Sameer Minhas’ Record-Breaking Ton Headlines Pakistan U19 Dominant Win Over Zimbabwe U19

Pakistan U19 registered a dominating win over Zimbabwe U19 in the final of the ODI Tri-Series tournament. A record-breaking century from Sameer Minhas gave Pakistan U19 a commanding victory at the Old Hararians Sports Club. He scored a superb hundred off just 42 balls, breaking India’s overrated Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s record in Youth ODIs.

Zimbabwe looked out of form against Pakistan in the final of the ODI Tri-Series at Harare. They first got out after scoring just 158 runs, a total that Pakistan chased down comfortably in the second innings. They were outclassed by the batting brilliance of Sameer Minhas, who had recently thrashed the India U19 team with a similar big ton in the final of the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2025.

Batting first, Zimbabwe started the innings very poorly. They lost their top order very early in the Powerplay, as Pakistan’s bowling attack delivered a furious opening spell. The bowling brilliance of Zaib and Mohammad Sayyam was on full display, as they dismantled Zimbabwe’s top order within the first ten overs.

Losing captain Kupakwashe Muradzi early in the innings dealt a big blow to Zimbabwe’s batting plans. They were relying on him to play a significant innings, but he failed completely against the ruthless Pakistan bowling attack.

The other batters in the middle order didn’t showcase any resistance, as they also looked clueless at the start of the innings. Due to that, half of Zimbabwe’s batting lineup was removed by Pakistan very early in the innings.

However, the arrival of Michael Blignaut at the crease brought a bit of calmness to Zimbabwe’s batting. Considering the situation, he played cautiously to hold one end firmly. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find any solid batter at the other end, as the lower order kept losing its wickets one after another.

Michael Blignaut scored a brilliant 60 in the first innings, but under consistent pressure, he was dismissed by Daniyal Ali Khan towards the end of the innings. After his dismissal, Tatenda Chimugoro showed some resistance by hitting quick boundaries. Unfortunately, his fighting knock could not prolong Zimbabwe’s innings, as the entire team was bowled out for just 158.

From the perspective of Pakistan, their bowlers remained outstanding in the first innings, with Umer Zaib picking up 4 wickets in seven overs. Besides him, Abdul Subhan was also impressive, as he took 2 wickets while conceding just 25 runs.

Batting Masterclass by Sameer Minhas

Coming out to chase the target, Pakistan’s openers showed their aggressive intent from the very start. The prolific Sameer Minhas once again took down the inexperienced Zimbabwe bowling attack furiously. Knowing the target on the board was not that big, he continued to play his shots freely without any fear. This allowed Pakistan to get off to a strong start, giving other batters in the dugout a lot of confidence.

The other opener, Mohammad Shayan, also played positively to keep the scoreboard ticking. His partnership with Sameer Minhas was crucial, as he held one end firmly while allowing Minhas to play his aggressive game.

The knock of Sameer Minhas was especially impressive, as he kept pressure on the Zimbabwe bowlers by hitting boundaries consistently. By building a strong foundation, he continued to bat positively and eventually scored a superb century off just 42 balls. It was an exceptional display that allowed him to etch his name in the history books. He has now become the fastest batter in Youth ODIs to score a hundred off just 42 balls, surpassing the previous record held by India’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Sameer Minhas then got out after scoring 114 runs, hitting 17 fours and 5 sixes. His batting masterclass allowed Pakistan to ace the chase in just 16.2 overs, handing Zimbabwe U19 team a big defeat in the ODI tri-series final. With this victory, Pakistan U19 won another series after recently lifting the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2025 trophy in Dubai.