Namibia stuns defending champion South Africa to make quarter-finals

  

·       Qualifier wins tense chase by two wickets after restricting South Africa to 136 for nine; joins host Bangladesh in Super League from Group A

·       England routs Zimbabwe by 129 runs to top Group C after third successive victory

·       West Indies beats Fiji by 262 runs, West Indies-Zimbabwe winner to take last spot from Group C

Nambia celebrations

Qualifier Namibia upset defending champion South Africa by two wickets in a thrilling chase to join host Bangladesh in the quarterfinals from Group A of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup on Sunday.

Bangladesh beat Scotland by 114 runs in Cox's Bazar for its second win and now clashes with Namibia in the last league match on Tuesday to decide Group A winner. The winner of Bangladesh-Namibia match will feature in the first quarter-final against Group D runner-up (India or Nepal) in Mirpur on Friday, 5 February, while the side that finishes second in Group A will take on winner of Group D in Fatullah on 6 February.

England brushed aside Zimbabwe by 129 runs in Chittagong to top Group C with a third successive win. This match was produced by ICC TV and aired around the world by 15 broadcasters. England will now wait the second-placed team from Group B in the quarter-final on 7 February in Mirpur.

The West Indies romped to a 262-run win over Fiji in another Group C match in Chittagong. It now faces Zimbabwe on Tuesday to determine the second qualifier from the group with the winner meeting Group B champion (Pakistan or Sri Lanka) in Fatullah on Monday, 8 February.

Namibia's unheralded cricketers, who had beaten Scotland in their first match, kept their cool amid mounting tension to knock South Africa out in Cox's Bazar.

South Africa, batting first, was reduced to 60 for eight by the half-way stage following a four-wicket haul by Michael van Lingen. But Willem Ludick hit 42 in a ninth-wicket stand of 55 runs with Lutho Sipamla as the young Proteas added a further 76 runs.

Defending a modest 136 for nine in 50 overs, South Africa claimed a wicket off the first ball and continued to dismiss batsmen regularly, but Lohan Louwrens stood in the way as he steered Namibia home with an unbeaten 58.

The memorable win meant that Namibia, which finished 14^th in the United Arab Emirates two years ago, will improve upon its best finish of 11^th in Malaysia in 2008.

Namibia's captain Zane Green said he was delighted with the win and said he was not surprised that his team had made the knockout rounds.

"We were positive from the start of the tournament because we knew we had the team to go far," said Green. "Our aim was to take it one game at a time and that is what we will continue to do.

"We want to take the positive energy from this game into our next match against Bangladesh. And then take it from there."

Namibian coach Norbert Manyande said he was proud of the way his boys responded to the challenge.

"It is unbelievable and a great feeling," he said. "I always believed in the guys and I am proud that they delivered today.

"We did not expect that we will restrict South Africa to 136, but I think we struck to our disciplines and that was the key.

"I always knew that our bowling was very solid and we had shown that in the qualifiers as well. Today was just a beautiful day."

South African captain Tony de Zorzi said his side had let the nation down, but vowed to do well in the Plate Championships.

"Our top-order failed badly," he said. "If the boys are honest with themselves, they will realize they played some loose shots. We should have got more than 136 for sure.

"We have let our country down by not qualifying for the quarter-finals, but we will definitely try to finish ninth .... that's the best we can do."

Jack Burnham

England, which had scored 371 for three against Fiji in the first match, once again showed its batting prowess to pile up 288 for four after electing to bat against Zimbabwe.

Durham's Jack Burnham hit an unbeaten 106, his second hundred in three matches, opener Dan Lawrence made 59 and Max Holden hit 51.

Zimbabwe was dismissed for 159 despite a heroic 91 from Jeremy Ives as Saqib Mahmood claimed four wickets for 39 runs and Callum Taylor took three for 14.

"We can only go up from here, hopefully there are more wins to come," said Burnham, whose 104-ball knock contained six sixes and five boundaries.

Nazmul Hossain

Nazmul Hossain delighted home fans with an unbeaten 113 and skipper Mehidy Miraz hit 51 as Bangladesh scored 256 for six and then bowled Scotland out for 142.

Azeem Dar top-scored for Scotland with 50 as Mohammad Saifuddin and Saleh Ahmed grabbed three wickets each.

Bangladesh's head coach Mizanur Rahman said his team was improving with each game.

"The start was disappointing, but I was happy with the way we finished both in batting and bowling," he said. "We accelerated towards the end and that is something we missed in the last game.

"These are the kind of wickets where you have to dig in and try to play as long as possible. Nazmul Hossain showed us how it is done. It was a splendid knock under pressure."

