The clash between unbeaten India and hosts South Africa lived up to its billing in the first semi-final of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024.

In a thrilling contest that went down to the wire, India secured a hard-fought victory, thanks to outstanding half-centuries from Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas. 

Saharan's team will now have the chance to defend their title in the final on Sunday, 11 February.

India now await the winner of the second semi-final match between Australia and Pakistan on Thursday to see who they will face in the title clash.

India beat South Africa by 2 wickets in Benoni

South Africa 244/7 (50) vs India 248/8 (48.5)

After losing four tosses in the first four games, Uday Saharan got it right for the second in a row and chose to field first. This was the first time that India bowled first in the tournament, having batted in each of their five victories so far.

Once again displaying his customary aggression in the tournament, South Africa opener Steve Stolk took charge early on, hitting two fours in the first three overs. He continued his onslaught with a maximum off Raj Limbani in the fifth but it was the Indian pacer who had the last laugh as Stolk's attempted cut resulted in an edge straight into the hands of the wicketkeeper.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius kept the foot on the pedal thereafter, including a six and a four against Naman Tiwari in the 8th over. At the other end though, Limbani was on the money and accounted for the wicket of David Teeger for a duck, rattling the stumps with a peach of an inswinger.

Undeterred by the loss of two wickets, Pretorius continued playing attacking shots, and by the end of the Powerplay, South Africa were going close to a run-a-ball.

Saharan decided to introduce his spinners into play, effectively curbing South Africa's scoring – only five boundaries were scored in the span of overs 11 to 30.

However, the partnership between Pretorius and Richard Seletswane ensured a steady flow of runs, with Pretorius reaching his half-century off 59 balls.

With the run-rate at less than four, the mounting pressure got to Pretorius, who tried to swat Musheer Khan over mid-wicket, but Murugan Abhishek showed brilliant reflexes to hang on to a stunning catch.

The Proteas saw an uptick in boundaries when Seletswane and Oliver Whitehead combined for a 45-run partnership. Just as the partnership started to look dangerous, Musheer struck with the final ball of his spell, dismissing Whitehead.

South Africa’s decision to delay the entry of the dangerous Dewan Marais proved unsuccessful as he holed out to Saumy Pandey inches inside the boundary for just 3.

Between the two wickets, Seletswane brought up a patient half-century but having taken 90 balls to get to the milestone, the youngster fell trying to make up for the scoring rate.

Having hit Limbani for two fours in the 45th over, Seletswane tried to take the attack to Naman Tiwari in the next, but was undone by a good catch by Priyanshu Moliya running in from the deep.

Juan James too departed after a solid 19-ball 24-run cameo, leaving South Africa at 221/7 with two overs to go.

Tristan Luus gave the innings some much-needed impetus in the final two overs, unleashing two sixes and a four to finish with an unbeaten 23 off 12 balls. 

As a result, South Africa set India a target of 245. This was the first time a team had got past the 200-run mark against India in the tournament so far.

In the chase, South Africa started brilliantly, courtesy Kwena Maphaka's breakthrough on the first ball of the innings. Adarsh Singh found himself helpless against a sharp bouncer, awkwardly prodding it to the keeper.

The short ball proved to be India's downfall once more as Tristan Luus' accurately-directed bouncer outsmarted the dangerous Musheer Khan, sparking massive celebrations in the South African camp following the dismissal of the leading run-scorer in the tournament.

India had to be patient, waiting until the seventh over for their first boundary, which came in the form of a maximum from Arshin Kulkarni off Maphaka. Unfortunately, that solitary moment of joy for India was short-lived, as their difficulties continued to mount with Arshin falling victim to Luus in the final over of the Powerplay.

India's situation worsened when Moliya, who had managed to strike a boundary off the first ball of Luus' over, departed while attempting a loose drive.

Facing a daunting situation at 32/4, captain Saharan and Sachin Dhas orchestrated a remarkable rescue mission with an impressive partnership. With runs drying up, the pair mixed caution with aggression to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Particularly targeting the bowling of Riley Norton, Dhas showcased his prowess by striking three boundaries in a single over, reclaiming some control for India. While Saharan held firm at one end, Dhas assumed the role of the aggressor, racing to a half-century off 47 balls to keep the required run rate under 6.

