Bangladesh U19 have taken a big step toward the semi-finals of the U19 Asia Cup with back-to-back wins in the group stage.
Chasing a modest target of just three runs, Rizan Hossain sealed the victory with a six off Yuvraj Khatri, ensuring a thrilling finish for Bangladesh. The side showed dominance throughout the match, backed by brilliant bowling performances and a 50+ innings from Jawad Abrar, as they comfortably defeated Nepal U19.
On Monday in Dubai, Bangladesh won their Group B fixture by seven wickets, reaching the target of 131 with more than 25 overs to spare after restricting Nepal to 130. This followed their opening win against Afghanistan, leaving them on the brink of a semi-final berth.
A win for Sri Lanka against Afghanistan in their final group match will confirm a semi-final spot for both Bangladesh and the Sri Lankans; otherwise, the final standings will be decided in the last round of matches.
Jawad Abrar, who scored 96 in the opening match, continued his fine form with an unbeaten 70, hitting three sixes and seven fours. His consistency earned him the Player of the Match award for the second game running.
Bangladesh bowlers set the tone early. Mohammad Shobuz led the attack with 3 wickets for 27 runs in 7 overs. Support came from Sad Islam, Shahriar Ahmed, and Azizul Hakim, each picking up two wickets.
Batting first, Nepal lost opener Sahil Patel in the seventh over, with Sad breaking the 40-run opening stand. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. Shahriar Al-Amin removed Bhansh Chettri’s stumps, while Shobuz took two quick wickets, including Niraj Kumar Yadav and Nishchal. Cibrin took a sharp catch to dismiss another.
Despite losing five wickets for 61 runs, Nepal managed to reach 130 with contributions from Ashish Luzar (23 off 1 four) and Abhishek Tiwari (30 off 2 sixes), but their total remained below par.
Chasing the target, Bangladesh started strongly but suffered a double blow in the fourth over when Rifar Beg and Azizul were dismissed, with captain Azizul run out. At 29/2, Jawad Abrar and Kalam Siddiqui steadied the innings with a 92-run partnership. Kalam eventually fell for 34 from four boundaries.
Jawad’s aggressive batting carried Bangladesh to victory, finishing 70* off 52 balls, while Rizan remained unbeaten to see the team home.
Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka in their final group match on Wednesday.
Brief Scores
- Nepal U19: 130/10 in 31.1 overs (Sahil 18, Niraj 14, Bhansh 4, Cibrin 5, Nishchal 0, Ashok 5, Ashish 23, Abhishek 30, Yuvraj 6, Bipin 0, Dayanand 2*; Sad 7-0-32-2, Shobuz 7-1-27-3, Shahriar 5-0-22-1, Shahriar 5.1-2-10-2, Parvez 3-0-15-0, Azizul 4-0-18-2)
- Bangladesh U19: 135/3 in 24.5 overs (Jawad 70*, Rifat 5, Azizul 1, Kalam 34, Rizan 12*; Dayanand 4-0-38-0, Abhishek 5-0-25-1, Bipin 6-1-20-0, Yuvraj 3.5-0-18-1, Ashok 5-0-23-0, Cibrin 1-0-10-0)
Result: Bangladesh U19 won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match: Jawad Abrar
