ISLAMABAD: Pakistan junior team captain Farhan Yousaf praised the support staff, maintaining that they were planning to bat first even if they had won the toss in the Junior Asia Cup final.
“Since the pitch looked batting-friendly, we were eyeing to bat first. We were delighted to see India deciding to field. The pitch was good to bat on, and our batsmen, especially Sameer Minhas, took full advantage of that. Once he settled down, there was no stopping him. The moment we lost the pool match against India, the support staff backed us and made us realize that we could go on to win the event.”
Indian captain Ayush Mhatre, however, defended his decision, saying that nothing had gone right for them, and on top of that, Pakistan batted them out. “Pakistan juniors batted exceptionally well. They put up a score beyond our grasp. Once they posted such a big total, it was always difficult to match it. I think we did not even bat well and kept on losing wickets regularly,” the India captain said. This is the first time Pakistan has won the Junior Asia Cup exclusively.