Saharan quickly found his rhythm with a splendid boundary off James, not only marking the 100-run partnership for the fifth wicket but also propelling himself past Musheer Khan to claim the top spot on the tournament run-scoring charts.

The partnership between the two was a masterclass in innings building and chasing, as they milked singles relentlessly while putting the poor deliveries away for boundaries. 

The skipper too got in on the act, reaching his fifty off 88 balls with a boundary as India inched closer to victory.

Just as the required run rate got to a run-a-ball, Dhas and Saharan dispatched James for a six and four respectively to calm the nerves in the Indian camp.

But there was another twist as South Africa hit back when Maphaka was reintroduced into the attack. He got the better of Dhas with a well-disguised slower ball, the batter falling agonisingly short of a century on 96. 

The wicket brought about a lull in scoring, and the mounting pressure became palpable. Aravelly Avanish displayed nerves of steel by striking a crucial boundary off Norton on the final ball of the 46th over.

Maphaka bowled the 47th over and made a big difference off the last ball of the spell with the wicket of Avanish, with Norton taking a good catch in the deep. Two balls later, the game turned on its head again when Abhishek Murugan fell victim to poor running, being caught short of his crease by a direct hit from Marais.

The two wickets put the pressure back on India but a six from an unlikely source – Raj Limbani – shifted the equation, bringing it down to nine runs required off the last two overs.

Saharan put to rest any hopes of a South African comeback with four off the first ball of the penultimate over. In another twist to the game, Saharan was run out trying to scramble for the winning run. 

However, Limbani came in clutch again and struck a four off the final ball of the over to continue their unbeaten run and book their berth in the final.

The Player of the Match, India captain Uday Saharan, shared insights in the post-match presentation after bailing the team out of early trouble.

“I just believed in myself [after coming out to bat]. I knew it was a matter of one partnership and the game would be ours. I just kept telling myself repeatedly that I needed to bat till the end.” 

Defending champions, India, are off to a winning start against Bangladesh, while England and Pakistan also secured strong wins on the second day of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024.

India overcame an ordinary start in Bloemfontein to beat Bangladesh by 81 runs. After being rattled by Maruf Mridha at the start, Adarsh Singh and Uday Saharan fought back with fifties to help India to 251/7. Left-arm spinners Saumy Pandey and Musheer Khan then shared six wickets between them to help India to a win.

Spin dominated proceedings in Potchefstroom too, where three-wicket hauls from Farhan Ahmed and Luc Benkenstein helped England to a seven-wicket win over Scotland.

Meanwhile, a brilliant hundred from Shahzaib Khan helped Pakistan post a strong total in East London. Ubaid Shah and other pacers then ran through the Afghanistan batting to give the side a huge net run rate advantage. 

India beat Bangladesh by 81 runs in Bloemfontein

India 251/7 (50 overs) v Bangladesh 167 (45.5 overs) 

Bangladesh decided to bowl first in Bloemfontein, looking to make the most of any early help available.

Left-arm pacer Maruf Mridha bowled with pinpoint accuracy and troubled the India openers. He eventually accounted for Arshin Kulkarni (7) and Musheer Khan (3) in his first spell to leave India in trouble. 

India’s innings was anchored by the left-right combination of Adarsh Singh and skipper Uday Saharan. The duo overcame the guile of Bangladesh bowlers and put together a crucial 116-run stand for the third wicket. Things got tense during the middle overs, when the players engaged in verbal battles amidst India’s rising stand.

Adarsh (74) eventually fell while trying to loft Chowdhury Md Rizwan over mid-off in the 32nd over. 

Bangladesh pressed on after this breakthrough, and soon had Saharan (64), whose composed knock came to an end off Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby’s bowling. 

