AL-AMERAT: Pakistan Shaheens fell short of defending 136 against Sri Lanka A in the semi-final as the islanders reached the final of the Emerging Teams T20 Asia Cup with a seven-wicket win here on Friday.
Lahiru Udara and Ahan Wickramasinghe stitched 64 runs together to set the tone for Sri Lanka while chasing.
Udara made 43 off 20 balls to leave a strong statement out there. However, Ahan, who was promoted in the batting today, remained not out for his exceptional 52 laced with four boundaries and a six.
The fourth wicket partnership between Ahan and Sahan Arachchige made the chase look so comfortable. The two batters scored 32 runs together. Sahan managed to score 17.
For Shaheens, Sufiyan Muqeem and Abbas Afridi bagged a wicket each.
Earlier, Shaheens set a target of 136 for Sri Lanka A to chase in 20 overs.
Apart from Omair bin Yousuf, no other Shaheens' batter was able to contribute worthily to the team. Mohammad Haris's side kept on losing wickets after regular intervals.
Omair's 68 off 46 helped Shaheens post 135-9. The batting collapse put Shaheens in real trouble.
Other players, including the skipper Mohammad Haris (6), Qasim Akram (0), Haider Ali (14), Arafat Minhas (10), Abdul Samad (0), Abbas Afridi (9), and Mohammad Imran (13) were not able to score much for the team.
Dushan Hemantha took the most four wickets for Sri Lanka A. Nipun Ransika and Eshan Malinga bagged a wicket each.
TOSS
Earlier, Pakistan Shaheens opted to bat first against Sri Lanka A on Friday at the Al Amerat.
Playing XI
Pakistan Shaheens: Omair Yousuf, Yasir Khan, Mohammad Haris (c), Qasim Akram, Haider Ali, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abbas Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Mohammad Imran.
Sri Lanka A: Yashodha Lanka, Lahiru Udara, Nuwanidu Fernando (c), Sahan Arachchige , Pavan Rathnayake, Ramesh Mendis, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Dushan Hemantha, Nimesh Vimukthi, Nipun Ransika, and Eshan Malinga.
