Bangladesh went into the Under-19 Asia Cup as champions of the last two editions. This time, the journey ended in the semi-finals. Azizul Hakim Tamim’s side lost to Pakistan by eight wickets and saw their dream of a hat-trick title come to an end.
Pakistan Under-19 chased the target without much trouble. They needed 122 in a rain-reduced 27-over match and reached it at 122-2 in just 16.3 overs. Hamza Zahoor was out for a duck in the first over, but Pakistan stayed calm after that.
Sameer Minhas led the chase with confidence. He stayed unbeaten on 69 off 57 balls and hit six fours and two sixes. He shared an 85-run stand with Usman Khan, which took the game away from Bangladesh. Usman scored 27 off 26 balls before falling lbw to Samiun Basir. Ahmed Hussain finished on 11 not out.
For Bangladesh, Iqbal Hossain Emon and Samiun Basir took one wicket each. The bowlers, however, could not build pressure in the middle overs.
Earlier, Bangladesh Under-19 were bowled out for 121 in 26.3 overs. Rain delayed the start and reduced the match to 27 overs per side. Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first.
The openers gave Bangladesh a steady start but could not go on. Rifat Beg scored 14 off 16 balls before getting out. Zawad Abrar made 9 off 13 balls. Captain Azizul Hakim Tamim looked settled at number three but fell for 20 off 26 balls.
The middle order failed to recover the innings. Kalam Siddiki, Md Abdullah and Sheikh Parvez Jibon could not stay long at the crease. Wickets fell at regular intervals. Samiun Basir showed some fight at the end with 33 off 37 balls and helped Bangladesh cross 120. Abdul Subhan led Pakistan’s bowling with four wickets for 20 runs in six overs.
The defeat felt heavier because of the situation. If rain had stopped play or produced no result, Bangladesh would have reached the final as group champions. They had won all three group matches and entered the semi-final with high hopes. Fans believed in another title, especially after the record 284-run chase against Afghanistan Under-19, the highest successful chase in Under-19 Asia Cup history. That win had raised belief that something big was possible.
With the Asia Cup over, attention now turns to the future. The next goal is the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026. For Azizul Hakim Tamim and his team, the focus must shift there. They will need to learn from this loss and prepare for the bigger stage ahead.
