ICC U19 World Cup | Group B - Australia pip England in thriller, West Indies thrash Nigeria
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Australia beat their arch-rivals England by two wickets in a thrilling encounter in Group B at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Thursday. Meanwhile, the West Indies continued their 100% record at the U19 World Cup by thrashing minnows Nigeria at the Country Club B Field in Kimberley.Â
All-round Connor Sully takes Aussies home
Brief Scores: England U-19 252-7 in 50 overs (Ben Charlesworth 82, Dan Mousley 51*; Connor Sully 2-39) lost to Australia U-19 253-8 in 50 overs (Mackenzie Harvey 65, Lachlan Hearne 45; Lewis Goldsworthy 2-24) by two wickets.
Despite a disciplined opening spell from Sully (who finished with figures of two for 39), England — having been asked to bat first by the Aussies — got off to a half-century stand between Ben Charlesworth — top-scorer with 82 — and Jordan Cox. But once the opening stand was broken, the English kept losing wickets and slipped to 146 for five. However, a late flourish Dan Mousley (51 off 44 balls) and Kasey Aldridge (32 off 25 balls) saw them reach 252 for seven from their 50 overs. The Aussies did not start off brightly, losing opener Jake Fraser-McGurk cheaply, but two half-century stands that followed saw them reach 153 for two in the 30th over. Mackenzie Harvey, the Aussie skipper and top-scorer with 65, then fell and triggered a collapse which saw them slip to 189 for seven. In the end, 19-year-old — who hit a 20-ball 35, which included one four and three sixes, earning him the Man-of-the-Match award — saw them over the line off the very last ball along with the rest of the tail. With their second loss in as many matches, England have crashed out of the 2020 edition of the U19 World Cup.Â
West Indies register a 246-run win over Nigeria
West Indies U-19 303-8 in 50 overs (Matthew Patrick 68, Kimani Melius 65; Peter Aho 2-53)beat Nigeria U-19 57 all-out in 21.4 overs (Abdulrehman Jimoh 17; Jayden Seales 4-19, Ashmead Nedd 3-11) by 246 runs.
Winning the toss, Windies skipper Kelvon Anderson had no hesitation in opting to bat first and his openers obliged. Wicket-keeper Kimani Melius shared two half-century stands with Leonardo Julien and the skipper en route his 65, which included nine fours and two sixes. Once Melius fell in the 25th over, with the score at 135, Nigeria pulled things back and had their opposition reduced to 199 for six in the 39th over. Matthew Patrick (68 off 70 balls) and Joshua James (43 off 30 balls) then came to the fore at the death and seized the initiative back for the Windies, who finished with a mammoth 303 for eight on the board. The reply from Nigeria got off the worst possible start, as they lost their first wicket off the very second ball. The Windies attack then ran through the rest of the batsmen, of whom only two made it to double-digits. Jayden Seales starred for the Windies with four for 19, while Ashmead Nedd with three for 11 and Man-of-the-Match Patrick with two for 16 chipped in as well.Â
