ICC U19 World Cup Semifinal: In what promises to be an entertaining fixture, three-time Champions Australia U19 and Pakistan U19 are all set to lock horns against each other in the second semi-final match of the U19 ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place on the 8th of February at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The match is set to commence at 1:30 p.m. IST.
Similar to India, Pakistan has gone undefeated in the current U19 World Cup, winning all three of its group stage matches against Afghanistan, Nepal, and New Zealand. Against Ireland and Bangladesh in the Super Six stage, the Saad Baig-led team prevailed in both encounters.
Bangladesh and Pakistan played a low-scoring thriller, with the Boys in Green defeating the Young Tigers by just five runs. After winning the toss and choosing to field first, Bangladesh’s bowling unit led by Rohanat Doullah Borson (4-24) and Parvez Rahman Jibon (4-24) produced an outstanding display of bowling, resulting in the Saad Baig-led team being bowled out for 155 runs. The Young Tigers had to win the match within 38.1 overs in order to gain a net-run rate advantage over Pakistan, which would have allowed Bangladesh to secure a semi-final birth. However, thanks to the tremendous bowling efforts of Naseem Shah’s brother Ubaid Shah (5-44), Ali Raza (3-44) and Mohammed Zeeshan (1-27), the Young Tigers were bundled out for 150 runs, and eventually they lost the match by five runs. The Pakistani’s would be looking to continue their unbeaten run by defeating Australia in the semi-finals.
Australia U19, on the other hand, are on an unbeaten run, and they managed to comfortably defeat the likes of Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in the Group Stage matches. In the Super Six, the Hugh Weibgen-led Aussies defeated archrivals England by 110 runs, and their second Super Six match against the Windies was washed out due to rain.
Against England, the Aussies managed to put up a score of 266 runs on the board thanks to the captain’s knock of Skipper Hugh Weibgen (120 runs in 126 balls). The rain gods supported the Aussies as the Three Lions were asked to chase down the target of 215 runs in 24 overs, but it proved to be a huge ask for the Britishers as they were bundled out for 104 runs as the trio of Callum Vidler (4-29), Raf Macmillan (3-16), and Tom Straker (2-16) starred with the ball for Australia. The Australian’s would be eager to defeat Pakistan in the semi-finals and qualify for the finals.
Pakistan U19 vs Australia U19: Match Information
Tournament: Under 19 ICC Cricket World Cup
Match: Australia U19 vs Pakistan U19 Semi-Final 2
Date: February 8, 2024
Day and Time: Tuesday, 1:30 pm IST
Venue: Willowmoore Park, Benoni
Willowmoore Park Pitch Report
The pitch at Benoni’s Willowmoore Park offers a good amount of assistance to the seamers in 50-over cricket. The Fast Bowlers have a really good record with the new ball on Willowmoore Park’s green pitch, so don’t be surprised if you get to see a low-scoring thriller on Thursday. The average first-inning score on this field is 233 runs. The toss-winning captain won’t shy away from the prospect of bowling first.
Pakistan U19 vs Australia U19: Live Streaming Details
One can watch the semi-final between Pakistan U19 and Australia U19 on the Star Sports Network on television, and the match will also be broadcast live on the Disney Plus Hotstar App and Website for free.
Pakistan U19 vs Australia U19: Squads
Pakistan: Saad Baig (c), Ali Asfand, Ali Raza, Amir Hassan, Ahmad Hassan, Arfat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haroon Arshad, Khubaib Khalil, Mohammad Zeeshan, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Muhammad Riazullah and Ubaid Shah
Australia: Lachlan Aitken, Harkirat Bajwa, Charlie Anderson, Mahli Beardman, Tom Campbell, Harry Dixon, Ryan Hicks, Sam Konstas, Rafael MacMillan, Aidan O’Connor, Harjas Singh, Tom Straker, Callum Vidler, Corey Wasley, and Hugh Weibgen
Read: ICC U19 World Cup 2024: Players with Most Sixes and Most Fours
For more, Visit the Official Site of U19 Cricket Teams