MUSCAT: It was a day of double upsets as Afghanistan A stunned fancied India A by 20 runs to set up a summit clash with Sri Lanka A on Sunday in the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup at the Oman Cricket Academy ground on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka A knocked out defending champions Pakistan A in the first semifinal.
In the evening match, India's Ramandeep Singh's gritty half-century (64 off 34 balls) went in vain against Afghanistan A.
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan A capitalised on a commanding 137-run opening partnership between Sediqullah Atal (83 off 52 balls) and Zubaid Akbari (64 off 41 balls) to post the tournament's highest total, reaching 206/4.
In response, India A struggled, losing half their lineup by the 13th over before Ramandeep launched a spirited fightback with Nishant Sindhu, building an exhilarating 68-run stand in just 31 balls.
With India needing 53 runs from the last three overs, the momentum swung as Nishant (23 off 13 balls) was run out following a miscommunication.
Tasked with defending 30 runs in the final over, Abdul Rahman (2/32) held his nerve, dismissing Ramandeep on the last delivery and restricting India to 186/7, sealing Afghanistan’s place in the summit clash.
In the first semifinal, Sri Lanka A put up a splendid bowling show to restrict Pakistan Shaheens to a modest 135/9 before cruising to a seven-wicket win. They chased down the target in 16.3 overs.
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