The two semi-finals of the Emerging Teams Asia Cup have concluded. The first semi-final was between Afghanistan A and India A and the second semi-final was between Pakistan Shaheens and Sri Lanka A.
Afghanistan A vs India A Match Summary
The match between Afghanistan A and India A ended in an upset. Afghanistan A not only gave a tough fight to India A but also won the match and that too by 20 runs. Afghanistan A had batted first and made a solid total of 206/4 on board. India A while chasing the target fell short of 20 runs as they made 186/7 on board in 20 overs.
Afghanistan A won the match by 20 runs.
Zubaid Akbari made 64 off 41, Sediqullah Atal made 83 off 52 and Karim Janat made 41 off 20. The top-order completely dominated the match against India A. Mohammad Ishaq gave a quick-run finish making 12 runs off 7 balls.
Rasikh Salam took three wickets and Aaqib Khan took a wicket for India A in the match.
The top-order of India A failed against Afghanistan A. The middle-order tried to recover but Nehal Wadhera’s 20 off 14 could not sustain. Ramandeep Singh played brilliantly making 64 off 34. Nishant Sindhu made a quick 23 off 13.
AM Ghazanfar and Abdul Rahman took two wickets each for Afghanistan A in the match with Sharafuddin Ashraf taking a wicket.
Pakistan Shaheens vs Sri Lanka A Match Summary
Pakistan got a good start but as their first wicket fell in 3.1 overs for 24 runs, they were back-footed. While Omair Yousuf continued to play well from the top-order, but he did not get support from other players from the top-order. His innings came to last for 68 off 46 as Mendis took the catch in Hemantha’s ball. The middle-order also failed to score for Pakistan Shaheens. The failure continued for the lower-order too. Pakistan ended at 135/9 in 20 overs.
Dushan Hemantha took 4 wickets for Sri Lanka A while Nipun Ransika and Eshan Malinga took two wickets each.
Sri Lanka A, in response, batted well. The top-order done most of the job as Lahiru Udara made 43 off 20 and Ahan Wickramasinghe was not-out at 52 off 46.
Sufiyan Muqeem and Abbas Afridi took a wicket each.
Sri Lanka A won the match by 7 wickets.
The Final Showdown
Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A will play the final match. While the in-form Sri Lanka A team will look for the title but Afghanistan A who have done multiple upsets in the tournament will surely give a tough fight and the target will be to be a champion. The final showdown is scheduled for 27 October 2024.
