Dishing out a clinical performance in the summit clash of the ACC Men's Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan A led by Mohammad Haris outclassed India A by 128 runs to lift the special trophy in Colombo. Tayyab Tahir slammed a brilliant century to help Pakistan A register a gigantic total against the Men In Blue. While the seasoned star played a sublime knock, rookie spinner Sufiyan Muqeem emerged as the wrecker-in-chief in the final against India A at the R.Premadasa Stadium.
Days after Pakistan's memorable win over India, star batter Haris issued a hard-hitting statement against the Indian side. Led by Yash Dhull, the India A side featured several rising stars from the Indian Premier League (IPL). From Gujarat Titans' (GT) Sai Sudharsan to Rajasthan Royals (RR) all-rounder Riyan Parag, the India A side looked like a title-winning team on paper. However, the young Indian side was upstaged by a Pakistan A team bolstered with international cricketers.
'We did not ask them to send little kids'
Reflecting on his side's title-winning campaign in a viral video, batter Haris dismissed claims about Pakistan sending a more experienced side than bitter-rivals India for the continental tournament. “(Ye kehte hai ki aapka international experience tha. International experience kitna hai. Saim ke 5 matche hai, mere 6 match hai. Saare T20 hai. Inke team pe IPL ke 260 matches ka experience hai). People are saying that Pakistan sent a team with many seniors. We did not ask them to send little kids to the tournament. They say that we had international experience in our team. How much international matches have we played but? Saim has played 5, I have played 6. Those guys (India players) have played 260 IPL matches,” Haris said.
{{/usCountry}}Reflecting on his side's title-winning campaign in a viral video, batter Haris dismissed claims about Pakistan sending a more experienced side than bitter-rivals India for the continental tournament. “(Ye kehte hai ki aapka international experience tha. International experience kitna hai. Saim ke 5 matche hai, mere 6 match hai. Saare T20 hai. Inke team pe IPL ke 260 matches ka experience hai). People are saying that Pakistan sent a team with many seniors. We did not ask them to send little kids to the tournament. They say that we had international experience in our team. How much international matches have we played but? Saim has played 5, I have played 6. Those guys (India players) have played 260 IPL matches,” Haris said.
{{/usCountry}}Haris' remarks have sparked a huge debate among the fans and followers of the game on Twitter. "260 IPL matches? It’s not even a double digit dude!," one fan pointed out. "Funny how the age of Pakistan Shaheens wasn’t an issue when we lost to India A," another fan added. Talking about the Men's Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 final, India folded for 224 in 40 overs while chasing Pakistan's massive 352-run total in Colombo.
Sudharsan, who slammed a match-winning century against Pakistan earlier in the tournament, was dismissed for 29 off 28 balls in the final. Sudharsan's dismissal on 'clear no ball' in the showdown clash had also triggered a huge debate at the time. Opener Abhishek Sharma top scored for India A with a brilliant 61-run knock off 51 balls. However, his heroics went in vain as Pakistan A won the final by 128 runs. Pakistan's Muqeem demolished the Indian side by picking up crucial wickets of Abhishek, Dhull (39) and Harshit Rana (13) in the high-scoring final. Centurion Tahir was named the Player of the Match while India's Nishant Sindhu took home the Player of the Tournament award.