2022 U-19 World Cup: Pakistan enter quarters, England beat UAE
Pakistan defeated Afghanistan in a Group C match to confirm their qualification for the quarter-finals of the 2022 Under-19 World Cup. Defending champions Bangladesh bounced back from their defeat against England to stun Canada by eight wickets at Conaree Sports Club, Basseterre, St Kitts. In the third encounter of the day, England hammered United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 189 runs in Group A.
- The ongoing Under-19 World Cup has reached the business end of its group stage.
- At this stage, teams qualifying for the next round of the tournament, more or less have been decided, making the remaining group games all the more important as countries continue their last push to progress further.
- So far, England, India and Pakistan have booked their berth for the quarters.
Batting first, Pakistan posted a respectable total of 239/9 in 50 overs. Abdul Faseeh top scored with 68 runs while Muhammad Shehzad smashed 43 runs. Afghanistan's Izharulhaq Naveed picked three wickets while giving away 41 runs. In reply, Afghanistan managed to score 215/9 to concede the match by 24 runs. Bilal Sayedi (42) and Ijaz Ahmadzai (39) made decent contributions.
Tom Prest hammered an unbeaten 154 runs as England posted a mammoth total of 362/6 in 50 overs. Jacob Bethell scored a quickfire 62. UAE's Jash Giyanani claimed two wickets while giving away 60 runs. In response, UAE were bundled out for 173 in 38.2 overs. Ali Naseer top-scored for his team with a fighting 54. England's Rehan Ahmed picked a four-wicket haul.
In the third match of the day, Bangladesh overpowered Canada by eight wickets. Anoop Chima scored 63 runs as Canada huffed and puffed their way to 136/10 in 44.3 overs. Ripon Mondol (4-24) and SM Meherob (4-37) shared eight wickets between them. Bangladesh chased down the target of 137 runs with utmost east in 30.1 overs. Iftakher Hossain Ifti scored an unbeaten 61 runs.
South Africa will cross swords with Ireland at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago. West Indies will be up against Sri Lanka at Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis. Both games are slated to begin at 7:30 PM IST on Friday.
