U19 World Cup: Pakistan’s Huraira opens up after Mankading dismissal

Dismissing a batsman by 'Mankading' — when a bowler runs out a batter who is backing up too far — has long been considered against the spirit of the game, especially if a prior warning has not been given.

But, just as in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup when the West Indies took a wicket in that manner, the spotlight fell on the youth tournament again as Afghanistan's Noor Ahmad ran out Pakistan's Mohammad Huraira in the quarter-final at Benoni in South Africa.

Afghan captain Farhan Zakhil admitted after his side's eventual six-wicket defeat that they may not have resorted to the tactic if they had been in a better position.

"At that time, we realised let's do something different to build pressure on Pakistan," Zakhil told espncricinfo.com. "To be honest, it was not in the spirit of the game."

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But Huraira, who made 64, conceded that he was to blame for leaving his crease.

"I should've been in the crease, and I'll learn from the mistake. I'll ensure it isn't repeated again," the Pakistan batsman said in a press conference after the match.

A half-century from Huraira on debut secured Pakistan a six-wicket win against Afghanistan in the fourth quarter-final of the event.

Pakistan will face India U19 on Tuesday, February 4, in the first Super League semi-final in Potchefstroom.

"The India-Pakistan rivalry has always been there," said Huraira. "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."

India are the defending champions and have captured the Under-19 title on four occasions.

Pakistan were back-to-back champions in 2004 and 2006.

They beat India in the 2006 final in Colombo where they bowled out their rivals for just 71 pursuing a modest target of 109.

The second semi-final features Bangladesh against New Zealand, also in Potchefstroom, on Thursday.