PCB to probe reasons of the defeats

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board has ordered Under-19 team’s manager and coach to submit their report and describe the reasons of the unexpected humiliating defeats from west indies and bangladesh.

Fresh from a 2-1 victory in a Youth ODI Series played in Australia in July/August this year, the Pakistan U-19 team went into the WorldT20 with high hopes, and expectations.

However, they were unable to make it to the tournament semi-finals – a defeat which PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf admitted had been fairly disappointing.

The Pakistan U-19s got off to a flying start in the tournament, and their performances appeared promising in the initial stages of the tournament.

They secured a comprehensive 109-run victory against the Afghanistan U-19s in the tournament opener, featuring stellar performances by skipper Babar Azam and bowler Zia-ul-Haq.

The second match, played against the Scotland U-19s at Buderim on August 13, saw the Pakistan U-19s triumphant once again, securing a 9-wicket win with 82 deliveries remaining.

The final Group B match, against the New Zealand U-19s, also resulted in a victory for the Pakistan U-19s – a 5-wicket win with 112 deliveries remaining.

However, the team failed to continue the momentum during their quarter-final against their arch-rivals, the India U-19s, who bested Azam’s men in a narrow 1-wicket victory, with 12 balls remaining.

Following their failure to make it to the semis, the Pakistan U-19s were also unable to win either their 5th place play-off semi-final against the West Indies U-19s, or their 7th place play-off against the Bangladesh U-19s.