That’s a wrap, folks! Both semifinals went right down to the wire, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. In the end, Bangladesh A and Pakistan A emerged victorious and will now face off in the summit clash on Sunday. We hope you enjoyed our coverage. For now, it's me, Deepak Prakash, taking your leave on behalf of Darpan Tikiya and scorer Sachin Yadav. See you soon.
Irfan Khan Niazi (Pakistan-A captain): "We lost early wickets but then Saad (Masood) and Ghazi (Gouri) played really well. We just told Ghazi to play normal cricket and take us to 150-160.
My belief on my bowlers is very high. We are a good bowling side. (On Masood's comment about him being aggressive) I was not too aggressive. I was trying to stay in the game, stay in the present.
(On preparation for the final) Preparations were done before the tournament. But we need to recover because we have had a hard game. I need aggression. Your calmness is important, but aggression is what you need in sports.
Thank you to all the fans. Please come to support us in the final too."
Dunith Wellalage (Sri Lanka A Captain): "Yeah, overall, we take a lot of positives. Our bowlers did well, but our middle order collapsed. Rathnayake batted really well. Credit goes to the Pakistan bowlers — they bowled and fielded exceptionally. They performed well in all departments. As a team, we still have plenty of positives to build on."
Saad Masood (Player of the Match): "Thanks to the almighty. I was watching the ball carefully. I told my team when I got out that 150 was a good score to defend. See, it is T20. Sometimes you go for runs and it is okay. I was just trying to put it at the stumps. Our captain is an aggressive guy. He helped me a lot."
Player of the Match: Saad Masood
11:32 PM IST, 9:02 PM Local Time: PHEW! The match went down to the wire, but Ubaid Shah held his nerve to secure a narrow 5-run win for Pakistan A, booking their place in the final against Bangladesh A. With this victory, Pakistan A remain unbeaten in the tournament and continue their impressive run.
Earlier, after being invited to bat first, Pakistan A posted 153/9 in 20 overs. They made a brisk start but kept losing wickets in clusters, struggling especially against Traveen Mathew, who delivered a superb spell of 3/22. The top order never quite settled, with most batters falling while trying to force the pace. Maaz Sadaqat showed intent with a quick 23, but his dismissal triggered another slide and left Pakistan A reeling at 62/5 inside eight overs. A much-needed period of stability came through a 47-run stand between Ghazi Ghori and Saad Masood. Ghori anchored the innings with an unbeaten 39, ensuring Pakistan A didn’t bundle out early. Once Masood departed, the innings looked set to taper off, but Ahmed Daniyal’s explosive 22 off just 8 balls gave the total late life and dragged them past the 150 mark. Pramod Madushan cashed in during the death overs, finishing with an excellent 4/29. Lasith Croospulle gave Sri Lanka A a blazing start, smashing 27 off just 7 balls before Shahid Aziz removed him in the second over. Vishen Halambage came out with similar intent, charging down the track almost every ball and connecting well enough to keep the chase on track. At one stage, Sri Lanka A looked in complete control—until Sufiyan Muqeem stepped in and flipped the script. The left-arm spinner dismissed Halambage for 29, triggering a dramatic collapse. From there, wickets tumbled rapidly as Sri Lanka A lost all momentum. Muqeem finished with an impressive 3/12, while Saad Masood backed him up brilliantly with three wickets of his own, leaving Sri Lanka A in deep trouble. Sri Lanka A were reeling at 8 down inside 100, but Milan Priyanath Rathnayake revived the chase with a superb late flourish. His counterattack brought the equation down to 21 off the final two overs, and with 8 needed from 4 balls, it briefly looked like he might pull off a heist. However, Ubaid Shah held his nerve in the final over, removing the set batter with a yorker on the third ball—though the decision appeared harsh as it seemed to be sliding down leg. Rathnayake’s (40) dismissal halted the momentum, and Sri Lanka A ultimately fell 5 runs short of Pakistan A’s total. Ubaid Shah, Shahid Aziz, and Ahmed Daniyal chipped in with one wicket each for Pakistan A.
Stay tuned for the presentation.......
OVER 20
Sri Lanka A
148/9
Garuka Sanketh
1(2)
Traveen Mathew
4(12)
Ubaid Shah
1-46(4.0)
19.6 U Shah to G Sanketh
0 SWINGS, MISSES, AND THAT IS THE END OF THE MATCH! Pakistan-A stay undefeated in this competition. They will now meet Bangladesh-A in the final. Their fans in the stands are dancing to the tune of "Dil dil Pakistan" to celebrate what has been an excellent performance. Take nothing away from Sri Lanka-A though, who gave them a run for their money right till the very end. However, they could not get over the line. Yes, the decision against Rathnayake was a tough pill to swallow, but there were plenty of other things that they did not do right. This ball was full, angled towards the body of the batter from around the wicket. Sanketh backed away, hoicked and failed to lay bat on ball.