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NEW DELHI: The flop show of teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued in the U19 Asia Cup, as the 14-year-old batter was dismissed at the score of 26 in the tournament final against arch-rival Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. Sooryavanshi was dismissed in the fifth over of the innings; he was caught behind the stumps by Pakistan keeper Hamza Zahoor off Ali Raza’s bowling. Raza bowled a short of length delivery, angled across. Sooryavanshi looked to loft through the line and got a thick outside edge, Hamza Zahoor took a sharp catch over his head. There was no space to free his hands, and the ball was climbing as well.
With Sooryavanshi’s wicket, India were reduced to 49/3 while chasing a mammoth total of 348. Follow live updatesCaptain Ayush Mhatre (2 off 7 balls) and Aaron George (16 off 9 balls) were also dismissed cheaply, leaving India in deep trouble. Sooryavanshi also failed to score big in the semi-final against Sri Lanka and was dismissed for 9 runs.Earlier, Pakistan opener Sameer Minhas once again gave a glimpse into his precocious talent, striking a brilliant century — his second in the tournament — as Pakistan made a steep 347 for 8 in an engrossing 50-over men’s U19 Asia Cup final here on Sunday.Minhas, one of the standout performers for his side in the event, blazed to 172 off 113 deliveries as he carried the aspirations of his side, which lost the group match to the arch-foes by 90 runs at the same venue.Pakistan, coming into the final on the back of a clinical eight-wicket semifinal win against last edition champions Bangladesh, did not let India, who chose to bowl, settle down.Minhas, whose innings was studded with 17 boundaries and nine sixes, brought up his century off 71 balls with a four in the 29th over off Devendran.This was Minhas’ second hundred in the competition having cracked an unbeaten 177 against Malaysia in the opening group match.
