Pakistan ended its 13-year title drought by defeating India to win the U19 Asia Cup 2025. Read

Pakistan won the U19 Asia Cup 2025 title in spectacular fashion after a long wait of 13 years, in a one-sided final at the ICC Academy on Sunday, December 21. India By defeating by 191 runs. The win gave Pakistan only their second U19 Asia Cup title and their first outright victory since 2012, when they shared the trophy with India.

Sameer Minhas’ record breaking century paved the way for Pakistan

In the final, opener Sameer Minhas played a brilliant inning of 172 runs in 113 balls, which included 17 fours and 9 sixes. It was Minhas’ second century of the tournament and one of the highest individual scores in U19 Asia Cup history.

After a cautious start, Minhas quickly changed the game, dismantling India’s bowling – especially the spinners – with excellent hitting and smart placement. His innings provided the foundation for a total that soon went out of India’s reach.

Minhas received vital support from Ahmed Hussain and captain Farhan Yousuf as Pakistan’s top order gradually increased the pace in the middle overs and eventually finished strongly.

Pakistan’s batting strategy was restrained in the beginning, but later became ruthless. Once the batsmen settled in, they targeted the match-up aggressively, ensuring that India never got out of control. The ability to rotate the strike and then hit boundaries at will increased the scoreboard rapidly, leaving India facing a difficult target right from the start.

India collapsed while chasing a tough target

Chasing 348, India never found the momentum. Early wickets inside the powerplay exposed the middle order, and any hopes of improvement were ended by routine breakthroughs. Despite brief resistance, none of India’s batsmen converted the starts into big scores against Pakistan’s disciplined pace and spin.

The comparison with the group stage was obvious. India, led by Ayush Mathre, had earlier defeated Pakistan by 90 runs, but the final told a different story as Pakistan’s bowlers took full advantage of the pressure and conditions.

Pakistan’s bowlers supported the batsmen with accuracy and intensity, keeping India under pressure for runs and forcing mistakes. The fielding effort was matched by the bowling, converting half the chances into wickets as India collapsed to 156.

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The result gave Pakistan its first outright U19 Asia Cup title since 2012, sparking celebrations among fans and the team’s support staff, including head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed. Minhas was named player of the match and player of the tournament, finishing as the competition’s top run-scorer and playing the deciding innings of the final.

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Also read: Kanishk Chauhan’s all-round talent helps India beat Pakistan in U19 Asia Cup 2025