Sports Desk:

Bangladesh U-19 captain Azizul Hakim Tamim [R] and India U-19 captain Mohammad Amaan poses with the trophy ahead of the final of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2024 in Dubai on December 07, 2024.

Bangladesh U-19 team will aim to retain the ACC Men’s U-19 Asia Cup title as they take on their Indian counterparts in a potentially engrossing final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium today (11:00 am, Bangladesh time).

The young Tigers, who tasted maiden glory in the competition last year after defeating hosts UAE by 195 runs in the title-decider at the same venue, have enjoyed excellent form this time as well.

Having started their campaign with back-to-back wins over Afghanistan and Nepal before losing to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh finished as Group B runners-up to progress to the last four.

In the semifinal, the defending champions outplayed Pakistan in all departments, securing a seven-wicket victory to qualify for the final for the second consecutive time.

Skipper Azizul Hakim Tamim has been leading from the front, amassing the third-highest 224 runs in four innings at an average of 112, which includes one century and two fifties.

On the bowling front, the pace duo of Al Fahad and Iqbal Hossain Emon have been outstanding throughout the competition’s 12th edition, jointly leading the wicket-takers’ chart with 10 scalps each.

India, on the other hand, are back in the final after one edition and will be aiming for a record ninth Asia Cup title this year. Despite losing to Pakistan in their tournament opener, they bounced back with commanding wins over Japan and UAE in the group stage before dominating Sri Lanka in the last-four fixture, registering a seven-wicket victory.

India’s 13-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has already been picked for next season’s Indian Premier League, has impressed with two swashbuckling innings following a subdued start. Neutralising his threat will be a key challenge for the likes of Fahad and Emon in this much-anticipated encounter.