Cricket Live U19
Fourteen-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi has smashed the fastest century ever in the history of the Under-19 World Cup.
The youngster belted a remarkable 175 from just 80 balls in India’s crushing victory over England in the final in Harare. He also holds the tournament record for most sixes in a Youth ODI innings.
For fans following Cricket Live U19, his explosive performances have become one of the major highlights of the tournament.
India vs. USA
Defending champions India will look to get off to a flying start in the Under-19 World Cup when they meet USA at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The Boys in Blue are arguably the tournament favourites and are expected to make a mark with both bat and ball, with pace likely to play an important role. Deepesh Devendran could be the X-factor with his awkward action expected to trouble batters unfamiliar with his angles, while RS Ambrish and Kishan Singh will provide genuine pace and lower-order runs. Henil Patel also adds spin depth, while bowling coach Hemendra Kaushik will be relying on a solid unit of youngsters.
Henil Patel strikes first as he takes the wicket of USA opener Utkarsh Srivastava for just two off 10 balls. The right-hander tried to play the pull shot off a short delivery but sliced it towards long-off where Henil took a brilliant diving catch. USA struggled to find their feet as the match was reduced to 37 overs due to rain.
Ayush Mhatre looked set to keep up with the required run rate before falling for 19, and the innings went awry after that. Vaibhav Suryavanshi was out cheaply and Vedant Trivedi departed shortly after to leave the visitors wobbling inside the Powerplay at 29/3.
The Indian batsmen stepped up with some maturity to push the game towards a comfortable win. Abhigyan Kundu, Vihaan Malhotra, Aaron George and Kanishk Chouhan all played well with the bat, but the star of the show was Henil Patel.
The fast-bowler took five wickets as he ripped through the USA middle order, with Amogh Arepally and Ritvik Appidi offering support at the other end. USA are all out for 107 in just 35 overs, and India will be looking to build on this victory as they take on Bangladesh and New Zealand next.
A win against New Zealand would secure India a place in the semi-finals with four matches to spare. A good start to the competition would do much to enhance the team’s growing reputation.
India vs. Afghanistan
The game is underway and the pitch looks good. We are in for a high-scoring affair.
Faisal Shinozada is cruising and is just 30 runs away from a century. He has been positive throughout his innings and Afghanistan would love to see him get to the milestone.
India U19 coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar spoke after the toss and said that he is confident of his boys. He added that the side is focused on their task at hand and has come prepared for the game.
The Indian openers – Aaron George and Vaibhav Suryavanshi – walk out to the middle shortly. They need to chase 311, which is not a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination.
Khalid Ahmadzai and Osman Sadat are in partnership and the former has hit two boundaries already. It will be interesting to see how they approach the remaining overs. The Afghan pair have a good understanding between them and that will make it difficult for India to break the stand.
They have also been aggressive in their approach so far and that should continue. The Indian bowlers need to up their game and restrict the scoring. This is a crucial stage in the tournament and if they don’t perform well, their chances of reaching the final will be hampered.
India vs. Pakistan
The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the biggest in sports, and matches between the two sides are some of the most watched events in world cricket. The rivalry dates back to the partition of British India in 1947, and has since grown to include bilateral series and multiple one-day internationals.
India and Pakistan have played each other in a number of major cricket competitions, including the World Cup and T20 World Cup. They have also played each other in a number of Twenty20 matches, and their last meeting in a bilateral series came in the 2016 Asia Cup.
In the 2019 edition of the World Cup, India and Pakistan will meet in a group match in Dubai on March 22. The teams are currently tied in the Super Six group at six points each, and a victory for either team will significantly increase their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.
A win for Pakistan would give them an outside chance of making it to the last four, but they need to beat India by a huge margin in order to do so. India have a superior net run rate, and their batsmen have performed well in the tournament so far. The hosts are favored to win the game, but a good performance from Pakistan could make things more interesting.
After Abhishek Sharma departed for a duck, Ishan Kishan seized the opportunity to put the Indian innings in good shape. The opener hit a six off Shaheen Ayub in the third over and then picked up five more runs in the fourth over to reach 43 off 25 balls at the end of the powerplay.
Axar Patel has replaced Salman Agha to bowl the fifth over, and he has been punished by some shoddy batting from Pakistan. Usman Khan has offered some impetus with a pair of lovely inside-out boundaries off Axar Patel, but Pakistan’s innings is in danger of floundering.
This is not a pitch that suits slogging, and they are falling behind at over a run a ball. Cricket Live U19 provides updates on the match as Pakistan look to recover. They must now pick up a lot of quick wickets to keep themselves in the game.
Also Read : U19 Cricket World
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