So, that is it from myself, Karthik Raj and my co-commentator, Dev as we wrap up the coverage of this exciting final. A note of thanks to our scorer, Asraj Khan as well. Do stay tuned and join us for a lot more cricketing action on Monday!
It is time for the Pakistan Shaheens to lift the title. Irfan Khan Niazi and his boys can enjoy this moment.
Irfan Khan Niazi (Pakistan Shaheens Captain):"It was a high-voltage game. There was a lot of entertainment for everyone who came in. The conditions were tough and the cricket was great too. It was a great final. In conditions like these, we can score 180. But after losing early wickets, we looked to play all the 20 overs.
Early on, we looked to bowl the pacers. When we batted, we also saw that the spinners had a lot of help. From the first day, we believed in ourselves. We can beat anyone. I tried to be as cool as possible. Looked to read the conditions and situation.
(Message to the fans) Thank you so much everyone for your support. I feel very happy. They deserve this for the support they give us."
The Pakistan Shaheens are now receiving their winners' medals.
Akbar Ali (Bangladesh A Captain): āAt the halfway mark, the belief was definitely there. We truly felt we could win it. But to be honest, our shot selection just wasnāt good enough, and we can only blame ourselves for that. On this type of wicket, facing spinners was always going to be difficult - even when we bowled, they hardly scored against spin.
We knew the battle was going to be against the spinners, and tonight we simply didnāt win that battle. At one stage, we were completely down and out, but the way Rakibul, Saqlain, and Ripon fought back was outstanding. They showed incredible character and took us to a Super Over when nobody thought we still had a chance. Iām really happy with the way they stepped up when it mattered.
Overall, Iām very proud of this group. Itās a very young team, as we even have two players who havenāt played Under-19 yet and a couple wearing the red and green for the first time. For such a young bunch to fight this hard and take us to back-to-back Super Overs, including the semi-final, says a lot about their heart and attitude.
Thereās a lot to improve, of course, but as a captain, I couldnāt be prouder. And finally, to all our fans. A huge, huge thank you. The support from our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters in every match has been unbelievable. Whether we were winning or losing, you were right there with us. We truly appreciate it, and we give a big shout-out to all of you. Thank you so much
The Bangladesh A players are now receiving their medals.
Maaz Sadaqat (Player of the Tournament): "I feel very good. My plan was to win the Trophy and we did that. The captain trusted me to bowl. The coach also gave us plans and we applied it. I had already said that we were trying to look inwards and reduce our mistakes. I want to thank all the fans."
Ahmed Daniyal (Player of the Final): āAlhamdulillah, Iām feeling great. Injuries really donāt matter when the whole team is playing as one unit. We gelled together beautifully throughout the tournament, and thatās the reason we are standing here today. The credit goes to all my teammates for backing me, especially our captain, Irfan Niazi. The trust he showed in me means everything. We all trusted each other, and that belief brought us this far.
In the last over, my original plan was to go for yorkers because Iām confident in them. But Irfan came up to me and said, āWe can also attack with short balls. He was watching the game closely, and he felt that a change of length could break their momentum. So we switched the plan, bowled short, and Alhamdulillah, it worked, and we got them completely trapped.
As for the Super Over, there was zero pressure. We had defended seven runs before in crunch overs, so I knew I just had to stay calm. I went straight to the captain and told him, āTrust me, give me the ball - InshaAllah Iāll finish it.ā And Alhamdulillah, he trusted me and I delivered when the team needed me the most.
Itās an honour to receive the Player of the Final award, but this trophy belongs to the whole squad, as everyone played their part. Thank you so much.ā
Maaz Sadaqat has been named as the 'Player of the Tournament'.
Ahmed Daniyal has been named as the 'Player of the Match'.