed Daniyal struck twice for just 7 runs. Maaz Sadaqat also took 2 for 19 as the UAE were wrapped up for 59 in 18 overs, with only two UAE players reaching double figures. Syed Muhammad Haider Shah made 20 off 19 and Mohammed Faraazuddin was 12 not out, offering some sort of resistance.
Pakistan Shaheens lost Mohammad Naeem for 6 in the first over. Despite the early setback, Sadaqat, who once again dominated with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 37 off 15 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes, and Ghazi Ghori who scored 16 off 12, steered their side to victory with 88 deliveries remaining.
