Bangladesh win after Sarkar double-ton, Haider nine

Kevin O'Brien brings power to Ireland's middle order

A double-century from opener Soumya Sarkar, followed by a nine-wicket haul from left-arm seamer Abu Haider, helped Bangladesh Under-19s flatten Qatar Under-19s by 328 runs on day one of the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

Qatar put Bangladesh in to bat and had early success, dismissing Aslam Hossain for 2. From there on, though, Bangladesh dominated. Sarkar, who is a student at Bangladesh's renowned sports school, Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Protishthan, and has opened the innings with Tamim Iqbal in the Dhaka Premier League, batted until the 44th over. He scored 209 off 135 balls, with 27 fours and eight sixes, and was supported by captain Asif Ahmed, who made 87.

Chasing a mammoth 364, none of the Qatar batsmen made it to double digits. Haider ripped through the line-up, taking just 5.4 overs to pick up nine wickets. He was denied the opportunity to take a tenth, with Omar Ishtiaq absent hurt. Qatar were routed for 35, the innings lasting all of 70 balls. Sarkar and Haider shared the Man of the Match award.

Sri Lanka Under-19s put in a less than convincing show, losing six wickets while chasing down 130 to beat Afghanistan Under-19s. None of Afghanistan's batsmen could make more than Shabir Noori's 25, after they had chosen to bat. Most of the damage was done by Sri Lanka's slow bowlers: offspinner Tharindu Kaushal and left-armer Amila Aponso claimed six wickets between them, while conceding just over two runs an over.

Sri Lanka's chase was off to a very slow beginning - Vidura Adikari and Nimantha Fernando made 8 off 27 balls, before Adikari sliced to gully. Afghanistan kept the pressure on the batsmen, keeping the scoring-rate down and striking at regular intervals. Sri Lanka had lost half their side with only 77 on the board, before the pair of Sandun Weerakkody and Lahiru Madushanka knocked 43 off the remaining 53 runs they required to seal the game.

A team performance from India Under-19s got them past hosts Malaysia Under-19s rather comfortably, winning by eight wickets with 19 overs to spare. India chose to bowl, and struck at regular intervals, to dismiss Malaysia for 126 in 40 overs. While the bowlers shared the wickets, left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra finished with the best figures: 8.3-4-18-4. India's top order did not dominate, but then with the target not being an imposing one, cameos were enough to carry them to a win.

In a match that followed a similar course, Pakistan Under-19s beat Nepal Under-19s by eight wickets. After choosing to field, Pakistan kept Nepal to 156. Nepal were not helped by the fact that three wickets were lost to run-outs. Pakistan's openers, Sami Aslam and Babar Azam, all but closed out the game with a stand of 98. Man-of-the-Match Aslam batted through the chase, finishing unbeaten on 82 as Pakistan won in the 38th over.