England Under-19 beat Pakistan Under-19 by 37 runs in theirICC U19 World Cup opener on Thursday. Caleb Falconer’s 66 helped England post 210 all out before their bowlers restricted Pakistan to 173 at Takashinga Sports Club in Harare.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first. The decision looked good when Ahmed Hussain took three wickets for 38 runs. Abdul Subhan grabbed two for 24 while Ali Raza and Momin Qamar picked up two wickets each. England were 170 for four at one stage but lost their last six wickets for just 40 runs.
Caleb Falconer top-scored with 66 off 73 balls. He hit three fours and two sixes during his knock. Ben Dawkins made 33 off 38 balls to support him. The total of 210 looked below par on a good batting surface with the temperature at 20 degrees.
Pakistan started poorly in their chase and slipped to 28 for three inside nine overs. Alex Green struck twice in the powerplay to remove Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Shayan. James Minto got Usman Khan out leg before wicket to make it worse.
Captain Farhan Yousaf tried to rescue the innings with a fighting 65 off 86 balls. He hit three fours and four sixes while batting with good control. Abdul Subhan stayed with him to add 48 runs for the seventh wicket. The pair took Pakistan from 85 for six to 133 for seven.
Farhan’s dismissal in the 40th over ended Pakistan’s hopes. Momin Qamar remained unbeaten on 18 but ran out of partners. Ali Raza got run out in the 47th over to finish the innings at 173. Pakistan fell 37 runs short of the target.
Alex Green finished with two for 21 in seven overs. James Minto took two for 23 while Ralphie Albert grabbed two for 23 as well. Manny Lumsden and Farhan Ahmed picked up one wicket each. England’s bowlers did the job after their batters gave them a defendable total.
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This was Match 4 of Group C in the tournament. England earned two points and moved to the top of the group with a net run rate of plus 0.740. Pakistan sits at the bottom with zero points and a net run rate of minus 0.740.
Farhan Yousaf’s 65 went in vain despite his efforts. No other Pakistan batter crossed 20 runs apart from Momin Qamar’s unbeaten 18. The top order failed badly and put too much pressure on the middle order.
England collapsed from 170 for four to 210 all out, but still had enough runs on the board. Their bowlers took early wickets and never let Pakistan settle. Green’s two wickets in the power play made the chase very difficult.
Pakistan plays against Scotland in their next Group C match on Monday, January 19. They need a big win to improve their net run rate after this loss. England will look to continue their winning run when they play next.
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