Pakistan U19 Mohammad Huraira all set for Indo-Pak semi-final

In a few days time, the cricketing fraternity is going to witness perhaps the fiercest rivalry of the game. Neighbours India and Pakistan do not always lock horns. The arch-rivals meet only during the ICC events, and one such incident will take place on the 4th of February. Indian U19 side will take on Pakistani U19 side at the 2020 ICC U19 World Cup.

Though the Indians were always a favourite to win the trophy, Pakistan have played some great cricket in this tournament to get to the semis. They defeated an impressive Afghan side to qualify for the semis. The man who played a match-winning knock against the Afghans, Mohammad Huraira is ready for the fight against their World Cup nemesis.

“The India-Pakistan rivalry has always been there. There will be a bit more pressure, but we’ll get used to it. Myself, should I play, I’ll try and play it like a normal game, and we look forward to it,” he said, as per quotes in Hindustan Times. The lad who scored a brilliant 64 in the quarter-final also added “The coaches and the support staff gave me a lot of confidence. I also had a lot of self-belief that whenever I get a chance, I will do my best. Today it came off all thanks to the Almighty.”

Controversy at the World Cup

While Pakistan secured a comfortable victory against Afghanistan, there was a fair share of controversy. The cricketing world erupted when Huraira was ‘mankaked’ by Afghan bowler Noor Ahmed. Many considered the dismissal to be against the spirit of the game.

Speaking about the incident to Cricinfo, Afghan skipper Farhan Zakhil said “At that time, we realised let’s do something different to build pressure on Pakistan. To be honest, it was not in the spirit of the game.” But Huraira himself didn’t complain much, as he understood his mistake. He stated “I should’ve been in the crease, and I’ll learn from the mistake. I’ll ensure it isn’t repeated again.“