Useful cameos from Aravelly Avanish (23 from 17) and Sachin Dhas (26 from 20) helped to add crucial runs to the Indian total, but Maruf returned to pick two more wickets and restrict India to 251/7. Maruf finished with an impressive five-wicket haul to announce himself in style. This was a step up for the pacer, as he’d picked a four-wicket haul in a semi-final win against the same opponents in the U19 Asia Cup last month.

Some erratic new ball bowling combined with a studious effort from the Bangladesh openers helped them get off to a confident start. Eventually, India got their first breakthrough when Murugan Abhishek took a brilliant catch at point as Jishan Alam tried to pierce a Raj Limbani delivery past him. 

India vice-captain Saumy Pandey made an impact as soon as he was introduced. His accuracy and persistence got the better of Bangladesh batters, who tried to charge at him to up the scoring rate. Rizwan and Ashiqur Rahman Shibli were cleaned up while trying to go after Pandey.

When Ahrar Amin fell lbw to Kulkarni, Bangladesh had lost four wickets with over 200 to get, and were in dire need of a consolidating act. This came from Ariful Islam and Mohammad Shihab James, who stabilised the innings with a patient stand. However, disciplined bowling from India ensured that the Bangladesh scoring rate didn’t go too high.

It was Musheer’s canny slow left-arm spin that accounted for Ariful, and Bangladesh’s fight wilted. Spin accounted for seven wickets, with Saumy finishing with 4/24.

India’s skipper Uday Saharan discussed his crucial third-wicket stand with Adarsh, which helped his team to a strong position in the first innings.

“We focussed on executing our plans. After the loss of two early wickets, we remained calm. Adarsh batted brilliantly. We knew if we stayed at the wicket, runs will keep coming.”

England beat Scotland by 7 wickets in Potchefstroom

Scotland 174 (49.2) v England 178/3 (26.2 overs)

England captain Ben McKinney elected to bowl first after winning the toss.

Scotland’s watchful start was disrupted by Farhan Ahmed’s double strike. Farhan, the younger brother of England international Rehan Ahmed, accounted for opener Adi Hegde (3) and Bahadar Esakhiel (0) in the 10th over. Scotland then tried to pick pace on the back of a settled partnership between Jamie Dunk and Owen Gould. 

However, England vice-captain Luc Benkenstein weaved his magic in the middle-overs and put his side ahead. Luc, the son of former South Africa international Dale Benkenstein, scalped Dunk, Gould and Ibrahim Faisal to finish with 3/41. Farhan struck once more to end with 3/22. Though Scotland batted for almost 50 overs, they finished with a modest 174.

In response, Jaydn Denly and McKinney got off to a great start. They mixed caution with intent in the first Powerplay, taking on the loose deliveries, and accumulating 68 runs in the period. McKinney took charge between overs 11-14, hitting five boundaries including two sixes to push England closer to the target.

Denly fell while trying to pierce the cover region in the 16th over. However, by then England were merely 69 runs away from their ask. McKinney’s aggression kept his team on track, and they finished the game in the 27th over. 

England skipper Ben McKinney was elated at the result after the game,

“Best start to the tournament. It’s probably the best situation we could’ve had. A few lads got in, and we bowled pretty well. So, I’m pretty happy.”

Pakistan beat Afghanistan by 181 runs in East London 

Pakistan 284/9 (50 overs) v Afghanistan 103 (26.2 overs)

Pakistan skipper Saad Baig won the toss and elected to bat first.

A steady start from Shahzaib Khan and Shamyl Hussain saw Pakistan end the first Powerplay with all ten wickets in the bank. Right-arm pacer Khalil Ahmed helped Afghanistan make early breakthroughs, removing the set Shamyl (17) and Azan Awais (5) in successive overs. 

Saad Baig took charge thereafter, hitting an aggressive 55 from 52. The knock included four sixes off Afghanistan tweakers, even as Pakistan gained a substantial foothold in the middle-overs. The third-wicket stand between Baig and Shahzaib added 92 runs from 90 balls, and saw the latter also free his arms after a sedate start.

