Pakistan U19 Beat UAE by 9 Wickets as Usman Khan Hits 137

Photo: A-Sports

Pakistan Under-19s opened their Asia Cup title defence with a crushing nine-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates in Oman on Friday. Opener Usman Khan smashed an unbeaten 137 as Pakistan chased down 225 with more than 12 overs to spare at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground.

UAE had no answer to Pakistan's bowlers after captain Farhan Yousaf won the toss and chose to field. Ali Raza struck in the third over, and the UAE innings never really got going. They slipped to 36 for 3, then 127 for 6, before Noorullah Ayobi's late hitting lifted them to 224 all out. Ayobi made 70 off just 55 balls. Mohammad Sayyam took three wickets, while Ali Raza, Rizwanullah and Hasnain Abbas Dar took two each.

The chase was a one-man show at the top. Usman came into the tournament in fine touch after topping the scoring in Pakistan's Youth ODI series win in England in September, where he hit 151 in the first game. He was in control from the start here. He finished on 137 not out off 116 balls, with 21 fours and a six, and shared a 153-run opening stand with Jahangir Bilal, who made 60 off 87 balls. Abdul Qadir finished the job with 19 not out off 17 balls as Pakistan reached the target with nine wickets in hand.

The win is a strong start for the defending champions. Pakistan won the last Asia Cup in December 2025, beating India by 191 runs in the final in Dubai, and they beat these same opponents by 70 runs in the group stage of that tournament. This time the margin was even wider, and the manner of it will worry the other teams in Group A, which also has India and Nepal.

It has been a bright week with the bat for Pakistan cricket. Mohammad Rizwan hit 200 not out in a domestic game on his comeback after being dropped from the England tour. And it is the second big result for Pakistan's young sports stars in two days, after Maliha Ali won bronze at the MMA World Championship in Tbilisi. Pakistan go into the rest of the group stage as the team to beat, and Usman Khan has put his hand up as the batter to watch in this tournament.

Sources

• Cricbuzz: Pakistan U19 vs UAE U19 scorecard, ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2026
• A-Sports: Pakistan bowlers restrict UAE to 224 in U19 Asia Cup 2026 clash
• CREX: Pakistan U19 vs UAE U19 live score and result

Pakistan now turn to their next Group A game, with a place in the semi-finals the early target after such a strong start.

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