In the Under-19 World Cup Super Six clash, Pakistan survived a major scare against Ireland. Chasing 182, they lost half the side for 96 but all-rounder Ahmad Hassan's unbeaten 57 led them to a three-wicket win with 38 balls to spare.
Earlier, Pakistan skipper Saad Baig won the toss and opted to field first. Ubaid Shah and Ali Raza got rid of the openers. Ireland suffered a batting collapse and lost five wickets for 39 runs in the 19th over. John McNally's half-century and support from Harry Dyer (31) helped Ireland post 181 before getting bowled out in the penultimate over. Shah picked up three wickets whereas Amir Hassan, Raza, and Ahmad picked up two wickets each.
In the run chase, Pakistan lost their openers early as well. Azan Awais and Baig got good starts but lost their wickets to Dyer. Shah departed for a single-digit score and became Dyer's third victim. Pakistan were struggling at 96/5 in the 24th over. The partnership between Ahmad and Haroon Arshad brought them back into the game. Jordan Neill broke the partnership in the 37th over. Arshad departed after a 34-ball 25. Dyer got the wicket of Arafat Minhas to put more pressure but it turned out to be a consolation. Ali Asfand held on to one end whereas Ahmad's unbeaten 57 got Pakistan over the line with 38 balls to spare.
In the other clash, West Indies beat Sri Lanka by three wickets with only three balls to spare. Raneico Smith's four-wicket haul helped West Indies restrict Sri Lanka to 231. Middle-order batter Dinura Kalupahana scored 53 runs from 83 balls. Batting lower down the order, Malsha Tharupathi contributed with a crucial 38-ball 42 to push the scoring rate.
West Indies' run chase got off to a decent start with skipper Stephan Pascal scoring 33 runs from 26 balls. They were cruising towards the target but after Steve Wedderburn's wicket, Sri Lanka started to put pressure on middle-order batters. Wedderburn scored 61 runs from 71 balls whereas Jordan Johnson scored 39 runs from 46 balls. In the end, Nathan Sealy and Tarrique Edward scored quickly and led West Indies to victory with three balls left in the run chase. For Sri Lanka, Kalupahana, Vishwa Lahiru, and skipper Sineth Jayawardana picked up a couple of wickets each.
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