3:47 PM IST PLAYER OF THE MATCH is Viran Chamuditha for his match-winning hundred (110 off 94) – He notes that the conditions became favorable for batting after the initial few overs. He acknowledges that there was some movement with the new ball early on, but he focused on adapting his bowling to the changing conditions.
3:46 PM IST All Eyes on a Massive Semi-Final Decider Day – Right then, that is it from this entertaining contest, with Sri Lanka Under-19 climbing to the 2nd spot in Group 1 for now. We now have a double-header with plenty at stake as Afghanistan Under-19 take on Ireland Under-19 at Harare Sports Club, where an Afghan win will see them through, while in Group 2 here in Bulawayo, England Under-19 face New Zealand Under-19 with a victory enough to book England a place in the semis. Friday, 30 January, promises to be a huge day in this ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026, with both matches starting at 7.30 am GMT, and as always, you can join us early for all the build-up. Until then, cheers and goodbye.
3:42 PM IST The victorious skipper of Sri Lanka Under-19 – Vimath Dinsara says that the bowlers bowled really well, and Akash bowled really well, picking up 4 wickets. Also says that he is happy with the team. He is also impressed by the way Viran Chamuditha batted throughout the inning and got his hundred. Ended up saying that they just wanted to win and were not focused on NRR.
3:40 PM IST The captain of South Africa Under-19 – Muhammad Bulbulia says that they started well with the bat, but lost too many wickets towards the end and were 30-40 runs short. Adds that with the ball too, they had a great start but could not build enough pressure on the batters. Mentions that the tournament did not go their way, but there were a lot of individual performances and hopefully, many of them have a great career ahead. Says that he had an amazing time leading the side, and even though it was a disappointing campaign, they have a lot of positives to take from here.
3:35 PM IST A Fight That Came Too Late – South Africa Under-19 began brightly with Michael Kruiskamp striking early and JJ Basson repeatedly beating the bat without reward, but once the swing faded they struggled to make further inroads, perhaps missing a trick by not using Bason’s remaining overs, even as Botha and Kruiskamp sparked a brief middle-overs fightback with three quick wickets that came far too late to change the outcome for the Proteas.