Brief Score Summary:
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Afghanistan A: 206/4 in 20 overs (Sediqullah Atal 83, Zubaid Akbari 64, Rasikh Salam 3/25)
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India A: 186/7 in 20 overs (Ramandeep Singh 64, Ayush Badoni 31, Allah Ghazanfar 2/14)
Afghanistan A Outwined India A to Qualify for the Final
In thriller conditions at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground, Afghanistan A defeated India A by 20 runs to enter the final of the ACC Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 from the semi-finals. Bidding first, Afghanistan A set a huge target of 206/4, due to superb knocks by Sediqullah Atal and Zubaid Akbari. India A could not cross the score in reply and managed to stay at 186/7 after 20 overs.
Afghanistan's Strong Start Sets the Tone
Afghanistan A captain Darwish Rasooli won the toss and elected to bat first. Zubaid Akbari and Sediqullah Atal gave the Afghan openers a dominating 137-run start. Akbari bludgeoned 64 of 41 balls, blasting five fours and four sixes, while Atal's 83 of 52 deliveries had seven boundaries and four maximums.
He came into the final overs to give it a strong finish by smashing 41 off just 20 balls to make Afghanistan push a competitive total of 206/4 on board.
India A Stumbles Early in Chase
India A's chase off to a shaky start as openers Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, and captain Tilak Varma fell in a jiffy during the powerplay. The middle order didn't do much as Ramandeep Singh scored 64 off 34 balls and Ayush Badoni 31 off 24. Ramandeep, with eight boundaries and two sixes, gave India hope but couldn't take it home.
Some vital runs were scored by Nehal Wadhera (20 off 14) and Nishant Sindhu (23 off 13). India A was not able to complete their innings as they left with 186/7, which was 20 runs short.
Bowlers from Afghanistan Keep India in Check
The bowling for Afghanistan persisted to keep the Indians' side under pressure while batting. Allah Ghazanfar (2/14), Abdul Rahman (2/32) and later Sharafuddin Ashraf have chipped in, having an economical two overs at cost of just 13, Afghanistan A successfully defended total.
Afghanistan Set for Final
With this victory, Afghanistan A qualifies for the final match of the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024. They would face Sri Lanka A on Sunday. There is a great probability that there would be a nail-biting contest at Al Amerat on Sunday.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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