Afghanistan loses to New Zealand in a low-scoring thriller
2024.01.23
In a match played in the rain at Potchefstroom versus the hosts, South Africa, England prevails.
Afghanistan vs New Zealand
Tuesday (January 23) saw New Zealand defeat Afghanistan by one wicket in their U19 World Cup match at Buffalo Park in East London, in what was possibly the match of the tournament thus far. At the midway point, it didn’t seem like this was how the game would conclude. Choosing to bat, Matt Rowe and the New Zealand quicks destroyed Afghanistan for 91 runs, with Rowe scoring an outstanding 5 out of 21. The other bowlers provided him with good support, and the Black Caps made sure that just two Afghanistan batsman reached double figures.
While Allah Ghazanfar struck three times early on, all of the batsmen were out for ducks, and the score was 23/3, New Zealand would have thought the chase would be easy. As soon as Khalil Ahmed entered the game and took Robbie Foulkes out, it quickly became 23/4. Afghanistan continued to pick up wickets, with only Oscar Jackson, the captain, and Lachlan Stackpole reaching double digits for New Zealand. However, they were unable to win the match, and Rowe had to make the last two runs after he entered with one wicket remaining. Afghanistan will regret giving up 24 additional points, even if New Zealand also gave up 25.
New Zealand 92 for 9 (Jackson 26, Ghazanfar 3-29, Gul 2-12, Khalil 2-16) beat Afghanistan 91 (Jamshid 22, Rowe 5-21) by one wicket
England vs South Africa
Rain caused the game to conclude early, but Eddie Jack’s (3/28) and Noah Thain’s (50) impressive bowling performances helped England defeat South Africa by 36 runs (DLS method). When South Africa was sent to bat, they got off to a fast start, scoring 67 runs in the first 10 overs on a favorable batting surface and seemed to be headed for a large total. But Jack got involved as well, smashing the opening stand and causing a mini-collapse with off spinner Tazeem Ali (3/26) as well. In just 15 deliveries, South Africa fell from 111/2 to 114/5. Thanks to a strong cameo by Dewan Marais and a few more smaller contributions, the tournament hosts were able to secure a respectable.
While England did lost Jaydn Denly early in the hunt for runs, Thain and captain Ben McKinney opened the innings with a 92-run partnership. Neither batter used excessive aggression; instead, they approached the situation strategically. McKinney failed to reach a worthy fifty, but Hamza Shaikh and Thain managed to put together a helpful little stand before the rain arrived, giving England a comfortable lead on the DLS system. The total to defend was below standard, so South Africa’s bowlers couldn’t be blamed too much for their lack of effort or inability to apply adequate pressure.
England Under-19s 137 for 2 (Thain 63*, McKinney 48, Pillay 1-19) beat South Africa Under-19s 230 (Stolk 64, Marais 42, Ali 3-26, Jack 3-28) by 36 runs (via DLS method)
@charith
