ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023: Top run-getters and wicket-takers after India vs Bangladesh (Updated) ft. Raj Limbani
UAE U19 and Bangladesh U19 will lock horns in the grand finale of the ACC U19 Asia Cup after defeating Pakistan U19 and India U19 respectively in the semi-finals.
Shifting our focus to the first semi-final, UAE U19 batted first. Opener Aryansh Sharma (46) held one end firm despite other batters losing their wickets at regular intervals. At 89/5, UAE badly needed a partnership.
Ethan D'Souza (37 off 63 with two fours and one six) and captain Aayan Afzal Khan (55 off 57 with seven fours) stitched a 54-run stand for the sixth wicket. Eventually, they posted a total of 193 runs in 47.5 overs. Ubaid Shah picked up a four-fer for Pakistan with Ali Asfand and Arafat Minhas grabbing two wickets apiece.
In reply, Pakistan lost both their openers for 22 runs on the board. Azan Awais (41) and captain Saab Baig (50) tried to resurrect the innings with an 83-run stand for the third wicket. However, things turned drastically after both batters were sent packing.
Pakistan lost their next seven wickets for just 77 runs as they collapsed to 182 runs in 49.2 overs, losing the game by 11 runs. Ayman Ahamed and Hardik Pai were the standout bowlers for UAE, picking up two wickets each.
Moving to the second semi-final, India U19 were tasked to bat first after losing the toss. In no time, the Boys in Blue looked in big trouble, collapsing to 36/4 in 12 overs. However, in the middle overs, Musheer Khan (50) and Murugan Abhishek (62) contributed vital runs to take the team's total of 188 runs in 42.4 overs.
Maruf Mridha was the star bowler for Bangladesh U19 in the first innings, picking up four wickets, and conceding 41 runs in his 10-over spell. He received good support from Rohanat Doullah Borson and Sheikh Paevez Jibon with two wickets apiece.
In reply, Bangladesh lost their top three wickets for 34 runs in 9.4 overs. However, it was more of one-way traffic from there on as Ariful Islam (94) and Ahrar Islam (44) made the opposition chase shadows.
Despite a few hiccups in the last few overs, Bangladesh U19 reached home in 42.5 overs with four wickets in hand. Naman Tiwari's three-wicket haul went in vain for India U19.
That said, let’s take a look at the leading run-getters and wicket-takers of the ongoing ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023.
ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 Most Runs List
Bangladesh opening batter Ashiqur Rahman Shibli strengthened his top spot in the run-scoring charts with 249 runs from four innings, averaging 124.5 with one century and two fifties. Pakistan top-order batter Azan Awais maintained his second position, amassing 222 runs from four innings.
Pakistan skipper Saad Baig moved up from eighth rank to occupy the third position with 176 runs. Pakistan batter Shahzaib Khan (168) retained his fourth slot. Afghanistan No. 3 batter Jamshid Zadran (158) slid two positions to secure the fifth position.
UAE's Aayan Khan rocketed from 10th to sixth rank with 158 runs at an average of 52.66. Tanish Suri (157), Noman Shah (139), and Arshin Kulkarni (138) descended two slots each to hold the seventh, eighth, and ninth ranks respectively.
Bangladesh's Ariful Islam propelled from the bottom to occupy the 10th rank with 134 runs after his 94-run match-winning knock against India U19 in the semi-final.
ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 Most Wickets List
India's medium pacer Raj Limbani consolidated his pole position in the wickets standings with 12 scalps from four innings. Pakistan pacer Mohammad Zeeshan maintained his second rank with 11 wickets.
Pakistan pacer Ubaid Shah moved from the seventh rank to make it to the third position with 10 scalps from four innings. Bangladesh left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby slipped one spot to secure the fourth rank with nine scalps, averaging 12.66.
Dhruv Parashar (9) descended one position to hold the fifth rank at 14.77. Sheikh Paevez Jibon reclaimed his sixth position with eight scalps. Left-arm pacer Maruf Mridha rocketed to the seventh rank with seven wickets at 12.14.
Sri Lanka’s G Sanketh slid three spots to hold the eighth position with seven scalps at 15.57. Faridoon Dawoodzai (6) glided one position to secure the ninth rank at an average of 13.33 with Amir Hassan retaining his 10th position, scalping six wickets at 26.66.