Pakistan opener Sameer Minhas dominated the U19 Asia Cup final against India in Dubai on Sunday, smashing 172 off 113 balls to power his team to a formidable 347 for 8. His innings shifted the momentum entirely for Pakistan, who had previously lost their group stage match to India by 90 runs at the same venue.
Minhas, the younger brother of Pakistan international Arafat Minhas, was severe on the new-ball pair of Kishan Singh and Deepesh Devendran. After losing partner Hamza Zahoor early, Minhas stabilized the innings with a 92-run stand with Usman Kha. He reached his century in just 71 balls; making it the second-fastest of the tournament, before combining with Ahmed Hussain for a 137-run partnership.
Hussain contributed 56, capitalizing on a lackluster fielding display from India that included multiple dropped catches.
The knock rewrote the record books, with Minhas surpassing Sami Aslam’s 134 to register the highest individual score in an ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup final. He also overtook Aslam to become the highest run-getter in a single edition of the tournament, amassing 471 runs in five games at an average of 157. This was his second century of the competition, following an unbeaten 177 against Malaysia in the group opener.
Minhas looked poised for a double century but was eventually deceived by a slower delivery from Devendran in the 43rd over, holing out to mid-on. While Devendran claimed the wicket to finish with 3 for 83, the breakthrough came too late to stem the scoring rate. Left-arm spinner Khilan Patel with figures of 2/44, managed to remove Hussain later, but Pakistan had already crossed the 300-mark, setting a target that India’s bowlers had not conceded previously in the tournament.
Reflecting on the performance and the team's run, Minhas described the final as a personal milestone. "It is definitely the happiest moment, because we have never won domestic tournaments under my captaincy. And, this was something where you had to prove yourself," Minhas said. "Now, I have more trust in myself, more belief in my batting." Pakistan, joint-winners in 2012, have positioned themselves to secure the title, leaving eight-time champions India with a record chase.
