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BULAWAYO: Sameer Minhas red-hot form continued as he struck 74* off 55 balls to propel Pakistan to a victory over USA in the U19 World Cup warm-up fixture here at the Bulawayo Athletic Club on Tuesday.
Set 295, USA were bowled out for 225 in 43.5 overs, thanks to an all-round bowling effort from Pakistan bowlers.
Amrinder Gill and Sahil Garg started positively in pursuit of the target, adding 45 in 7.4 overs before the latter was caught behind. Gill scored 18 with the help of three fours.
Garg held firm at one end with the USA’s second wicket falling on the fourth ball of the 13th over.
Arjun Mahesh could only add seven to the total.
With USA 61-2 in 13.4 overs, Sahil Garg and skipper Utkarsh Srivastava put chase back on the track with a promising 66-run stand.
The pair brought the total to 127 in 26 overs before Pakistani bowlers chipped in with regular strikes and got a foothold on the game.
Ahmed Hussain cleaned up Srivastava (36), whereas Niqabl Shafiq trapped Adnit Jhamb lbw for one in back-to-back overs to reduce USA to 134-4 in 26.5 overs.
The big wicket of Garg came in the 29th over, with Pakistan on the cusp of victory. He top-scored with 75 from 83 balls with the help of nine fours and a six.
Following his dismissal, USA innings quickly unraveled and were eventually bowled out.
For Pakistan, Abdul Subhan, Momin Qamar, and Ahmed Hussain picked up two wickets.
Earlier, put into bat first, Pakistan racked up 294-8 at the end of their 50 overs.
The highlight of Pakistan’s innings was Sameer Minhas’ batting, who continued his sizzling form.
The right-hander top-scored with 74 from 55 balls, laced with eight fours and four sixes.
He remained the lynchpin of the batting order, adding a 105-run partnership with Mohammad Shayan (23).
Minhas eventually retired with Ahmed Hussain and Huzaifa Ahsan scoring crucial runs.
Both batters scored 36 and 38 runs respectively, powering Pakistan to a strong total.
For USA, Utkarsh Srivastava remained the pick of the bowlers as he picked up three wickets.
Pakistan will commence its U19 World Cup campaign against England on 16 Jan, Friday in Harare.
READ: Australia suffer injury scare ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
