ICC U19 World Cup 2020, Day 7 Round Up

In Group B, two matches took place on Friday in the U19 World Cup. West Indies didn’t have to drop much sweat and they made their way through to the Super League, topping the group. In their previous match against Nigeria at the Country Club B Field in Kimberley, they won by 246 runs. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Caribbean team posted a huge score of 303 runs.

Kimani Melius and Matthew Patrick scored half-centuries to help their team’s cause. A 30-ball 43 cameo from Joshua James propelled the West Indies over the 300-run mark. In their run-chase, Nigeria could only manage 57 runs, 14 of which came off extras. Jayden Seales was the standout bowler with four wickets. He got the required support from Ashmead Nedd and Matthew Patrick.

Australia prevail in humdinger  

The other match between England and Australia at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley turned out to be an absolute nail-biter. After being put in to bat first, England got 252 on the board. Opener Ben Charlesworth scored 82 and was the mainstay of their batting. But it was Dan Mousley’s 44-ball 51 that took the Brits over the 250 mark. Kasey Aldridge also turned up with 32 runs off 25 balls.

Every other Australian bowler picked up at least a wicket. However, Connor Sully’s figures stood out. The right-arm fast bowler got a couple of wickets, giving away 39 runs in his 10 overs. In their run-chase, the Aussies were motoring along when skipper Mackenzie Harvey and Lachlan Hearne were wielding their willow. But a flurry of wickets helped England get a foothold back in the game.

From the 31st to 40th over, Australia managed 23 runs and lost four wickets. In their last three overs, the Aussies needed 40 runs with two wickets in hand. It was then that Sully scored 24 runs off Blake Cullen and brought his team back into the game. In the end, he stayed unbeaten on 35 off 20 balls and took Australia home. Most importantly, it knocked England out of the tournament.

Brief Scores

Match 16, Group B

England U19: 252/7 in 50 overs (Ben Charlesworth 82, Dan Mousley 51*; Connor Sully 2/39)

Australia U19: 253/8 in 50 balls (Mackenzie Harvey 65, Lachlan Hearne 45; Lewis Goldsworthy 2/24)

Australia U19 win by two wickets.

Match 17, Group B

West Indies U19: 303/8 in 50 overs (Matthew Patrick 68, Kimani Melius 65; Peter Aho 2/53)

Nigeria U19: 57 all out in 21.4 overs (Abdulrahman Jimoh 17; Jayden Seales 4/19, Ashmead Nedd 3/11)

West Indies U19 win by 246 runs.