Nepal 149 for 9 (Khanal 58, Dawoodzai 3-21, Maroofkhil 2-28) won Afghanistan 145 (Ghazanfar 37, Chand 5-34, Kandel 2-17) for a wicket
Afghanistan and Nepal had everything at stake in east London on Friday, and they did so, head-to-head, inch by inch, to a thrilling finish amid gripping drama. Nepal ultimately won by one wicket and entered the Super Six stage of the U-19 Men’s World Cup at the expense of Afghanistan; but the match was, perhaps, more than just the result and the configuration of the next stage of the tournament.
Nepal seemed to have it all in the bag at several stages, when first Aakash Chand was running through Afghanistan’s batting, and then when Dev Khanal, the captain, was making his way to an 89-ball 58. But if there’s one thing Afghanistan doesn’t do, what you shouldn’t do, at any level of the game, is give up. He was taken deep, before Subash Bhandari, who had earlier returned 1 for 15 in 8.1 overs, pushed an outside off to spin the legs of Arab Gul, got a healthy lead and sent him across a pitch littered with offsides. for four. Done deal. The celebrations were as wild as the game itself.
The victory was set up by Chand, later named Player of the Match. In the final 10th over, Afghanistan were reeling at 34 for 5 after opting to bat. Chand had four such wickets. The counter-attack came courtesy of Hassan Eisakhil (20) and Naseer Khan Maroofkhil (31), and then Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (37); but all Afghanistan could hold out for was 145. Chand finished with 5 for 34, his fifth wicket being that of Eisakhil.
Nepal’s reply started almost as shaky, with Khalil Ahmed and Faridoon Dawoodzai reducing them to 24 for 3. But a dominant Khanal and a calm Aakash Tripathi appeared to take the game away from Afghanistan with an innings-best 49-run stand.
A turn had to come, and it came in the form of Maroofkhil sending Tripathi back in the 24th over, with the target still 73 runs away. However, Khanal was going nowhere, even as a couple more wickets fell at the other end, before being bowled by Ghazanfar for 58.
The total then was 127 for 7. The overs were not a problem, but Afghanistan was behind Nepal. Dipak Bohora ensured that he moved enough to bring Nepal within a shot of victory, but he too fell with six runs still to be won. The defenders were around the bat at this time, and the dot balls were piling up; but somehow, in the end, Bhandari found a way out.
West Indies 196 of 8 (Pascal 58, Nathan Edward 49*, Tazeem 3-34) won England 192 (Shaikh 54, Thain 40, Nathan Edward 3-28) for two wickets
Nathan Edward’s all-round performance helped the West Indies beat England by two wickets in Potchefstroom and qualify for the Super Six round. He took 3 for 28 with his left-arm seamer as England folded for 192, and then scored an unbeaten 49 to take his team home.
After West Indies opted to bowl, Nathan Edward castled Jaydn Denly in the first over of the match. England captain Ben McKinney and Noah Thain added 50 for the second wicket, before sending McKinney back. Thain and Hamza Shaikh, who scored 54 for 83, took England to 97 for 2 in the 21st over, but once Tarrique Edward removed Thain, the innings collapsed. At one stage, England were 146 for 7, but the lower order dragged them down close to 200.
West Indies also lost a wicket in the first over and scored 31 for 2 in the sixth. But their captain Stephan Pascal absorbed all the pressure and scored 58 off 84.
Legspinner Tazeem Chaudry Ali tried to keep England in the contest with his three wickets, including that of Pascal. When West Indies lost their seventh, the target was still 37 runs away, although the turnover rate was never a concern.
But Nathan Edward stood up once again with an unbeaten 49 off 80 balls. He added 36 off 32 deliveries with Tarrique Edward, in which the latter’s contribution was 5, before reaching the winning boundary.
Bangladesh 291 for 7 (Ariful 103, Amin 44, Garg 3-68) won USA 170 (Chettipalayam 57, Srivastava 37, Rabby 4-31) by 121 runs
Ariful Islam scored 103, followed by Bangladesh, who beat the United States by 121 runs in Bloemfontein. With two wins in three matches, Bangladesh finished second in their group and advanced to the Super Six stage of the tournament.
The United States had Bangladesh at 94 for 3 after opting to bowl first, but a 122-run fourth-wicket stand between Ariful and Ahrar Amin, who scored 44, took Bangladesh to 291. Ariful scored nine boundaries and kept the bowl healthy. scoring rate. But left-arm seamer Arya Garg continued her excellent form for USA, taking 3 for 68 to finish the competition with five wickets.
The US began the chase steadily, with opener Prannav Chettipalayam scoring 57. But they did not find much support from the other end as the US lost track towards the halfway point. What was 86 for 1 became 112 for 4, while from 40th onwards, they lost 6 for 16 to be bowled out for 170. Rabby, the left-arm spinner, was the star of the Bangladesh bowling attack , as he took 4 for 31 from ten overs.
