India deliver devastating bowling display to down Australia and seal spot in final four
Captain Yashasvi Jaiswal had to paper over the cracks of a poor start with the bat and hauled his side up to 234, which they easily defend thanks to the fine bowling of Kartik Tyagi and Akash Singh.
And the Plate semi-final line-up is now completed after Emmanuel Bawa’s brutal century saw Zimbabwe past Canada and Scotland downed UAE.
Tyagi topples Australia as reigning champions advance
Kartik Tyagi’s inspired bowling display helped India seal a place in the U19 World Cup semi-finals for the third tournament in succession.
The medium-pacer claimed three wickets in six balls to quash the efforts of the three-time champions to chase down 234. Akash Singh’s hat-trick later in the innings dismantled Australia for 159 in 43.3 overs.
Tyagi eventually finished with four for 24, while fellow seamer Singh nabbed three for 30 to send the defending champions into the last four.
“I’m happy with this win, we played very well,” star man Tyagi said. “The focus was not on process, but taking wickets is, hitting the right areas is within our control and we did that well today.”
India didn’t have everything their own way. After losing the toss and being put in to bat, they found themselves limping on 114 for five in the 31st over with Yashasvi Jaiswal (62 off 82 balls) the only constant in the early part of their innings.
But with him gone someone needed to stand up. Fortunately for the Asian side, Atharva Ankolekar (55 not out off 54 balls) provided them with some lower-order impetus, and along with Ravi Bishnoi (30) and Siddhesh Veer (25), managed to lift them to a competitive total of 233 for nine.
After Jake Fraser-McGurk (0) was run out without facing a delivery from the first ball, Tyagi rocked the Aussies to leave them flailing at 17 for four.
Sam Fanning’s fighting 75 gave them hope during a stand of 81 with Liam Scott (35), but Singh dismissed the former and Todd Murphy (0) either side of a run-out to make it three in a row and seal a fine win.
Bawa century steers Zimbabwe through
Emmanuel Bawa entertained with a thrilling century as Zimbabwe picked up a 95-run win over Canada in their Plate quarterfinal at the Ibbies Oval.
Bawa - with his team on the back foot on at 54-5 at one stage - had a tentative start to his innings before going to record a memorable 95-ball ton that contained 13 boundaries.
Taurayi Tugwete (50) – complemented by a cameo from Gareth Chirawu (54 not out) - provided the needed support that steered the Zimbabweans to a respectable 271 for seven batting first.
The Canadians, in reply, wilted under the pressure of chasing a huge total and without any significant partnerships, were eventually bowled out for 176.
Harmanjeet Bedi and last man Rishiv Joshi, both top scored with 26.
Sakhumzi Ndlela, Nungu Nkoslathi and Chirawu picked up two wickets apiece in a tidy bowling performance by the Zimbabweans as they march on to the Plate semi-finals.
Stand-in captain Wesley Madhevere praised his charges' spirited performance, saying: "Canada played well, especially in the first part of the morning.
"We did not have a good start but finished on a higher note. We want to do well in our next game, and know the areas that we would like to improve on."
Shah to the fore as Scotland soar into Plate semis
Uzzair Shah struck an attacking half-century and shared in two key partnerships as Scotland advanced in the Plate at the expense of United Arab Emirates with a convincing seven-wicket win at Witrand Oval.
The opener, who made 71 off 77 balls, put on 90 with Ben Davidson (36) for the first wicket and then added 86 alongside wicketkeeper Tomas Mackintosh (57 off 50 balls) for the second wicket.
Those partnerships help the Scots chased down a 250-run target with 34 balls to spare.
That target was set up by Osama Hassan’s blistering 81 off 68 balls, while UAE also had gloveman Vriitya Aravind (61 off 96 balls) to thank for lifting them up to a competitive total.
“We threw away a few good positions with dropped catches and a lack of discipline during their innings,” captain Angus Guy said.
“But we pulled it back quite nicely and then when we batted we looked to get ahead of the right from the outset. Uzzi and Ben did that brilliantly.”
Prior to Hassan’s late burst, the Middle Eastern side found themselves in some trouble after Daniel Cairns had left them in a fix with his excellent four for 32 in seven overs – which came after Guy won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Fortunately for Scotland, however, they managed the chase excellently to reach the next stage and set up a meeting with Sri Lanka.
“We’re feeling good,” Guy added. “That’s a lot more like how we’d like to play and it’s obviously a great feeling to get that first win at the World Cup.
“It’s a huge morale-booster, which we hopefully can carry into that next match.”
Scores in brief
Scotland Under 19s beat UAE Under 19s by seven wickets, Witrand Oval, Potchefstroom
UAE 249 all out, 49 overs (Osama Hassan 81, Vriitya Aravind 61; Danny Cairns 4-32)
Scotland 250-3, 44.2 overs (Uzzair Shah 71, Tomas Mackintosh 57; Karthik Meiyappan 1-52)
Zimbabwe Under 19s beat Canada Under 19s by three wickets, Ibbies Oval, Potchefstroom
Zimbabwe 271-7, 50 overs (Emmanuel Bawa 105no, Taurayi Tugwete 50; Akhil Kumar 3-63)
Canada 176 all out, 47.3 overs (Harmanjeet Bedi 26no; Nungu Nkosilathi 2-35, Sakhumuzi Ndlela 2-34)
India Under 19s beat Australia Under 19s by 74 runs, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
India 233-9, 50 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 62, Atharva Ankolekar 55; Corey Kelly 2-45, Todd Murphy 2-40)
Australia 159, 43.3 overs (Sam Fanning 75, Liam Scott 35; Kartik Tyagi 4-24, Akash Singh 3-30)
ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 Fixtures
Super League Quarter Final 2: 29 January: West Indies v New Zealand – Willowmoore Park, Benoni
**Super League Quarter Final 3:**30 January: Bangladesh v South Africa – JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
**Plate Playoff Semi Final 1:**30 January: Nigeria v UAE – North West University Oval, Potchefstroom
**Plate Playoff Semi Final 2:**30 January: Japan v Canada – Ibbies Oval, Potchefstroom
Plate Semi Final 1: 30 January: Sri Lanka v Scotland, North West University Oval, Potchefstroom
Super League Quarter Final 4: 31 January: Afghanistan v Pakistan – Willowmoore Park, Benoni
Plate Semi Final 2: 31 January: England v Zimbabwe, Diamond Oval, Kimberley