Saad eventually fell to the impressive Allah Mohammad Ghanzafar, cleaned up when trying to take on the bowler. Another wicket followed soon after, and Afghanistan sensed a way back. However, a fighting stand between Shahzaib and Muhammad Riazullah brought the Boys in Green back into the game. Despite losing regular wickets in the last 10 overs, Pakistan added 84 runs to finish at a strong total. Shahzaib finished with the second century of the tournament, hitting 10 fours and three sixes in his 106. Khalil starred for Afghanistan with 4/51.

The young Pakistanis got going with the ball early in their innings. Amir Hassan and Ubaid Shah dominated the proceedings by picking three Afghanistan wickets. Ubaid’s scalp included Hassan Eisakhil (19), who had gotten off to a good start with four boundaries to his name. At the end of the 10-over mark, Afghanistan were struggling at 44/3. 

In the second Powerplay, Pakistan pacers continued their attacking lines and complemented them with smart pace variations to run through the Afghanistan lineup. 

Along with Ubaid, Mohammad Zeeshan ran through Afghanistan's middle and lower order. The 6’8” Zeeshan showed his discipline by bowling around a length that troubled the Afghanistan batters. With Khalil Ahmad run out in the 27th over, Afghanistan were bowled out for 103. 

The Player of the Match award winner Shahzaib Khan stated that he planned his attack on the Afghanistan spinners in advance,

“Yes, we played according to a plan. I tried to muscle my shots in the wind’s direction, and to not play against the win. The attempt was also to hit all the shots in the gap.”

India are champions of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup for a fifth time after a four-wicket win over England in the final at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua on Saturday.

Despite a near flawless 95 off 116 balls including 12 fours from James Rew, England had a disappointing outing with the bat, being bowled out for 189 off just 44.5 overs.

James Sales was the next highest scorer for the English with 34 not out off 65 balls.

All-rounder Raj Bawa led the way for India with the ball with 5-31 off 9.5 overs, the best figures in the history of U-19 World Cup finals.

Bawa was supported well by Ravi Kumar who narrowly missed out on a five-wicket haul of his own, taking 4-34 off his nine overs.

After an indifferent start to the reply, an unbeaten 50 off 54 balls from Nishant Sindhu helped guide India to their target, finishing 195-6 off 47.4 overs.

Vice-captain Shaik Rasheed earlier got an even 50 off 84 balls for the Indians while Bawa also contributed 35.

Joshua Boyden, Tom Aspinwall and James Sales all took two wickets each for England.

Bawa was voted player of the match while South Africa's Dewald Brevis was voted player of the tournament after scoring 506 runs in six innings, the most runs in an Under-19 World Cup.

India secured a comprehensive 96-run win over Australia at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Wednesday to set up an encounter with England in the final of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup on Saturday.

After winning the toss and batting first on a batting-friendly pitch, the Indians made good use of their opportunity to post 290-5 off their 50 overs.

Captain Yash Dhull was the star with a stroke-filled 110 off 110 balls with 10 fours and a six while Shaik Rasheed supported his skipper well with a well-made 94 off 108 balls with eight fours and a six.

Australia’s bowling unit didn’t have much success with Jack Nisbet and William Salzmann being the only wicket-takers with 2-41 from nine overs and 2-57 from 10 overs, respectively.

Lachlan Shaw was Australia’s main run-scorer in a futile chase with 51 while Corey Miller got 38.

Campbell Kellaway was the only other Australian batsman to get to 30 as the Aussies were routed for 194 in just 41.2 overs.

Vicky Ostwal was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3-42 from his 10 overs while Nishant Sandhi and Ravi Kumar took two wickets each.

The final between India and England will take place at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday while Afghanistan and Australia will contest the 3^rd place playoff on Friday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

India are four-time winners of the event (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018) while England’s only title came in 1998.

England advanced to the final of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup with a nail-biting 15-run win over Afghanistan in their Super League semi-final at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds in Antigua today.

In the rain-affected 47-overs per side encounter, England set a score of 231-6 off their 47 overs.

George Bell with 56 not out off 67 balls and Alex Horton with 53 not out off 36 balls were the main contributors for the English.

Opener George Thomas also got a half-century for England, 50 off 69 balls.

