Bangladesh secure first win of the tournament

2024.01.22

Bangladesh won the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 on the fourth day of play, while Australia triumphed over a tenacious Namibian team in Kimberley.

Ireland against Bangladesh

Bangladesh defeated Ireland by six wickets in Bloemfontein to earn their first tournament triumph. Ireland was asked to bat first, and they got off to a cautious start until Ryan Hunter was hit by Maruf Mridha in the sixth over. The fifth wicket stand of 81 runs between Kian Hilton (90) and Scott MacBeth (27), put the total up to a reasonable 235/8. As many as 61 runs came in the final 10 overs thanks to Hilton’s stay at the crease till the 49th over, which assured rapid runs at the back end.

Bangladesh had a difficult time chasing the ball; they managed to cross the finish line only in the 47th over. The big push came when Ahrar Amin (45) and Mohammad Shihab James (55) scored 109 undefeated runs for the fifth wicket and led their team home. Ashiqur Rahman Shibli (44) and Adil Bin Siddik (36) added a patient and steady 90 runs for the first wicket.

Ireland 235 for 8 (Hilton 90, Mridha 2-45, Seikh 2-50) beat Bangladesh 239/4 (Shihab 55, Armin 45, Scott 2-45) by four wickets

Australia vs Namibia

Australia defeated a determined Namibian team by four wickets on a pacers’ day in Kimberley. After being put in to bat, Callum Vidler (4 for 17) and Tom Straker (3 for 16) saw Namibia out of the game for 91 runs in 33.1 overs. Within the first ten overs, Vidler struck twice, and the subsequent 26-run stand stood as the highest of the innings. With 29 runs, Zacheo van Vuuren led all scorers during the stand. The only other players to reach double digits were Hanro Badenhorst (11*) and captain Alexander Volschenk (21).

Upon Australia’s turn, they also encountered difficult circumstances. After losing four in the PowerPlay, Jack Brassell (3 for 28) quickly took his third wicket, joining opener Sam Konstas and No. 4 batsman Harjas Singh. The Hugh Weibgen-led team was down 4 wickets at 46/4. However, Hugh Weibgen performed a captain’s knock, leading the team home in the twentieth over after going undefeated on 39 off 43.

Australia 95 for 6 (Weibgen 39*, Brassell 3-28, Badenhorst 2-29) beat Namibia 91 (van Vuuren 29, Vidler 4-17, Straker 3-16) by four wickets

@charith