NORTH SOUND: Qasim Akram scored 135 not-out and picked up five wickets to help Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by huge margin of 238 runs to secure fifth position in ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.
With the bat, Qasim smashed 135 runs off 80 balls including six maximums and 13 boundaries followed by his five-wicket haul which set a record in U19 World Cup’s history. Qasim became the only cricketer to score a hundred and take five wickets in an U19 World Cup’s match.
Sent into bat first, Pakistani openers Mohammad Shehzad and Haseebullah Khan scored 134 runs to provide a strong start to their team who scored 365-3 in 50 overs. Shehzad got out after scoring 73 including seven boundaries and two sixes.
Shehzad’s wicket brought in skipper Qasim at the crease. Qasim played captain’s knock and alongside Hasebullah scored 229 runs. Hasebullah smashed 136 runs laced with seven boundaries and two sixes.
Matheesha Pathirana bagged two wickets while Raveen de Silva took one for Sri Lanka.
In reply, Sri Lankan batting line was completely failed against Qasim’s spin attack. Vinuja Ranpul (53*) and Dunith Wellalage (40) resisted for their team and showed fight.
Apart from Qasim, Awais Ali, Zeeshan Zameer, Abbas Ali and Mehran Mumtaz bagged a wicket each.
