England knocked defending champions Australia out of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 with a 27-run win in the semifinal at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
England captain Thomas Rew smashed century against Australia
England captain Thomas Rew led from the front with a superb 110 off 107 balls, which proved to be the difference in the match. His knock outshone Australian skipper Oliver Peake’s fighting century, as Australia were bowled out for 250 while chasing 278.
Australia failed to get good start
Australia looked in trouble early but staged a late comeback when Peake and Charles Lachmund added 39 runs in just 24 balls for the ninth wicket, giving their team hope of pulling off a dramatic win. However, England’s fast bowlers Sebastian Morgan and James Minto held their nerve, removing Lachmund and Peake to seal England’s place in the final.
Apart from Peake’s 88-ball hundred, Australia did not get much support from the rest of the batting line-up. Opener Nitesh Samuel scored 47, while Aryan Sharma added a quick 34 off 23 balls, but the rest of the batters failed to build meaningful partnerships.
England's batting
Earlier, England’s innings was largely built around Rew’s classy hundred, which included 14 fours and one six. He shared a crucial 135-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Caleb Falconer, who chipped in with 40. Farhan Ahmed’s unbeaten 28 off 26 balls helped England finish strongly and post a challenging total.
Australia's pace spearhead failed to make an impact
Australia’s main fast bowlers, Lachmund and Will Bryom, struggled to make an impact, managing just one wicket between them in their combined 14 overs. Hayden Schiller was the standout bowler for Australia with figures of 2 for 31, while leg-spinner Naden Cooray picked up two wickets as well.
In reply, England’s bowlers kept striking at regular intervals, never allowing Australia to fully take control of the chase. Their disciplined bowling effort eventually made the difference.
England last reached the Under-19 World Cup final in 2022, where they finished runners-up to India. They will now look to go one step further this time around.
India will face Afghanistan in 2nd semifinal
The second semifinal will be played on Wednesday at the Harare Sports Club, where India and Afghanistan will battle for the remaining spot in the final.