COLOMBO: Pakistan Shaheens scripted a winning start to their ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup 2023 campaign with a resounding four-wicket victory over Nepal on Friday.
In their first match of the Emerging Asia Cup, Pakistan Shaheens outclassed Nepal by four wickets and 103 balls to spare at the back of brilliant performances by Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir.
Pakistan Shaheens were set to chase a modest 180-run target after their pacers dismantled Nepal’s batting lineup in the first innings, dismissing the associate nation on 179.
Rising batter Tayyab Tahir spearheaded Pakistan’s pursuit against Nepal with a sensible knock and top-scored for Pakistan.
The right-handed batter scored a cautious 51 off 67 deliveries, hitting six boundaries.
Tahir walked out in the middle when Shaheens were 50/2 in the 10th over and stitched a vital 64-run partnership with Omair Bin Yousuf, who scored 36 off 40 deliveries.
He, alongside Kamran Ghulam, raised a crucial fourth-wicket partnership and added 34 runs to the total before walking back to the pavilion with his side sniffing a comfortable victory.
Kamran Ghulam, who played an anchoring role in the run chase after Tahir’s departure, could not manage to carry his bat all the way through and fell in the 33rd over when his side needed just three more runs.
Ghulam scored a brisk 31 off 26 balls with the help of a boundary and two sixes.
Opting to bat first, Nepal batters struggled massively against a dominant Pakistan bowling attack and could only pile a paltry 179 before bundling out in 37 overs.
After having a disastrous start, Nepal continued to lose wickets at an alarming rate and soon slipped to 72/8.
With Nepal in heaps of trouble, Sompal Kami launched a counter-attack against Pakistan Shaheens with his sensible knock.
The tailender raised an astonishing 58-run partnership with Pratis GC, who could score 26 off 24 before perishing in the 28th over.
Pratis’s dismissal did not affect Kami much as he then put on a one-sided partnership with Lalit Rajbanshi (1*) and added 49 runs to the total before Shahnawaz Dahani finally removed him in the 37th over.
Sompal Kami top-scored for Nepal with a 101-ball 75 with the help of nine boundaries and two sixes.
Shahnawaz Dahani led the bowling attack for Pakistan Shaheens with a five-for, followed by Mohammad Wasim Jr, who returned figures of 4/51.
In another Emerging Asia Cup fixture, India A handed an eight-wicket thrashing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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