The ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024 final will see Australia facing off against India after the former edged Pakistan in a thrilling contest in Benoni on Thursday.

If India's narrow win over South Africa in the first semi-final was not enough, Benoni bore witness to another nail-biter as Australia beat Pakistan by one wicket to join India in the tournament final.

Reduced to nine wickets with 16 runs still required in a run-chase of 180, Pakistan had one foot in the final. However, Australia's last-wicket pair held their nerve, defying the odds to clinch the match with just five balls remaining, leaving the spectators on the edge of their seats.

The win means that we will have a repeat of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 final with U19 World Cup defending champions India going head to head against Australia.

Australia beat Pakistan by one wicket in Benoni

Pakistan 179 (48.5 overs) beat Australia 181/9 (49.1 overs)

Australia's captain, Hugh Weibgen, won the toss and opted to put Pakistan in to bat in the crucial semi-final match of the 2024 edition of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, unleashing his pace bowlers on a fresh wicket.

Pakistan's openers, Shamyl Hussain and Shahzaib Khan, started cautiously against the new ball from Mahli Beardman and Callum Vidler. However, the introduction of Tom Straker as the first change bowler brought immediate success for Australia.

In just his second over, Straker claimed the important wicket of Shamyl Hussain, who attempted an ambitious pull shot only to top-edge it to Oliver Peake, taking a fine catch at mid-on. Shortly after, Shahzaib's watchful innings came to an end as he miscued a drive off Vidler to Hugh Weibgen at backward point, who held onto a splendid low catch.

With both openers dismissed within the Powerplay, Australia gained a strong foothold in the semi-final. Saad Baig and Azan Awais looked to rebuild for Pakistan and the former was saved by a dropped chance from Harry Dixon at first slip off Straker.

Baig’s luck didn't last long, though, as Straker had the last laugh in the next over. The seamer found the left-hander’s edge again and this time Dixon hung on to the catch at slip to reduce Pakistan to 43 for three.

After 16 overs dominated by pace, Weibgen introduced spin into the attack. Raf MacMillan responded to his captain's call by dismissing Ahmad Hassan with a well-pitched delivery that trapped him in front of the stumps.

MacMillan came close to claiming another wicket when Haroon Arshad narrowly survived a stumping chance. However, Beardman's return to the attack proved fruitful as he dismissed Arshad with a delivery that skidded off the pitch and disturbed the off-stump.

Arafat Minhas joined Azan Awais, and together they revived Pakistan's innings with a steady partnership. Awais reached his half-century off 83 balls, as the pair steadily increased the scoring rate between overs 31 to 40.

However, Straker ended their partnership by dismissing Awais for 52, caught behind by the wicketkeeper. With Awais departing, Pakistan found themselves in a precarious position at 133 for six, requiring a significant contribution from the lower order.

Minhas carried on unflustered, thumping Vidler off the back foot with a strong pull and bringing out the square cut against the spinner. He reached his half-century off 60 balls, cutting Tom Campbell in front of square for a boundary, but fell next ball when he attempted a loft over cover and sliced it to the deep fielder.

The tailenders couldn’t add too much to the total as Straker ran through them, cleaning up the last two off successive deliveries, to finish with six wickets, as many as he had managed in the entire tournament until today. 

Pakistan finished on 179, needing their bowlers to step up big-time to put them in the finals of the tournament. 

While Harry Dixon and Sam Konstas got Australia off to a slow, steady start, Pakistan made a roaring comeback after the Powerplay overs.

Fifteen-year-old Ali Raza cleaned up Konstas with a delivery that nipped back in sharply to hit the stumps. Weibgen smashed a full toss straight to short cover off Naveed Khan to depart for four and a massive mix-up between Harjas Singh and Dixon saw the end of the former. 

With three wickets falling quickly, Baig turned to strike bowler Ubaid Shah and the move worked. The dangerous Ryan Hicks was bowled off an inside edge for a golden duck as Australia slipped to a tense 59 for four. 

Dixon was joined by the left-handed Ollie Peake, who has had to bat only two times in the competition before this. The two left-handers went about rebuilding the innings as Pakistan looked to attack further. 

Dixon completed his half-century in the 24th over as Peake settled in at the other end. Minhas’ entry into the attack saw the back of Dixon. The left-arm spinner had the well-set Dixon cleaned up for 50 with a delivery that turned massively back into the batter.

Runs dried up as Minhas and Naveed Khan kept things pretty tight. Raza returned to the attack after Naveed was bowled out and almost instantly found a wicket. Tom Campbell’s edge was found but the ball raced over the keeper for a boundary, the first for Australia in nine overs.

Minhas, meanwhile, continued to bowl unchanged from his end and in his eighth over, the left-arm spinner struck again. Campbell was undone by an arm ball that skidded on with the angle and hit the stumps. 

With another threatening stand broken, Pakistan were back into the contest. Australia were still 34 runs away with four wickets left in the bank. Raza found MacMillan’s edge the very next over with the slip fielder diving to take a catch close to the ground. But confirmation for a clean catch wasn't needed as the ball was over waist height and hence a no-ball.

Peake continued to build, unflustered by the chaos around him, but while on 49, he nicked a harmless Raza delivery, going down the leg-side, through to the wicketkeeper to leave Australia in a tricky position. They were still 25 runs away and Pakistan sensed a way back to win the contest.  

Raza added two more in his final over to put Pakistan on the brink of a sensational win, sending back Staker and Beardman to reduce Australia to nine down. 

MacMillan continued to fight though and got a lucky top edge over the keeper's head for four in the 48th over with Australia needing less than 10 runs. 

Ubaid Shah almost trapped the lower-order batsman in front in the following over, but the umpire dismissed the appeal, judging the ball to be sliding down the leg-side. Vidler then played out the remaining deliveries, reducing the equation to just three runs needed off the last over.

In a nerve-wracking climax, on the first ball of the final over, MacMillan, who looked to punch off his back foot, got an inside edge and the ball raced through fine leg, securing Australia's thrilling victory. 

Australia now have the opportunity to replicate the success of their senior team from three months ago when they face India in the final on Sunday, 11 February.

Australia skipper Hugh Weibgen stated that he had full confidence in Vidler and MacMillan to successfully finish the run-chase.

“Never in doubt [win]. We had full faith in Vids [Vidler] and Raf [MacMillan] to get the job done. There was quite a bit of emotion in the dressing room. I was quite tense and excited too. I still don’t know what really happened, but it was awesome.”

Pakistan skipper Saad Baig commended Ali Raza for his splendid spell, but remained composed despite the heartbreaking loss.

“It is difficult to be the losing team, but I felt we were 20-30 runs short. The boys played really well. Ali Raza was brilliant. Our bowling was pretty good throughout the tournament. Anyway, one team has to win, one has to lose, that’s the game.”

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.”

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.