Tayyab Tahir’s exceptional hundred garnished Pakistan A’s march to a commanding 128-run win over India A, for a second consecutive Emerging Teams Asia Cup title.

Once Pakistan posted a mammoth 352/8, courtesy Tahir’s 108 off 71 balls (12x4s, 4x6s), it was always going to be a tall task for India. India chased gallantly in the beginning but ended up 224 all out in 40 overs to suffer their first defeat in this tournament.

From the toss, everything went south for India, who asked Pakistan to bat first — a decision which was a tad puzzling because the chasing team had lost eight matches in the tournament.

However, Pakistan A, who fielded as many as eight players with international experience, were in the mood. Openers Saim Ayub (59 off 51 balls) and Sahibzada Farhan (65 off 62 balls) added 121 runs in just 17.2 overs.Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar took his 11th wicket of the tournament when he dismissed Ayub to bring India A back into the game. In the next 11-over passage, they gave away 66 runs but plucked four wickets as Pakistan slumped to 187/5.

However, Tahir, who made his Pakistan senior team debut earlier this year, quelled India’s challenge. The right-hander played shots at will to bring up a 66-ball 100.

Brief scores: Pakistan A 352/8 in 50 ovs (Tayyab Tahir 108, Sahibzada Farhan 65). India A 224 in 40 overs (Abhishek Sharma 61). Pakistan A won by 128 runs.

With inputs from PTI