Pakistani Twitter praises the Under-19 Pakistan cricket team captain Qasim Akram for the heroic all-round performance with the ball and the bat at the U19 Cricket World Cup as the 19-year-old became the first player in the 45-year history of Youth ODIs to hit a century and pick up a five-wicket haul in the same game.
Pakistan posted a massive 365 for three, courtesy Qasim’s 80-ball 135, opener Haseebullah Khan’s 151-ball 136 and Muhammad Shehzad’s 69-ball 73.
Coming in at number three, the captain shared a 229-run stand with Haseebullah after the 134-run opening stand was broken by Raveen de Silva.
With his off-spin, Qasim (5 for 37) broke through the Sri Lanka line-up to leave them stumbling at 41 for 5 and they never recovered. Sri Lanka was eventually bowled out for 127 with number nine Vinuja Ranpul top-scoring with an unbeaten 53 off 58 balls.
Qasim’s talent is well known in Pakistan circles. The teenager generated a lot of interest among not one but two champion teams at the PSL. Islamabad United had him on its wish list but in the end, he went to Karachi Kings, where he will be joining the senior national captain Babar Azam.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Twitterati are lauding the cricketer for his outstanding performance.
