Riding on the performances of Iqbal Hossain Emon and Azizul Hakim, who bagged three wickets each, Bangladesh clinched the final against India by 59 runs to secure their second successive U19 Asia Cup title at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
India skipper Mohamed Amaan won the toss and asked the defending champions to bat first in the summit clash.
India captain Yudhajit Guha opened his account by dismissing opener Kalam Siddiki for 1 off the seventh over, thus drawing first blood for the side. Skipper Azizul Hakim and Zawad Abrar tried to stabilize the innings with a small 24-run stand before the latter was sent back to the pavilion by Chetan Sharma in the 11th over. The two overs later, Bangladesh stood at 41/2.
Kiran Chormale took the catch of Azizul Hakim (16) in the 19th over, which added frustration to Bangladesh's hopes of defending the title. However, Mohammad Shihab James (40), Rizan Hossan (47) and wicketkeeper-batter Farid Hasan's (39) middle-order contributions helped the side to reach a respectable total of 198.
For India, Yudhajit Guha, Chetan Sharma and Hardik Raj bagged two scalps each.
India, which needed 199 to win its ninth title, started poorly with the loss of cheap wickets of openers Ayush Mhatra (1) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (9).
A brief third-wicket partnership between C Andre Siddarth and KP Karthikeya gave some respite to India before Rizan Hossan broke the stand in the 12th over with the wicket of Siddarth (20). Karthikeya followed suit as he was dismissed by Iqbal Hossain Emon in the 21st over.
Skipper Mohammed Amaan (26) and Hardik Raj (24) tried to stabilise the chase but ultimately faltered for 139 against Bangladesh's top-class bowling lineup.
Iqbal Hossain Emon and Azizul Hakim bagged three wickets each, whereas Al Fahad grabbed two scalps.
Iqbal Hossain Emon bagged the Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament Award by scalping 13 wickets in the tournament.
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