Bulawayo, 13 January 2026: A brisk 74 from Sameer Minhas followed by a collective bowling performance helped Pakistan U19 register a 69-run win over USA U19 in their second warm-up match of the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup at the Bulawayo Athletic Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday.
After being put in to bat, Pakistan posted 294 for eight in their allotted 50 overs. The highlight of the innings was opening batter Sameer, who continued his form with a 55-ball 74, striking eight fours and four sixes. After he was retired out, Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals but managed to maintain momentum through valuable contributions across the middle and lower order.
Left-handed batter Ahmed Hussain retired out after scoring a steady 43 which included two fours, while Huzaifa Ahsan (38, 45b, 2x4s, 2x6s) and Ali Hassan Baloch (36, 19, 2x4s, 3x6s) provided impetus in the latter stages.
In reply, USA were bowled out for 225 in 43.5 overs despite 75 runs from Sahil Garg, who anchored the chase with nine fours and a six.
Abdul Subhan led the bowling effort with two wickets for 27, while Momin Qamar also chipped in with two wickets for 24 runs from seven overs. Right-arm leg-spinner Ahmed bagged two wickets in his brief spell and Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan and Niqab Shafiq took a wicket each as USA’s innings folded well short of the target.
This was Pakistan’s second warm-up game of the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup, after their opening warm-up match against Bangladesh was washed out on Saturday in Masvingo.
Talking to PCB Digital after the match Ahmed Hussain said:
“When I came in, we had lost two wickets, so the plan was to bat deep and play according to the situation. There was help for the fast bowlers early on, so I focused on staying patient and building the innings.
“I have worked hard on all three aspects of the game, especially fielding, which I continue to improve. The coaching staff has put in a lot of hard work with us, particularly on saving runs and boundary fielding.
“The team environment is very good, we support each other and are confident of doing well in the World Cup.”
Pakistan will now travel to Harare on Wednesday from Bulawayo, where they are set to take on England in their opening Group C match on 16 January.
The 16-team mega event will be played in Namibia and Zimbabwe from 15 January to 6 February.
Scores in brief:
Pakistan beat USA by 69 runs at Bulawayo Athletic Club, Bulawayo
Pakistan U19 294-8, 50 overs (Sameer Minhas 74 retired out, Ahmed Hussain 43 retired out, Huzaifa Ahsan 38, Ali Hassan Baloch 36; Utkarsh Srivastava 3-26)
USA 225 all out, 43.5 overs (Sahil Garg 75; Ahmed Hussain 2-22, Momin Qamar 2-24, Abdul Subhan 2-27)
ICC U19 World Cup Pakistan fixtures:
16 January – Pakistan v England, Takashinga Sports Club, Harare
19 January – Pakistan v Scotland, Takashinga Sports Club, Harare
22 January – Zimbabwe v Pakistan, Takashinga Sports Club, Harare
24 January to 1 February – Super 6 matches
3 February – First semi-final, Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
4 February – Second semi-final, Harare Sports Club, Harare
6 February – Final, Harare Sports Club, Harare
