{"id":725,"date":"2026-11-08T16:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T16:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodforfree.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/08\/hamza-zahoors-heroic-century-powers-pakistan-u-19-to-thrilling-victory-over-india-in-asia-cup\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T16:39:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T16:39:00","slug":"hamza-zahoors-heroic-century-powers-pakistan-u-19-to-thrilling-victory-over-india-in-asia-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/08\/hamza-zahoors-heroic-century-powers-pakistan-u-19-to-thrilling-victory-over-india-in-asia-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamza Zahoor’s Heroic Century Powers Pakistan U-19 to Thrilling Victory Over India in Asia Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Generated<\/figure>\n

Pakistan’s Under-19 cricket team delivered a stunning comeback victory against arch-rivals India in the U-19 Asia Cup, chasing down a target of 209 runs with three wickets in hand and just under two overs to spare.<\/p>\n

The match, which had all the drama and intensity expected from a Pakistan-India encounter, saw the Green Shirts staring at defeat at 65-5 before mounting one of the most memorable recoveries in recent youth cricket history.<\/p>\n

Hamza Zahoor emerged as the hero of the day, remaining unbeaten on a magnificent century\u2014100 runs off 108 deliveries\u2014studded with 10 boundaries and three sixes. His innings will be remembered as one of the finest performances by a Pakistani youth cricketer against India.<\/p>\n

Pakistan’s chase began disastrously. Jahangir Bilal fell early for just five runs, and even Usman Khan, fresh off a century against the UAE, could only manage 16. When Abdul Qadir departed for 20, Pakistan stood at 55-3. The situation worsened rapidly as captain Farhan Yousaf and Ahmed Hussain fell cheaply, leaving the team in tatters at 65-5.<\/p>\n

At this critical juncture, Zahoor found an able partner in Hasnain Abbas Dar. The duo constructed a match-turning 107-run partnership for the sixth wicket, displaying maturity and composure well beyond their years. They frustrated Indian bowlers with disciplined batting, rotating the strike and punishing loose deliveries.<\/p>\n

Abbas Dar contributed a gritty 38 off 67 balls before falling to Manal Chauhan, who finished with three wickets. Mohammad Sayyam’s dismissal for four gave India brief hope, but Zahoor held firm, guiding Pakistan across the finish line in the 49th over.<\/p>\n

Earlier, India had won the toss and elected to bat but stumbled to 22-3 as Pakistani pacers Ali Raza and Rizwanullah struck early blows. Captain Lakshya Raichandani was dismissed for a duck on the second ball, setting the tone for India’s struggles.<\/p>\n

Spinner Niqab Shafiq applied further pressure, removing Aaryavir Sehwag and Anvay Dravid to leave India at 70-4. However, Arjun Rajput produced a counter-attacking masterclass, smashing his maiden Youth ODI century with 107 runs off just 85 balls, including 11 fours and five sixes.<\/p>\n

Rajput’s explosive innings, supported by a 64-run partnership with Chauhan, lifted India to a competitive total. But Pakistani bowlers fought back in the death overs. Ali Raza and Niqab Shafiq both claimed three wickets, while Rizwanullah and Mohammad Sayyam chipped in to bowl India out for 208.<\/p>\n

The victory showcased the fighting spirit and resilience that Pakistani cricket is renowned for. From the brink of collapse, the young Green Shirts demonstrated character and skill to overcome their fiercest rivals in a match that will be talked about for years to come.<\/p>\n

For Pakistan’s cricket-loving nation, this triumph offers a glimpse of the talent emerging through the youth ranks\u2014talent that could soon represent the senior team in future battles against India on the biggest stages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pakistan’s Under-19 cricket team delivered a stunning comeback victory against arch-rivals India in the U-19 Asia Cup, chasing down a target of 209 runs with three wickets in hand and just under two overs to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[3,9,4],"class_list":["post-725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-ai-consensus","tag-geo-news","tag-journalist-ai"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/goodforfree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/hamza-zahoor-s-heroic-century-powers-pakistan-u-19-to-thrilling-victory-over-india-in-asia-cup.png","read_time":"3 min read","source_name":"Goodforfree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodforfree.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}