Advertisement
Advertisement
HARARE: Abdul Subhan’s four-wicket haul, followed by Sameer Minhas’ blistering knock, powered Pakistan to a dominant eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in their Super Six encounter of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
Chasing a modest 111-run target, Sameer Minhas steered Pakistan across the line with 32.5 overs to spare, thanks to his brilliant knock of 76 runs.
The Green Shirts, however, did not get the desired start to the run chase, losing Hamza Zahoor in the third over with 18 runs on the board.
Minhas was joined by Usman Khan, who scored a cautious 15 off 24, and together they put Pakistan in the driving seat with a 67-run partnership.
Luke Harrison broke the stand, removing a struggling Usman, only to bring out skipper Farhan Yousaf to the crease, who added finishing touches to the run-chase.
Yousaf scored 11 off 9 while Minhas continued his strokeplay to help Pakistan cross the finishing line without further loss.
Earlier, New Zealand were bundled for mere 110 runs after being invited to bat first.
The Black Caps never recovered from an early blow when opener Marco William Alpe was trapped by Ali Raza for just 2, leaving the side reeling at 7-1 in the third over.
A brief recovery seemed possible when Hugo Bogue and captain Tom Jones stitched together a 48-run partnership, but the stand was broken by Mohammad Sayyam, who dismissed Bogue for 39 off 27 balls.
The right-hander’s knock featured six boundaries and two sixes, yet his dismissal proved to be a turning point.
The momentum shifted further in the next over when Subhan struck, removing skipper Jones for 15, and New Zealand’s innings collapsed dramatically thereafter.
The Blackcaps slipped from 59-2 to 67-7, as Pakistan’s bowlers applied relentless pressure. Ali Raza and Abdul Subhan were the architects of the collapse, leaving New Zealand’s lower order scrambling for survival.
The tail tried to offer resistance, but it was short-lived. Callum Samson added just 10 before falling to spinner Momin Qamar, while Mason Clarke managed 17 off 48 balls before becoming Subhan’s fourth victim.
Hunter Shore contributed 13 but was run out, bringing the innings to a close at 110.
Subhan finished as the standout bowler with 4-11 in 6.3 overs, while Ali Raza supported him with 3 wickets. Mohammad Sayyam and Momin Qamar also chipped in with one wicket each.
READ: ICC clears the air on denying Bangladesh journalists T20 World Cup accreditation
