ST. JOHN’S, Antigua - DESPITE the inclement weather and drop catches, England had eked out a hard fought 15-run win over Afghanistan at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound to advance to the Finals of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Afghanistan looked primed to pull out the upset win in their chase of 232, but a batting collapse and poor shot choices saw them whittling under pressure to miss out on their chances to make the Finals.
After winning the toss under overcast conditions, England elected to bat and were put to the sword by the Afghan bowlers, losing wickets regularly as the batsmen were developing partnerships.
The loss of the in-form Tom Prest gave the Afghanistan team hope of dismissing one of the tournament’s favourites for a low score. But a patient 56 from 67 balls from George Bell ensured that a respectable score of 230 for 6 was achieved following a lengthy rain delay and reduction of overs.
Noor Ahmad and Naveed Zadran bagged two wickets each.
In reply, the Asian side began horribly as they lost Suliman Safi on the third ball of the inning, but a 93 run partnership between Allah Noor (60) and Abdul Hadir (37) set them on target to chase their target off their revised 47 overs.
But a late batting collapse, strong hitting, and poor catching and bowling performances from the English brought the game to a knife’s edge, swinging it in favour to either team.
A terribly bowled 44th over by James Sales had given Afghanistan the advantage, accounting for 20 runs. He bowled a no-ball first up by overstepping and a waist height no-ball that accounted for 5 runs.
In the end, the reduction in overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method proved too much for the Asian side to pull off victory, breaking the hearts of the Afghan team and their supporters.
George Bell was adjudged the player of the match for his fine knock of 56 runs.
Afghanistan will now play in the third/fourth place match against the loser of yesterday’s (Feb. 2) other semi-final, while England will move on to Saturday’s Finals to seek their third title.
In the second Femi-finals, Australia will take on India at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
