Defending champions Pakistan made a powerful start to their ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2026 campaign, sweeping aside the United Arab Emirates by nine wickets in their Group A opener at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Muscat on Friday.
Opener Usman Khan was the star of the show. The left-hander carried his bat through the chase with a superb unbeaten 139 off 120 balls as Pakistan hunted down a target of 225 with more than 12 overs to spare, reaching 225 for one wicket in 37.3 overs.
Jahangir Bilal gave him fine support with 60, and the pair put on 153 runs for the first wicket before Abdul Qadir finished the job unbeaten on 20. It was the kind of commanding win defending champions dream of at the start of a tournament — and it sets up a mouth-watering clash with India on Sunday.
Usman Khan’s unbeaten 139 sets the tone
Usman Khan reached his century off 98 balls and never looked back. His innings contained 21 fours and a six, a blend of calm accumulation and bold strokeplay that kept the UAE bowlers under pressure from start to finish.
The knock was his fourth century in Youth ODI cricket, and it earned him the player of the match award. What stood out was his control: he mixed watchful defence with crisp boundaries all around the ground, and he was still there at the end, unbeaten, when the winning runs were scored.
For a young opener carrying the hopes of the defending champions, it was a statement innings — the sort of performance that marks a player out as one to watch for the rest of the tournament.
A 153-run opening stand breaks the game open
Pakistan’s chase was built on the opening partnership. Usman Khan and Jahangir Bilal added 153 runs for the first wicket in 29 overs, taking the game away from the UAE before the halfway mark of the innings.
Bilal played the perfect supporting role, making a composed 60 off 87 balls with six fours before he was finally dismissed — the only wicket the UAE managed all innings, claimed by Ahmed Khudadad.
Abdul Qadir then joined Usman Khan and the pair shared an unbeaten 72-run partnership to take Pakistan home. Qadir finished not out on 20 off 19 balls, striking a six and a four along the way.
Sayyam leads the bowling as UAE fold for 224
Earlier, Pakistan’s bowlers had set up the win with a disciplined performance. Captain Farhan Yousaf won the toss and chose to field first, and his decision paid off within three overs when fast bowler Ali Raza removed Omar Tauqir for just one run.
The UAE struggled to build any momentum and slipped to 36 for three before Yayin Kiran Rai and Zainullah Rehmani steadied the innings with a 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Rehmani made 28 off 44 balls before Hasnain Abbas Dar broke the stand.
Rai held the innings together with 47 off 74 balls, but once Rizwanullah dismissed him the UAE were in further trouble at 127 for six. A counterattacking 70 off just 55 balls from Noorullah Ayobi gave the total some respectability, but Ayobi was the last man out on the final ball of the innings as the UAE were bowled out for 224 in their full 50 overs.
Mohammad Sayyam led Pakistan’s bowling attack with three wickets for 37 runs, while Ali Raza, Rizwanullah and Hasnain Abbas Dar claimed two wickets each.
What next: India on Sunday
Pakistan now face their biggest test of the tournament. They play arch-rivals India on Sunday, 8 November, at the same venue in Muscat, before rounding off the group stage against Nepal on 10 November. The final will be played on 14 November.
The defending champions will go into the India match full of confidence after this nine-wicket win — and with Usman Khan in this kind of form, they have a match-winner at the top of the order. Read our squad preview for the full team news and group fixtures.
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