New Zealand rode on Indian-origin Snehith Reddy's brilliant century to beat Nepal by 64 runs in their Under-19 World Cup match held in East London on January 21. Meanwhile, in other U-19 World Cup match, Sri Lanka secured an impressive 39-run victory over Zimbabwe in a rain-impacted match in Kimberley.
Kiwis kick off U-19 World Cup campaign with a resounding win
Opting to bat first, New Zealand’s openers showed confidence on a pitch where the ball came onto the bat smoothly. Tom Jones and Luke Watson put together a solid 53 in the opening Powerplay. However, Watson was dismissed by Subash Bhandari’s spin in the 11th over. The Rhinos, initially lacking precision, regained momentum with this dismissal. A superb delivery from leg-spinner Tilak Bhandari took out the well-set Jones, putting the young Black Caps in a challenging position. Oliver Tewatiya’s quick exit without scoring added to their troubles.
Captain Oscar Jackson and Snehith Reddy, who was born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, then collaborated to navigate through a difficult phase. The pair later unleashed an attacking onslaught, particularly Jackson, who hit a series of sixes. His dismissal by Aakash Tripathi’s medium pace, followed by Gulshan Jha’s twin strikes, brought Nepal back into contention.
Nonetheless, Snehith’s outstanding performance, scoring 147* with 11 boundaries and sixes, propelled New Zealand to add 99 runs in the final 10 overs.
When New Zealand took to the field, they quickly made an impact with wickets. Sharp fielding by Zac Cumming and Lachlan Stackpole led to dismissals by Mason Clarke and Matt Rowe. Stackpole’s catch was particularly remarkable – a fantastic one-handed effort after a sprint from the deep.
For Nepal, Arjun Kumal and Dev Khanal steadied the innings. Khanal’s aggressive batting advanced Nepal at a brisk pace, but he eventually fell to opposing captain Jackson. Khanal’s dismissal led to another quick wicket, with Uttam Magar being dismissed by Ewald Schreuder. Hopes were high for Gulshan Jha, but he lost his wicket to a poor delivery from Zac Cumming.
Kumal stood out with a resilient 90, including 12 fours. The Nepali tailenders battled valiantly, ensuring the team was not bowled out.
Sri Lanka get the better of Zimbabwe
Captain Matthew Schonken won the toss and chose to field first against Sri Lanka, confident in his team's mix of spin and pace. Kohl Eksteen validated this decision by claiming a wicket in the opening over, followed by Anesu Kamuriwo removing Sri Lanka's other opener soon after, putting Sri Lanka in a challenging spot. Sri Lanka's fourth-wicket pair, Ravishan de Silva and Rusanad Gamage, initiated a recovery, adding 54 runs in 21.1 overs, despite Zimbabwe's disciplined bowling.
Panashe Taruvinga's breakthrough in the 26th over ended Gamage's resistance, and Ryan Simbi dismissed de Silva in the 31st over, reinforcing Zimbabwe's control.
Dinura Kalupahana played a vital role in the middle overs, with Sharujan Shanmuganathan providing support. The pair contributed 80 runs for the sixth wicket, but Kalupahana's dismissal to Schonken triggered a collapse, leading to Sri Lanka being all out for 204.
Sri Lanka responded strongly with their spin attack. Vishwa Lahiru's economical opening spell resulted in the first wicket, followed by Malsha Tharupathi's crucial second wicket and a sharp catch off Kalupahana. The match was halted at 30 due to bad weather.
Lightning initially caused a pause in play, and subsequent rain led to a significant delay. When play resumed, Zimbabwe faced a revised target of 129 from 22 overs. Needing to score over 10 runs per over, they aggressively targeted the Sri Lankan bowlers but were ultimately bowled out in the 23rd over due to Sri Lanka's disciplined bowling.
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