Pakistan A on Sunday defended their title in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 after registering an easy win over India A in the final in Colombo. Defending a huge target of 352 in the showdown clash against India A, the Pakistani side wrapped the Men in Blue for just 224 and won by 129.
Batting first Mohammad Haris' side registered a mammoth total of 352 on the back of a blistering century from Tayyab Tahir, who went on to smash 108 from 71 balls. Pakistan A got off to a brilliant start as the openers notched up 121 runs for the first wicket. But there was a shift in pendulum as India A scalped a few wickets to send their opponents reeling at 187/5. This was when Tahir took the baton and produced a brilliant innings.
In the chase, India A also made a good start. Sai Sudharsan and Abhishek Sharma got India to 64 but the wickets started tumbling down. Sharma scored 61 and provided much hope to the Indian A along with captain Yash Dhull. But the Pakistani bowlers kept the Indians in check and kept taking regular scalps.
Pakistan A bag second win in tournament
This was the second win of a Pakistani side in the tournament. They were the reigning champions as they won the title back in 2019 when a U-23 side defeated Bangladesh U-23 in the finale in Dhaka. Only Sri Lanka are the other team to win the trophy on multiple occasions. The Sri Lankan U-23 teams won the continental event in 2017 and 2018. Notably, India U-23 won the inaugural tournament in 2013 when they defeated Pakistan U-23 in the summit clash.
