AUS U19 VS ZIM U19 MATCH 16

Right then, that's all from this game, where Australia Under-19 outclassed Zimbabwe Under-19 to book their berth in the Super Six stage. With this resounding win, the Aussies have climbed to the top of Group C. It will be a triple-header day on Friday, 26th January when Bangladesh go up against the USA, England will lock horns with the West Indies, and Afghanistan will take on Nepal. All three games will begin at 1.30 pm GMT (8.00 am GMT), but our build-up will begin much sooner. Until then, take care and goodbye!

The skipper of Australia Under-19, Hugh Weibgen is in for a chat. He says that looking at the condition of the pitch, they decided to bat first. Adds that they planned to knock it around with the new ball and go big later in the innings. He continues that his top-order performed especially Harry Dixon. Mentions that everyone did their part and that's why they got the result. Ends up saying that they would like to continue this wining run to the game against Sri Lanka. Feels that they need to work on some soft dismissals in their innings but other than that they are in a pretty good shape.

The captain of Zimbabwe Under-19, Matthew Schonken says that they thought that the pitch looked to great than the other days but he is disappointed with the bowling unit and they were terrible in the fielding too. He admits that the spinners did good in the middle but all in all, it was tough. He reckons that his team needs a deep conversation with each other because it's about the mental thing rather than the physical thing.

Harry Dixon is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his brilliance with the bat. He says that the first game didn't go as they planned but he is happy that everything went well in this match and they were able to set up a good total on the board. He continues that it was a tricky start for them as they started playing slowly. He ends up saying that they were much more focused in this game and played ball by ball. Ends by saying that their main motive was not to get distracted by anything else.

Time for the presentation ceremony....

Earlier in the game, it was the skipper of Australia, Hugh Weibgen, who won the toss and opted to put runs on the board. Harry Dixon and Sam Konstas took their time initially and were prepared to see off the movement with the new ball. As the innings progressed, both batters grew in confidence and laid a solid platform for the rest to capitalise on. Konstas fell five runs short of his fifty, but Dixon carried on and took the innings forward with skipper Hugh Weibgen. Weibgen played the second fiddle while Dixon found boundaries at will before getting out on 89. After his departure, Zimbabwe Under-19 staged a comeback as Australia lost wickets in a clump. Thanks to a breezy cameo from Tom Campbell, Australia finished strongly with the bat and got to 296. For Zimbabwe Under-19, Ryan Simbi, Brandon Sunguro and Matthew Schonken combined well to pick up two wickets each.

On the other hand, it was another dismal batting performance for Zimbabwe Under-19. They simply struggled to come to terms with the pace and the bounce extracted by the Aussies pacers. With 297 runs to get, Zimbabwe Under-19 needed a good start to stand a chance. However, they got off to a rocky start as they lost 3 wickets in the first three overs. A mix-up resulted in the run out of Nathaniel Hlabangana which made matters worse for them. They could never really recover from that start and were behind the eight-ball big time. Ronak Patel and Brandon Sunguro showed resistance but the latter was unable to hang in there for much. Ronak kept running out of partners and perished while going for a big shot. As many as six batters were dismissed for a duck, which tells you everything you need to know about the Zimbabwean batting effort.

As clinical as it can get! Australia Under-19 have handed Zimbabwe Under-19 a real thumping here to book their place in the Super Six stage of the 2024 Under-19 World Cup! The three-time champions win by a massive margin of 225 runs to make it two wins out of two. For Australia, Mahli Beardman set the tone early for them with twin strikes in his first over before Charlie Anderson got into the act to pile on the misery for Zimbabwe. Sam Konstas effected a sharp run out to put the opposition in even more trouble. They faced a bit of resistance from Ronak Patel and Brandon Sunguro but it was Aidan O’Connor who helped them break that stand and then the rest of the bowling unit simply ran through the Zimbabwean batting unit. Harkirat Bajwa was a bit slow to get into the groove but never looked back after picking up his first wicket. He made light work of the Zimbabwean tail and made Ryan Simbi his fourth victim to complete the formalities.

OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! THAT'S IT! Harkirat Bajwa finishes things off! This one is slower through the air, with a bit of a flight and fuller on the stump. Ryan Simbi strides to block it but ends up playing a bit of his bottom hand. The ball lobs just in front of the bowler and Bajwa gets the catch safely into his pair of hands. Australia Under-19 have sealed their spot for the Super Six stage. Australia Under-19 win the match against Zimbabwe Under-19 by 225 runs!

Short and on off, Ryan Simbi blocks it out from the crease.

’Connor to Anesu Kamuriwo, Much fuller on leg, as the batter was making a room. Anesu Kamuriwo dops the bat and pushes it towards mid on.

’Connor to Anesu Kamuriwo, Fuller delivery yet again outside of, angling in a shy bit. Anesu Kamuriwo plays and misses it.

’Connor to Anesu Kamuriwo, Fuller delivery outside off. Anesu Kamuriwo goes for a heave but misses it with a thin edge. As the ball passes the bat there is a sound. But it was from the ground.

’Connor to Anesu Kamuriwo, Huge appeal but turned down! Much fuller on middle and leg, angling in. Anesu Kamuriwo misses his hit and thumps his pad on the pad. It looks the delivery will move down the leg.

’Connor to Anesu Kamuriwo, CLOSE! On a length just outside off, shaping in. Anesu Kamuriwo tries to help it towards the off stump but gets beaten on the outer edge.

Anesu Kamuriwo is the last man in for Zimbabwe Under-19.

’Connor to Ronak Patel, OUT! CASTLED! Another bites the dust! Fires this one on fuller, on off, angling in a shy bit. Ronak Patel took a stance leaving the crease and tries to loft it up and over on he off side. He misses it completely and the ball goes on to uproot the off stump. Aidan O’Connor gets his second wicket and Australia Under-19 are now a wicket away from completing a comprehensive win!