Pakistan defeat holders India

Pakistan sent defending champion India packing from the final stages of the Super League with a thrilling two-wicket win.
Yesterday at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, in Lincoln Pakistan chased down a total of 115 with three balls to spare in a rain-reduced match, which hung in the balance till the final over.
Pakistan stuttered early, losing two wickets for 16, until a partnership between Rameez Aziz and Ashan Ali realized 55 runs, setting the side up for the victory. When Ali was dismissed for 30 and Aziz for 28, the pressure was intense and five wickets fell as India attempted to wrestle the initiative away.
But Pakistan’s number six batsman Hammad Azam remained resolute, hitting the winning runs to spark jubilant celebrations from the Pakistan team and supporters. He finished unbeaten on 21 including one six and two fours.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl in difficult batting conditions. Pakistan’s 16-year old opening fast bowler, Fayyaz Butt started sensationally by clean bowling one of India’s best, K.L. Rahul, on the first ball of the match. India’s talented Mayank Argawal was next to go, caught behind off Butt for two, and India were stunned at three runs for two after the first over.
The best partnership for India was a 40-run stand between Mandeep Singh and Harpreet Singh for the third wicket, Mandeep top scoring with 40 runs off 44 balls. The side was unable to garner momentum and the India innings finished at 114 for nine after the maximum 23 overs.
Brief Scores:
India 114-9 in 23 overs (Mandeep Singh 40; Fayyaz Butt 4-27, Raza Hassan 3-26)
Pakistan 117-8 in 22.3 overs (Ahsan Ali 30; Sandeep Sharma 2-24, Jaydev Unadkat 2-26)

Sri Lanka play South Africa today

Sri Lanka U-19 meet South Africa U-19 in a Super League quarterfinal fixture at Lincoln today.
Sri Lanka under Chathura Peiris ended second in Group ‘C’ after facile wins over Zimbabwe and Canada, and losing to hosts New Zealand by 7 wickets.
South Africa reached last eight after topping Group ‘B’ with wins over Australia, Ireland and the USA.
Sri Lanka met South Africa in South Africa in a tri-nation tournament just before the World Cup, and won a match while losing another to the Proteas.