Tigers start Youth Asia Cup with victory over Afghanistan

Defending champions Bangladesh Under-19 made a confident start to the Youth Asia Cup by defeating Afghanistan Under-19 by three wickets in their opening match in Dubai on Saturday.

Chasing a daunting target, Bangladesh showed no signs of panic and launched a counter-attacking response, led by a solid opening stand between Jawad Abrar and Rifat Beg. Although Jawad narrowly missed out on a century, his knock, combined with Rifat’s composed batting, guided the Young Tigers to victory with seven balls to spare.

Batting first, Afghanistan Under-19 posted a competitive 283 for seven, built around a century by Faisal. Bangladesh then chased down the 284-run target, reaching the winning mark late in the innings.

At the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai, Afghanistan lost their first wicket for 16 runs before steady partnerships of 66 for the second wicket and 93 for the third laid the foundation for a big total. Opener Usman Sadan scored 34, while number three batter Faisal struck a superb 103 off 94 balls, hitting eight fours and four sixes. In the middle order, Uzairullah Niazi made 44 off 55 balls and Azizullah Miakhil added 38 off 36. Abdul Aziz provided late momentum with 26 off 16 balls.

Despite using seven bowlers, Bangladesh struggled to contain the Afghan batters. Pacer Iqbal Hossain Emon took two wickets for 63 runs in 10 overs, while Shahriar Ahmed claimed two wickets for 43 runs in eight overs. Sad Islam, Samiul Bashir and Rizan Hossain picked up one wicket each.

In reply, openers Jawad Abrar and Rifat Beg gave Bangladesh a flying start, taking on the Afghan bowlers from the outset. Their opening partnership produced 151 runs before Rifat was dismissed for 62 off 68 balls. Jawad continued his charge towards a century but was dismissed for 96 off 112 balls, falling just four runs short of the milestone. His innings included nine fours and six sixes.

Captain Azizul Hakim Tamim and Kalam Siddiqui then added 66 runs for the third wicket. Kalam was dismissed for 29, while Tamim fell just short of a half-century, scoring 47 off 48 balls. Despite a late wobble, Sheikh Parvez Jibon’s 13 runs and the winning stroke from Shahriar Ahmed sealed a three-wicket win for Bangladesh.