Bulawayo, 31 January 2026: Pakistan U19 will be aiming to repeat their ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup heroics when they take on India U19 in the Super Six fixture of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday. The match is scheduled to begin at 9.30am local time, with the toss taking place at 9am.
Pakistan last defeated India by 191 runs in the final of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup held at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai on 21 December, courtesy a century by Sameer Minhas and a four-wicket haul from Ali Raza.
Ahead of Sunday’s encounter, Pakistan trained at the Queens Sports Club on Saturday where the players, besides taking part in fielding drills, also had net sessions under the supervision of the coaching staff led by head coach Shahid Anwar.
Pakistan, who currently have four points and are placed third in Group 2 of the Super Six stage, need to defeat India by a healthy margin to secure a place in the semi-finals. England sit at the top of the table with eight points and have already secured a semi-final berth in the ongoing mega event. From Group 1 of the Super Six stage, Afghanistan and Australia have already qualified for the semi-finals.
In head-to-head encounters at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, both sides have faced each other 10 times, with Pakistan and India winning five matches apiece. Outside the ICC event, in the last five meetings between the two teams, Pakistan U19 have emerged victorious on four occasions, while India U19 have managed to win once.
At the conclusion of today’s training session, Pakistan U19 captain Farhan Yousaf and batter Sameer Minhas in a conversation hosted by Daniyal Ali Khan shared their thoughts on the upcoming contest.
Farhan Yousaf said:
“Our preparations have been very good. I had an enjoyable and productive net session today. Over the last few games, I have tried to play positive cricket, learn from my mistakes and carry forward the good things into the next match.
“The morale of the squad is very high. Not only for this match, but over the last few games as well, the players have shown great intensity and we are confident of putting in a strong performance.”
Sameer Minhas said:
“We played a scenario-based match yesterday on a challenging surface, which helped us understand how to survive, score runs and bowl in difficult situations.
“Today we trained at the Queens Sports Club, where the match will be played. Along with focused net sessions, we also had fielding drills and games, which helped with team bonding. The environment in the squad is very positive.
“The team has been performing well in recent matches and we are looking to carry the momentum forward and take confidence into the next game.”
Updated squad:
Farhan Yousaf (captain), Usman Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wk), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas and Umar Zaib
Support staff:
Sarfaraz Ahmed (manager/mentor), Shahid Anwar (head coach/batting coach), Rao Iftikhar (bowling coach), Mansoor Amjad (fielding coach), Abrar Ahmed (trainer), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Dr Ali Aun (doctor), Ubaidullah (physio), Ali Hamza (analyst)
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Pakistan fixtures:
16 January – England beat Pakistan by 37 runs at Takashinga Sports Club, Harare
19 January – Pakistan beat Scotland by six wickets at Takashinga Sports Club, Harare
22 January –Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets at Takashinga Sports Club, Harare
27 January – Super Six match 1 Pakistan beat New Zealand by eight wickets at Harare Sports Club, Harare
1 February – Super Six match 2 (Pakistan v India) at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
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
