Pakistan stormed into the semi-finals of the ICC U19 World Cup with a thumping 121-run win over Sri Lanka in their quarter-final tie at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Propelled to 279 on the back of skipper Sami Aslam (95) and fellow opener Inam-ul-Haq’s (82) 177-run stand, Pakistan never looked in any trouble from the start of the match. Aslam and Inam’s partnership was further boosted by Kamran Ghulam’s 44-ball 52 which meant that Sri Lanka had their backs to the wall when they came out for the chase.
Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Zia-ul-Haq made sure his side maintained their dominance, striking with the very first delivery of the run-chase. Sri Lanka proceeded to lose two more wickets and with 44/3 in 10.4 overs, it started to seem an almost improbable task for Kusal Mendis’ men.
Karamat Ali, Kamran Ghulam and Karamat Ali then picked up two wickets each to set up a resounding win for Pakistan and mouth-watering clash against England, who beat India by three wickets to reach the last four.
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