Pakistan captain Yousaf targets U19 World Cup glory after Asia Cup triumph

Dubai: Pakistan Under-19 captain Farhan Yousaf is setting his sights on World Cup glory after guiding his team to a dominant win over India in the Asia Cup 2025 final.

“Our next goal is simple,” Yousaf told Geo News. “We want to be world champions.”

In the final, Pakistan’s in-form batter, Sameer Minhas, played a stunning knock of 172 off 113 balls, blasting nine sixes and 17 boundaries. His performance propelled Pakistan to a massive total of 347/8. With the ball, Pakistan’s pace trio — Ali Raza, Abdul Subhan, and Mohammad Sayyam — sliced through India’s batting, taking eight wickets between them to bowl India out for just 156 in 26.2 overs. This gave Pakistan a huge 191-run victory, securing them the Under-19s Asia Cup title in Dubai on Sunday.

Yousaf said that being asked to bat first on a pitch that favoured batting played a crucial role in the outcome. “We were disappointed to lose the toss, but once we were put in to bat, we were happy because the wicket looked good,” he said. “We stuck to the plan we had discussed and executed it well.”

With a formidable total of 347 runs on the board, the captain urged his bowlers to approach the task aggressively. “After we got that total, I told the bowlers to think as if they were defending 250 and to attack from the start,” Yousaf said. “They kept that mindset, took wickets, and applied pressure.”

The final was played in front of a packed stadium, with both Pakistani and Indian supporters creating an electric atmosphere. “Playing such an important match with fans from both countries in the stadium made it even more enjoyable,” Yousaf said.

Minhas, Pakistan’s star performer in the final, said his dream had come true with his remarkable innings. “It was my childhood dream to do something memorable in cricket, and I’m happy I did that with this century, especially against India,” Minhas said after his Player of the Match performance. “This will remain a memorable moment throughout my career.”

Minhas comes from a cricketing family, with his elder brother Arafat having played four T20Is for Pakistan, and his father, Kashif, a well-known club-level cricketer in Multan. “The icing on the cake was doing it against India,” Minhas added.

This victory marked Pakistan’s seventh win over India in their last 11 junior-level encounters since 2019.

Minhas, who was also named the Player of the Tournament, said the team had been confident of their chances in the final. “Sarfaraz Sir made us believe that we could beat India,” Minhas told Telecom Asia Sport. “We had already played them earlier in the tournament, so there was no added pressure. When they asked us to bat first, we were happy that if we set a good total, they’d be under pressure.”

Back in Multan, Minhas’ family was buzzing with excitement as they eagerly anticipated his performance. With the Asia Cup now in the bag, Pakistan’s Under-19 team will next compete in a tri-nation series in Zimbabwe before focusing on the Under-19 World Cup.