Naveed Zadran and Noor Ahmad took two wickets each for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan looked comfortable for the majority of their chase, reaching 94-2 in the 24th over before a flurry of wickets put them in a spot of bother.

The Asian outfit continued to battle and found themselves needing 18 off two overs with four wickets in hand before England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed took three wickets in the penultimate and 46th over to pretty much end all hopes for the Afghans.

Eventually, Afghanistan ended 215-9 off their 47 overs.

Allah Noor with 60 and Mohammad Ishaq with 43 were the top scorers for Afghanistan against Ahmed’s 4-41 off six overs.

England will now face the winners of tomorrow’s second semi-final between Australia and India in the final to be played on February 5th.

West Indies Under-19s will play Papua New Guinea Under-19s on Wednesday in Trinidad & Tobago in a quarter-final of the ICC Men's Under-19 Cricket World Cup Plate Tournament.

In Group C, Zimbabwe U-19s achieved the biggest margin of victory so far in the tournament, a massive 228 run win over Papua New Guinea U-19s in Port of Spain.

After Zimbabwe won the toss and batted first, captain Emmanuel Bawa scored one of two centuries on the day, an even 100 off 95 balls to help Zimbabwe post a formidable 321-9 off their 50 overs.

Papua New Guinea were no match for the Zimbabwean bowlers, being skittled out for 93 in 35 overs.

Victor Chirwa was the pick of the Zimbabwean bowlers with 2-11 from seven overs while Brian Bennett (2-20 from 6 overs) and Ngenyasha Zvinoera (2-25 from 6 overs) also had good spells.

In the lone Group A match on Saturday, UAE U-19s beat Canada U-19s by 49 runs in a competitive game in Basseterre.

UAE U-19s won the toss and batted first, making 284-7 off their 50 overs thanks to half-centuries from Punya Mehra (71) and Ali Naseer (73).

Gurnek Singh took 2-38 off seven overs for Canada U-19s.

A well-played 96 from captain Mihir Patel wasn’t enough for Canada U-19s to successfully chase their target, eventually finishing 235 all out off 46.4 overs.

Anoop Chima (46) and Kairav Sharma (43) also got runs for Canada U-19s against 2-32 from eight overs from Nilansh Keswani.

Adhitya Shetty, Jash Giyanani and Alishan Sharafu also got two wickets each for UAE U-19s.

In the first of two Group B matches on Saturday, Ireland U-19s Joshua Cox was the day’s second centurion as his 111 not out helped them secure a 39-run win over Uganda U-19s in Georgetown.

Uganda U-19s won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that proved costly in the end as Ireland were able to get a score of 236-9 off their 50 overs with Cox getting the most support from Phillipus le Roux who made 32.

Juma Miyaji, captain Pascal Muringi, Joseph Baguma and Matthew Musinguzi all took two wickets each for the Ugandans.

Murungi then top scored with 63 and Miyaji also contributed 38 but it wasn’t enough as Ireland restricted them to 197 all out off 48.1 overs to seal the win.

Matthew Humphreys was the pick of the Irish bowlers with 4-25 off his 10 overs.

India U-19s secured a 45-run win over South Africa U-19s in Georgetown in the other Group B clash.

South Africa U-19s won the toss and elected to field first, a decision which looked like the right one as they were able to pick up early wickets thanks to good bowling by left-arm pacer Aphiwe Mnyanda.

India got on the right track, however, and used innings from captain Yash Dhull (82), Kaushal Tambe (35) and Shaik Rasheed (31) to recover to 232 all out in 46.5 overs.

Matthew Boast led the South African bowlers with 3-40 off nine overs while Mnyanda took 2-29 from five.

A stroke-filled 65 from Dewald Brevis and a solid 36 from captain George Van Heerden proved to be insufficient as South Africa lost wickets in quick succession before eventually being bowled out for 187 in 45.4 overs.

Vicky Ostval was the chief destroyer for the Indians with a brilliant 5-28 off his 10 overs while Raj Bawa supported him with 4-47 from 6.4 overs.