Benoni [South Africa] : Azan Awais and Arafat Minhas powered Pakistan to 179 against Australia in the second semi-final match of the U19 World Cup at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Thursday.
Hugh Weibgen’s Australia won the toss and decided to field first and was successful in stopping the ‘Boys in Green’ at 179 in the first inning.
Shamyl Hussain (17 runs from 23 balls) and Shahzaib Khan (4 runs from 30 balls) opened for Pakistan but failed to make a solid partnership to help their side.
In the first powerplay, Pakistan could score only 27 runs. The Aussie bowling attack picked up two wickets in the first 10 overs.
However, Azan Awais (52 runs from 91 balls) took control of the match after coming to the crease at the number 3 position.
In the 33rd over, Pakistan reached the 100-run mark with the help of Awais and Minhas.
Apart from Awais, Arafat Minhas (52 runs from 61 balls) was the other batter who helped Pakistan give a decent target to chase.
Australia dominated the third powerplay and bagged five wickets between the 41st and 50th over. Meanwhile, the ‘Boys in Green’ suffered as they could only get 47 runs.
Other batters like Saad Baig (3 runs from 11 balls), Ahmad Hassan (4 runs from 18 balls), and Haroon Arshad (8 runs from 27 balls) all displayed a sloppy performance at Willowmoore Park.
On the other hand, Tom Straker led the Aussie bowling attack with his six-wicket haul and successfully bundled Pakistan at 179. Other bowlers like Mahli Beardman, Callum Vidler, Raf MacMilllan, and Tom Campbell picked one wicket each.
In the second inning, Australia need to make 180 runs to book their spot in the final of the U19 World Cup against India.
Brief score: Pakistan U19 179 (Azan Awais 52, Arafat Minhas 52, Shamyl Hussain 17; Tom Straker 6/24) vs Australia U19.
