ICC U19 World Cup 2020: Super League Semi-Final 1: India Under-19s vs Pakistan Under-19s – Statistical Preview

India and Pakistan will clash off in the semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup on Tuesday for the 2nd successive edition. Both the teams have been unbeaten in this competition thus far and the winner of this match is likely to win the tournament as well.

India have won all the four matches they played thus far while Pakistan won three as the group match against Bangladesh got washed out when they had clear upper hand. Pakistan were bowled out for 69 during the 2018 semi-final against India who registered a 203-run win there. Pakistan are aiming for their first U19 CWC in seven editions.

All the key stats and numbers that matter ahead of the big semi-final between India and Pakistan:

5-4 – Pakistan Under-19s have won four of the nine matches they played against India in the U19 CWC; the most number of wins for any team against India in the history of the competition. However, India won all the three meetings with Pakistan in U19 CWC since 2012.

5 – India Under-19s won each of their last five appearances in a U19 World Cup semi-final – 2006, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2018. Overall, India played eight U19 CWC semis thus far out of which they lost only two – against South Africa in 2002 and against Pakistan in 2004. Their six semi-final wins are the most for any side in U19 CWC history.

9 – The game on Tuesday will be the 9th semi-final appearance for both India and Pakistan at the U19 CWC; the most for any team. The two teams were tied on 8 semi-final appearances along with Australia before this edition.

10 – India is currently on a 10-match winning streak in Under-19s World Cup; the longest streak in the tournament’s history. They broke Australia’s record of 9 consecutive wins during the quarter-final against the Aussie team only.

10.23 – Atharva Ankolekar’s bowling average of 10.23 in Youth ODI cricket is the 2nd best behind Mujeeb-ur-Rahman’s 9.22. The left-arm spinner claimed 30 wickets in 12 matches at a strike rate of 19.3 with two 4-fers and a 5-wicket haul.

13 – Pakistan walk into the semi-final on the back of a 13-match unbeaten streak in Youth ODI cricket on South African soil. Their last Youth ODI loss in South Africa came in January 2012. Pakistan won 11 consecutive Youth ODIs till the washed-out Group game against Bangladesh. It was the 2nd longest winning streak in Youth ODIs in South Africa behind India’s 12 consecutive wins between 1998 and 2019.

13 – Yashasvi Jaiswal has 13 fifty-plus scores in Youth ODI cricket; the joint-most by an Indian alongside Tanmay Srivastava (13). Overall, only three players have more fifty-plus scores in Youth ODIs than Jaiswal – Sami Aslam (16), Towhid Hridoy (15) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (14). Yashasvi scored 1193 runs across 25 Youth ODI innings at an average of 62.78 with help of two tons and 11 fifties.

20-1 – India won 20 of their last 21 Youth ODIs on South Africa soil including all the 8 matches they played in this part of the World in 2020. The 5-wicket loss in the last game of the 3-match ODI series against South Africa on the current tour is India’s lone defeat in their last 21 Youth ODIs in South Africa.

64 – Mohammad Huraira’s 64 against Afghanistan in the quarter-final is the highest individual score for Pakistan in a U19 CWC game while making debut in Youth ODI cricket. Asif Iqbal (54 vs WI in 2004) is the only other player to score a fifty in the U19 CWC on Youth ODI debut.