Final takeaway from Dubai? Bangladesh U-19 look polished. Balanced. Hungry. Bowl well. Bat smarter. Nepal U-19 have heart. But need consistency. Execution. Patience. The points table smiles at Bangladesh. Lessons logged. Semi-finals await.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator Ninaad Dixit and scorer Rajesh Pal. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesn’t sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!
Azizul Hakim (Bangladesh U19 Captain): "Not happy with my individual performance but as a team we did really well with both bat and ball. Zawad and Aleen also played very good cricket.
We have big matches coming up so we wanted to check our bowling options out. We gave up many extras, we will come back good.
We will prepare for the next game. We will plan to bring in more discipline in our bowling attack."
Ashok Dhami (Nepal's U-19 Skipper): "Yes, the conditions were tough right from the start. I don’t think our preparation carried through the first 15 to 20 overs, and that’s where we fell behind.
We knew this wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on, but with a bit more application, a total of around 200 to 220 could have been competitive. That was always the plan, but when the top order doesn’t score runs, patience starts to wear thin.
There are positives to take, though. Tiwari was impressive both with the bat and the ball. Performances like that are encouraging.
We’ll take this as a learning experience and go into the next game with a positive mindset. At this level, every run and every minute spent in the middle counts, and we’ll look to improve in the next match."
Zawad Abrar (Player of the Match): "Quite happy to contribute in a winning cause. My plan was to keep it very simple. I carried the confidence from the last game. I played my natural game. After 2 wickets fell, I told Aleen to stay on the crease and take it as deep as possible. There is no additional pressure [for being defending champions twice], Tamim handles it very well.
Player of the Match: Zawad Abrar
3:28 PM IST, 1:58 PM LOCAL TIME: Champions cruise, challengers learn. A day where intent met execution. How do you sum up this contest in one breath? A stroll with purpose. Bangladesh U-19 chased 131 like seasoned custodians of calm. Nepal U-19 fought. Tried. But fell short. A seven-wicket win. With 151 balls still in the bank. Bangladesh go top of Group B. Semi-finals secured. Trophy defence on track. Nepal, meanwhile, walk away with lessons. Hard ones. But necessary.
Intent right from ball one? Absolutely. No hesitation. Eight runs off the first over said it all. Low target. Clear minds. Bangladeshi openers didn’t overthink. Nepal bowlers, already under scoreboard pressure, leaked extras early. Wides. A no-ball. Momentum gifted. Bangladesh were 27/0 after three overs. Control firmly in blue hands.
What changed suddenly in the Powerplay? Cricket happened. Quickly. Tiwari cramped Rifat Beg with pace and bounce. Top edge. Gone. Next ball. Chaos. Azizul Hakim’s brain fade. A risky second run. Run-out. Captain dismissed. Bangladesh slipped from 28/0 to 29/2. Nepal sensed a crack. Belief flickered briefly.
Who steadied the ship for Bangladesh U-19? Zawad Abrar. Calm head. Free bat. He responded with authority. Two sixes in the seventh over. Pressure released. Kalam Siddiki played the anchor. Rotated strike. Absorbed risk. Drinks came at 81/2 in 15 overs. Nepal kept probing. But the chase never truly drifted away.
When did the game officially shut for Nepal? At Abrar’s fifty. Off 52 balls. Clean. Controlled. Seven fours. Three sixes. He shifted gears after that. Siddiki fell on 34, just before the end. But damage was done. Rizan Hossain arrived. One six. Game. Set. Match. Finished in 24.5 overs.
Earlier in the day, what went wrong for Nepal in the first innings? Collapse. Simple. Promising start. Openers added 40. Powerplay read 58/2. Then wickets fell like dominos. Sobuj returned sharply. Two wickets in two balls. Spell changed the script. Nepal slid from 40/0 to 61/5. Extras hurt too. 23 of them. Pressure multiplied.
Any positives for Nepal with the bat? Yes. Abhisekh Tiwari. Batting at eight. Top-scored with 30. Showed fight. Added 38 with Aashish Luhar. Brief resistance. But Bangladesh bowlers stayed ruthless. Shahriar Ahmed’s 2/10 was gold dust. Support came from Azizul Hakim and Saad Islam. Nepal folded for 130 in 31.1 overs.
OVER 25
Bangladesh U19
135/3
Rizan Hossain
12(8)
Zawad Abrar
70(68)
Yuvraj Khatri
1-18(3.5)
24.5 Y Khatri to R Hossain
6 SIX RUNS! Bangladesh finish things off with a maximum! Tossed up delivery on the off stump line, Rizan gets down on a knee and smashes a big hit down the ground. Finds the middle of the bat, hits it high and very long to clear the field.