Pakistan A Wins Asia Cup Rising Stars Title for the Third Time
The Asian Cricket Council’s President, Mohsin Naqvi, was in the spotlight as Pakistan A celebrated a thrilling victory in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament, marking their third title win. On November 23, in an exciting final held at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha, Pakistan A defeated Bangladesh after a nail-biting Super Over.
Bangladesh was hoping to secure their first title in the tournament’s history but fell short in the gripping match. Naqvi, present at the venue, was often seen on camera, visibly excited as he witnessed the contest. Following Pakistan’s win, he handed over the trophy to the captain of the victorious team.
This event follows a recent incident where Naqvi, who is also the President of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), had declined to present the 2025 Asia Cup trophy to India after they beat Pakistan in the final earlier in September at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Despite India’s request for the Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman to present the trophy, Naqvi decided to do it himself. This led to the Indian team walking away from the presentation, resulting in an abrupt end to the ceremony. Naqvi later stated that India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, should collect the trophy directly from the ACC office in Dubai.
A Thrilling Finale for Pakistan
In the final against Bangladesh A, Pakistan’s innings started rocky, losing two wickets without scoring. Yasir Khan and Mohammad Faiq were dismissed early, putting Pakistan in a tough spot. Maaz Sadaqat (23 runs off 18 balls) and Arafat Minhas (25 runs off 23 balls) worked hard to stabilize the innings. However, wickets kept tumbling, preventing any significant breakthrough.
The turning point of the innings came when Saad Masood delivered a standout performance, scoring 38 runs off 26 balls, including three fours and three sixes. His aggressive play helped lift Pakistan from a precarious 75 for 6 to a total of 125. Bangladesh’s bowlers, Ripon Mondol (3 for 25) and Rakibul Hasan (2 for 16), were impressive in restricting Pakistan’s scoring.
In response, Bangladesh started strong with Habibur Rahman Sohan contributing 26 runs off 17 balls. However, they soon faced a collapse, reduced to 53 for 7 thanks to Sufiyan Muqeem’s stellar bowling (3 for 11) and two key wickets from Arafat Minhas. Rakibul Hasan scored 24 runs and a crucial late surge of 19 runs in the 19th over gave Bangladesh a fighting chance. But Ahmed Daniyal’s tight bowling in the final over forced the match into a Super Over.
During the Super Over, Daniyal managed to dismiss Saqlain and Jishan Alam while conceding five extras, limiting Bangladesh to six runs. Pakistan calmly chased down the target, with Saad Masood scoring the winning runs, sealing a dramatic title for the Shaheens.
– Ends
