Bangladesh beat UAE to lift their maiden U19 Asia Cup title

In a historic triumph, the Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team secured their inaugural ACC Under-19 Asia Cup title with a resounding 195-run victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final held at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, December 17. 

Opting to field first after winning the toss, the UAE faced a formidable challenge as Ashiqur Rahman Shibli, the opener for Bangladesh, delivered a stellar performance, crafting a magnificent century. Shibli's brilliant innings of 129 runs from 149 deliveries, featuring 12 boundaries and a maximum, powered Bangladesh to a commanding total of 282-8 in their allotted 50 overs. Impressively, this marked his second century in the tournament, and he concluded as the highest run-scorer of this tournament, amassing 378 runs in five innings.

Batters Rizwan Chowdhary and Ariful Islam contributed significantly, scoring 60 and 50 runs, respectively. Ayman Ahamed was the pick of bowlers for the UAE, who finished with excellent figures of 4/52 in his full quota. Meanwhile, Omid Rehman picked up two wickets for the side.

Bangladesh decimate UAE batting to clinch one-sided dominating victory in Final

The second innings witnessed a stellar bowling display by Bangladesh as they restricted the hosts to a mere 87 runs in 24.5 overs, to emerge as the new champions. Maruf Mridha and Md. Rohanat Doullah Borson played pivotal roles for the young tigers, each claiming three wickets. Md Iqbal Hasan Emon and Parvez Rahman Jibon showcased exceptional bowling skills, securing two wickets each to complete Bangladesh's comprehensive victory.

For the unreversed, this achievement adds another glorious chapter to Bangladesh's success in age-level cricket, previously crowned champions in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2020 in South Africa. This triumphant moment further underscores the junior Bangladesh team's prowess in nurturing and showcasing young cricketing talent, as they continue to make waves on the international stage. 

Brief scores:

Bangladesh: 282/8 in 50 overs (Ashiqur Rahman Shibli 129, Chowdhury Md Rizwan 60, Ariful Islam 50; Ayman Ahamed 4/52, Omid Rehman 2/41)

UAE: 87 in 24.5 overs (Dhruv Parashar 25 not out; Maruf Mridha 3/29, Rohanat Doullah Borson 3/26, Sheikh Paevez Jibon 2/7) by 195 runs.