ICC U19 World Cup 2022: The Pakistan cricketer put on a stupendous show with the bat as well as the ball to achieve a unique milestone in the tournament’s history.
- Aakash Arya
Pakistan’s Qasim Akram scored a century before taking five wickets against Bangladesh.© Twitter
Pakistan U19 cricket team’s skipper Qasim Akram stole the limelight during his team’s 5th place playoff game against Sri Lanka in the ongoing ICC U19 World Cup 2022. Akram batted beautifully to remain unbeaten on 135 runs and then returned to haunt the Sri Lanka batters with the ball as he claimed a memorable five-wicket haul as well. This herculean all-round effort helped Pakistan go past Sri Lanka by 238 runs eventually. The ICC shared an Instagram post revealing that Akram’s feat of a century and five wickets in the same match was a first of its kind in the tournament’s history.
Here’s what ICC shared on Instagram:
“The first player in #U19CWC history to score a century and take a five-wicket haul in the same match! Pakistan’s Qasim Akram certainly stamped his mark on the tournament.”
Batting first, Pakistan scored 365/3 in their 50 overs. Apart from Akram, Haseebullah Khan also scored an unbeaten ton while opener Muhammad Shehzad played a superb knock of 73 runs.
In reply, Akram broke the backbone of the opposition as he dismissed the top five batters cheaply to set up the game for his team.
Akram also played a part in Anjala Bandara’s run-out to cap off a historic day.
On the other hand, India’s U19 side is all set to take on England’s U19 in the final of the tournament on Saturday.
India defeated Australia in the semi-final while England went past Afghanistan to book a place in the final scheduled to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound in Antigua.