POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa: Defending champions India cruised to a 10-wicket win over neighbors and arch-rivals Pakistan in Potchefstroom on Tuesday to reach the Under-19 Cricket World Cup final for the seventh time.
India, the record four-time winners of the underage competition, dismissed Pakistan for 172 in 43.1 overs before comfortably knocking off the runs with 88 balls to spare.
India will play either New Zealand or Bangladesh, who meet in the second semifinal, for the title at the same venue on Sunday. Pakistan will contest the third-place play-off in Benoni on Saturday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal struck an unbeaten 105 off 113 balls, completing his century and sealing the victory in style with a six over deep mid-wicket.
“It’s a dream come true for me. To be able to do this for my country is a great feeling. To score a hundred against Pakistan in a World cup semifinal is something I can’t put into words,” said Jaiswal.
“They bowled well initially and we wanted to ride that out and we knew we could dominate them after that.”
Left-hander Jaiswal, who was snapped up by the Rajasthan Royals in the 2020 IPL auction, smacked eight fours and four sixes as he took over as the tournament’s leading runscorer.
He was ably supported in a leisurely chase by Divyaansh Saxena who finished 59 not out, his second fifty of the competition.
Jaiswal earlier picked up the key wicket of Pakistan opener Haider Ali (56) with his part-time leg-spin as Pakistan collapsed from 96 for two in an innings where just three players made double digits.
Ali and captain Rohail Nazir (62) helped Pakistan recover after losing Mohammad Huraira and Fahad Munir cheaply, but only Mohammad Haris, who hit a brisk 21 off 15 balls, provided any additional contribution.
Left-arm seamer Sushant Mishra took 3-28 while right-arm quick Kartik Tyagi and legspinner Ravi Bishnoi collected two wickets apiece.
“The pitch was good, and we didn’t put enough runs on the board,” said Pakistan skipper Nazir.
“I think Haider and I had a great partnership, we were at a good position at the 25-over mark, but Haider got out at a crucial point, and the rest of the batsmen weren’t able to take enough responsibility.”
He added: “We learn from all our mistakes, and the boys are confident and happy that we played some good cricket in the tournament.”
Pakistan, who were back-to-back champions in 2004 and 2006, haven’t beaten India at the U19 World Cup since 2010.
With political relations on a knife-edge, there has been no Test series between the two countries at the senior level since 2007-08 and no white ball series since 2012-13.
India crush rivals Pakistan to reach Under-19 World Cup final
https://arab.news/n54m8
India crush rivals Pakistan to reach Under-19 World Cup final
- India dismissed Pakistan for 172 in 43.1 overs
- India will play either New Zealand or Bangladesh, who meet in the second semifinal
Three militants killed as police repel assault in northwest Pakistan
- Police say nine militants injured, officer lightly wounded in Bannu clash
- The incident was followed by coordinated assaults on two police stations
PESHAWAR: Police in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province killed three militants after repelling an overnight assault on a post in Bannu district, an official said on Wednesday, with fresh attacks reported hours later in what authorities described as coordinated retaliation.
Bannu, a volatile district near Afghanistan, has frequently witnessed militant activity. KP has seen a surge in violence in recent years, with groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) repeatedly targeting police checkpoints, security forces and government installations.
Militants launched a heavy attack on the Khunia Khel police post during the night, according to Aamir Khan, spokesman for the Regional Police Officer in the district, trying to seize the facility. However, law enforcement personnel stationed there fought them off.
“The officers displayed exceptional valor and professionalism, putting up a fierce resistance against the terrorists and forcing them to retreat,” he told Arab News over the phone.
Khan said three militants were killed and nine others injured in the clash, while one police officer sustained minor injuries.
Police were working to establish the identities of the slain attackers in the remote region, he continued, adding that one of the militants had been identified as commander Umar Azam, also known as Khazmati, while another was identified as Shahidullah.
The identity of the third militant was still being determined.
Khan said militants later launched coordinated attacks on the Ahmadzai Police Station and the Fateh Khel police post in an apparent attempt to avenge the deaths of their associates.
Security personnel at both locations repelled the assaults, forcing the attackers to retreat, he added.
The violence comes amid broader concerns about militant groups operating from Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups to operate from their territory, a charge Kabul denies.
The issue has strained ties between the two neighbors and led to major border clashes last year.
