Bangladesh Under-19 won their first ACC Under-19 Asia Cup title today, defeating the UAE by 195 runs in the final at the Dubai International Stadium.
Ashiqur Rahman Shibli scored a magnificent century to propel Bangladesh to 282-8 in 50 overs before the bowlers bowled the hosts out for 87 runs in 24.5 overs.
Bangladesh reached the pinnacle of age-level cricket once before, when the young Tigers won the ICC Under-19 World Cup title in South Africa in 2020, and captain Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby and his troops accomplished something that even the World Champions 2020 batch could not: winning the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup title.
Ashiqur struck 129 from 149 in the one-sided final, while Chowdhury Mohammad Rizwan and Ariful Islam all hit half-centuries as the young Tigers set a difficult mark after being ordered to bat.
This was Ashiqur’s second century of the tournament, and he finished with 378 runs in five innings, the most in the event.
Ayan Ahamed, the UAE’s choice of the bowlers, finished with figures of 2-41.