ICC Under-19 World Cup 2018 - Day 1 Round Up

A lot of people have been waiting eagerly for this day to arrive and finally, the 12th edition of the prestigious Under-19 World Cup has commenced. With a breed of new talent all set to take the cricketing world by a storm, the fans are equally excited to watch the new generation take giant strides in the Gentlemen’s game.

Afghanistan stunned the Pakistani boys in what was a cracker of a contest. Batting first, Pakistan posted just 188 runs on the board. Rohail Nazir chipped in with a crucial 81 and Azmatullah and Qais Ahmad returned with three wickets each. The run chase got a little tricky with some early wickets, but Afghanistan eventually prevailed. Darwish Rasooli’s 78-ball 76 helped them chase the target with 15 balls remaining and they are off to a stellar start in the tournament.

Papua New Guinea got humiliated in the hands of Zimbabwe in the Group B contest. There was no resistance from the PNG batters and they succumbed easily to the Zimbabwean bowlers. They got off to a good start in the first nine overs, losing no wickets for 41. But they got bowled out for a paltry 95 in 20 overs, with Wesley Madhavere picking 3 wickets.

Zimbabwe chased the total down with ease in just 14 overs. The star with the ball, Wesley Madhavere scored a terrific half-century and has sent warning bells to all the other teams. Gregory Dollar chipped in with a 40-ball 41 and both openers finished the game off without losing a wicket.

Bangladesh and New Zealand off the mark in style

The game between Bangladesh and Namibia was reduced to a 20-over contest due to rain. Skipper Saif Hassan and Mohammad Naim stroked half-centuries to help their side post a humongous 190 runs on the board, losing just four wickets. The Namibian batsmen were never in the game, who could only manage 103 runs in their 20 overs. It was a brilliant all-round performance from the Bangla Tigers, which sets the tone for the rest of the tournament.

Fin Allen scored a century for the hosts New Zealand as they registered a thumping win on the opening day. Keagan Simmons and Kimani Melius gave a wonderful start for the Windies with the bat. They registered 123 runs for the first wicket and threatened to post a gigantic total. But the Kiwi bowlers made a stellar comeback and ran through their middle order and lower order. Windies could only manage 233 runs despite such a good start.

In reply, opener Jakob Bhula notched a crucial half-century and his 163-run stand for the second wicket with Fin Allen made this game a one-sided contest. Bhula fell short of a well-deserved hundred, but Allen managed to register three figures and steer his side home. The hosts won the game by 8 wickets and 63 balls remaining.

Brief Scores

New Zealand U-19 v Windies U-19, Group A

Windies U-19: 233/8 in 50 overs (Keagan Simmons 92, Kimani Melius 78; Matthew Fisher 3/61)

New Zealand U-19: 234/2 in 39.3 overs (Finn Allen 115*, Jakob Bhula 83)

Player of the match: Finn Allen

Papua New Guinea U-19 v Zimbabwe U-19, Group B

PNG U-19: 95 all out in 20 overs (Igo Mahuru 26; Wesley Madhavere 3/19)

Zimbabwe U-19: 98/0 in 14 overs (Gregory Dollar 41*, Wesley Madhavere 53*)

Player of the match: Wesley Madhavere

Bangladesh U-19 v Namibia U-19, Group C

Bangladesh U-19: 190/4 in 20 overs (Mohammad Naim 60, Saif Hassan 84)

Namibia U-19: 103/6 in 20 overs (Eben van Wyk 55; Qazi Onik 2/14, Hasan Mahmud 2/12)

Player of the match: Saif Hassan

Pakistan U-19 v Afghanistan U-19, Group D

Pakistan U-19: 188 all out in 47.4 overs (Rohail Nazir 81; Azmatullah 3/34, Qais Ahmad 3/38)

Afghanistan U-19: 194/5 in 47.3 overs (Darwish Rasooli 76*, Ikram Ali Khil 46)

Player of the match: Darwish Rasooli

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