DIEGO MARTIN: Afghan captain Suliman Safi scored a magnificent century before the bowlers wreaked havoc on the Zimbabwean batting line-up; bowling out the latter for a mere 152 to qualify for the quarterfinals of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.
Batting first, Afghanistan set a decent total of 261/6 in the allotted 50 overs as captain Safi led from the front scoring a magnificent century to guide the side to a commanding position. Safi scored 111 off 118 deliveries, laced with 14 boundaries and three sixes. Nangeyalia Kharote, on the other hand, impressed with his 45-ball 50.
For Zimbabwe, Alex Falao claimed three wickets, Ngenyasha Zvinoera bagged two wickets.
Set to chase 262, Zimbabwean batting line-up collapsed to 152 all-out despite a good start. The right-handed opening batter scored a magnificent 53 but received no support from the other end, resulting in Zimbabwe bowled out for a skimpy 152 and crashed out of the title hunt.
For Aghanistan, Kharote picked four wickets, while Izharulhaq Naveed and Shahidullah Hasani bagged two wickets each. Noor Ahmad, on the other hand, made one scalp.
In another match of the World Cup, India recorded the highest score of the ongoing world cup, thanks to the remarkable batting display from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Raj Bawa. The pair added a massive 206-runs partnership as both the batters scoring centuries providing a solid foundation for the team.
Raghuvanshi scored 144 off just 120 deliveries, including 22 boundaries and four sixes, while Bawa scored an unbeaten 162 off a mere 108 balls, laced with 14 boundaries and eight sixes.
For Uganda, Pascal Murungi bagged three wickets, while Yunus Sowobi and Christropher Kidega struck out a batter each.
Chasing a mammoth, Uganda’s batting line-up failed completely and bowled out for a mere 79; losing the match by 326 runs. Only Murungi and Ronald Opio were able to get into double figures; scoring 34 and 11 respectively.
In the Group A contest, Bangladesh sealed the victory by nine wickets against United Arab Emirates (UAE) to qualify for the quarterfinals.
In a rain interrupted match, Bangladesh easily chased down the revised target of 110 for the loss of one wickets with 61 balls remaining.
Batting first, UAE could only score 148 as none of their batters could not manage to go big with the bat. Punya Mehra, however, fought hard with his 43 but, remained unable to pull the side out of trouble.
For Bangladesh, Ripon Mondol grabbed three wickets, while Ashiqur Zaman and Tanzim Hasan Sakib bagged two wickets each. Ariful Islam, on the other hand, made one scalp.
Set to chase a paltry 110, Bangladesh easily chased down the target in the 25th over as Mahfijul Islam led the way with an unbeaten 63 off 69 deliveries, laced with six boundaries and two sixes. Iftakher Hossain, on the other hand, scored 37.
For UAE, only Jash Giyanani managed to claim a wicket.
READ: Pakistan beat PNG by nine wickets to finish group stage at top position
