Pakistan clinched the Asia Cup Rising Stars title after a thrilling contest that first went down to the wire in the regular overs and was eventually decided in the Super Over, where Pakistan produced outstanding batting and bowling to defeat Bangladesh.
In the final played in Doha, Bangladesh A won the toss and elected to bowl first, putting Pakistan Shaheens into bat. However, the Pakistani batters failed to deliver a solid start. Pakistan’s first two wickets fell for just two runs, after which the remaining batters also appeared under pressure and could not put up notable contributions. Opener Yasir Khan and one-down batter Muhammad Faiq were dismissed without scoring.
Maaz Sadaqat, who had been in great form throughout the tournament, scored 23 runs off 18 balls with two fours and one six. Arafat Minhas added 25 runs, while the captain, Irfan Khan Niazi, managed only 9 runs. Pakistan’s highest scorer was Saad Masood, who played an impressive knock of 38 runs off 26 balls, including 3 fours and 3 sixes, helping the team post 125 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.
For Bangladesh A, Repan Mandol took 3 wickets, while Rakibul Hasan claimed 2 wickets.
Chasing a relatively simple target, Bangladesh’s innings also stumbled early as they lost 4 wickets for 44 runs. Opener Habibur Rahman Sohan contributed 26 runs, while S M Mehrob scored 19 and Rakibul Hasan added 24 runs, after which Pakistan appeared to be in full control and on course for an easy victory. However, Bangladesh’s last-wicket stand completely changed the momentum.
Abdul Ghaffar Saqlain and Repan Mandol scored 16 and 11 runs, respectively, pushing Pakistan into trouble and taking the match to a nail-biting finish by leveling the score at 125 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs. In the final over, although Ahmad Daniyal bowled well, Saqlain managed to equal the score, forcing the match into a Super Over.
Bangladesh batted first in the Super Over and scored 6 runs for the loss of 2 wickets, both taken by Ahmad Daniyal, who again delivered an excellent spell. In response, Saad Masood and Maaz Sadaqat opened for Pakistan and successfully chased the target, scoring 8 runs without losing a wicket on the fifth ball, securing Pakistan’s third Asia Cup Rising Stars title.
Pakistan Shaheens had previously won the tournament in 2019 and 2023. The Chairman of the Asian Cricket Council and Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, was also present in the stadium during the final.
