Fancied England kept their nerve to reach the ICC U-19 World Cup 2022 final after prevailing over Afghanistan by 15 runs in an exciting last-four clash here, ending a 24-year wait for the side. (More Cricket News)
Spinner Re𓄧han Ahmed became t𒀰he hero for the Young Lions, taking three wickets in the penultimate over at a crucial point when their opponents needed just 18 runs from the last 10 balls on Tuesday.
It was a remarkable turnaround for England from the previous tou💫rnament just two years ago in South Africa when they finished ninth. As for Afghanistan, they will head to the Coolidge Cricket Ground for the third-place playoff.
Rain delayed the first of the two super league semifinals at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground after England won the toss and chose to bat. Once both sides were eventually able to꧂ take to the field here, it was Afghanistan who made the stronger start.
Jacob Bethell, who lit up the quar𓂃ter-final tie with 88 against South Africa last week, was trapped LBW by Naveed Zadran, an early sign that England faced a difficult task.
Skipper Tom Prest then joined vice-captain Bethell in making an ea𒉰rly departure, reducing them to 2-56, as the Young Li༒ons struggled to command with the bat.
George Thomas did steady the ship with an exc𒆙ellent 50 after a slightly nerv🎶y introduction at the crease, but was later beaten by a fine delivery from Noor Ahmad.
And when William Luxton was clean bowled by Izharulhaq Naveed, Prest's team were five wickets down having🃏 barely put 100 runs on the board. However, the rain came again to delay play for a further half-hour and led to revised conditions of 47 overs ꦰper side.
England's back-end partnership of 95 from George Bell and Alex Horton then managed to put a different dynamic on their innings. The duo attacked the Afghanistan seamers fierc𒈔ely which managed to lift the final total to 231.
The earlier interruptions from the weather meant Afghanistan had a revised🃏 DLS target to match this score and chasing their first-ever U-19 World Cup final, they knew a good sta🐟rt was needed to seize control of the game.
Opener Nangeyalia Kharote was unable to provide it when English seamer J🐻osh Boyden claimed his wicket with just the third ball of the innings. But Kharote's replacement Allah Noor, smashed a huge six to get off the mark and quickly gave his team a platform.
The 18-year-old produced a marvellous knock, which featured eight boundaries as the momentum of the semifinal sw🔯ung back Afghanistan's way. Along with wicketkeeper Mohammad Ishaq, the pair got their team past 90, with Noor making a valuable half-century.
England's crucial breakthrough came after some wonderful fielding led to a run-out for Ishaq with wicketkeeper Horton reacting quickly to a loose throw at the striker's endܫ. Noor remained stubborn but eventually went for 60, with Thomas Aspinwall claiming a vital wicket.
That set up a frantic finish that could have gone either way. The 44th over for England appeared to have turned the game when two 𓂃no balls in a row gifted their opponents eight runs, before Abdul Hadi (37 not out) smashed a huge six to take them to 200.
But Ahmed's late flurry and a nerveless final over from Boyden carried England over the line to their𝓰 first U-19 World Cup final since 1998 in South Africa, when they lifted the trophy.