Shamar Springer became the third century-maker of the day, scoring 106 to lift the West Indies to 340 for seven against first-timer Fiji, which was dismissed for 78 in reply.

Gidron Pope (76) and Jyd Goolie (66) were the other principal scorers for the West Indies.  Pope then grabbed four wickets for 24 runs with his off-spin to complete a fine all-round display.

Scores in brief:

Group C: West Indies beat Fiji by 262 runs in Chittagong

West Indies 340-7, 50 overs (Shamar Springer 106, Gidron Pope 76, Jyd Goolie 66; Cakacaka Tikoisuva 6-59)

Fiji 78 all out, 27.3 overs (Gidron Pope 4-24)

Group C: England beat Zimbabwe by 129 runs in Chittagong

England 288-4, 50 overs (Jack Burnham 106 not out, Dan Lawrence 59, Max Holden 51; Rugare Magarira 2-36)

Zimbabwe 159 all out, 43.4 overs (Jeremy Ives 91; Saqib Mahmood 4-39, Callum Taylor 3-14)

Group A: Bangladesh beat Scotland by 114 runs in Cox's Bazar

Bangladesh 256-6, 50 overs (Nazmul Hossain 113 not out, Saif Hassan 49, Mehidy Miraz 51; Mohammad Ghaffar 4-60)

Scotland 142 all out, 47.2 overs (Azeem Dar 50; Mohammad Saifuddin 3-17, Saleh Ahmed 3-27)

Group A: Namibia beat South Africa by two wickets in Cox's Bazar

South Africa 136-9, 50 overs (Willem Ludick 42, Lutho Sipamla 17 not out; Michael van Lingen 4-24, Fritz Coetzee 3-16)

Namibia 137-8, 39.4 overs (Lohan Louwrens 58 not out; Ziyaad Abrahams 2-18, Sean Whitehead 2-27)

Monday's matches:

Group B: Afghanistan v Canada, Sylhet
Group D: India v Nepal, Mirpur

Group D: Ireland v New Zealand, Fatullah

Points table

Group A

Team	Played	Won	Lost	NNR	Points
Namibia	2	2	0	+1.60	4
Bangladesh	2	2	0	+1.57	4
South Africa	2	0	2	-0.87	0
Scotland	2	0	2	-2.49	0

Group B

Team	Played	Won	Lost	NNR	Points
Sri Lanka	2	2	0	+2.29	4
Pakistan	2	2	0	+1.23	4
Afghanistan	2	0	2	-1.07	0
Canada	2	0	2	-2.48	0

Group C

Team	Played	Won	Lost	NNR	Points
England	3	3	0	+3.26	6
West Indies	2	1	1	+2.01	2
Zimbabwe	2	1	1	-0.16	2
Fiji	3	0	3	-5.15	0

Group D

Team	Played	Won	Lost	NNR	Points
India	2	2	0	+1.99	4
Nepal	2	2	0	+1.53	4
New Zealand	2	0	2	-1.52	0
Ireland	2	0	2	-2.09	0

●      Top two sides from each group will progress to the Super League stage while the bottom two sides will feature in the Plate Championship

Four Asian sides enter Super League quarter-finals - Favorites India and Srilanka cruise in.

·       Lamichhane's hat-trick guides Nepal into its first-ever quarter-final

·       Lomror's all-round performance and Avesh's four for 32 helps India crush New Zealand

·       Asalanka leads from the front as Sri Lanka recovers to beat Afghanistan; Zeeshan scores 89 not out as Pakistan drubs Canada

Sandeep Lamichhane

Four Asian sides – India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka –advanced to the Super League quarter-finals of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh with their second successive wins on Saturday.

India and Nepal, which took the two top spots in Group D at the expense of New Zealand and Ireland, will clash on Monday in their last league match to decide the group winner. The match will be produced by the ICC TV and will be aired around the world by 15 broadcasters.


Pakistan and Sri Lanka advanced from Group B, which also included Afghanistan and Canada, and will play each other on Wednesday, February 3, to determine who tops the group. This match will be produced by the ICC TV and will be aired around the world by 15 broadcasters.


Nepal rode on a five-wicket haul by leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane – which included the first hat-trick in the tournament – to defeat Ireland by eight wickets and confirm its maiden appearance in the quarter-finals.

Ireland was tied down to 131 for nine after electing to bat and Nepal, which had stunned New Zealand in its opening match, coasted home in the 26^th over with Yogendra Karki making 61.

Lamichhane had Lorcan Tucker and Adam Dennison caught off successive balls in his fourth over and then bowled Fiachra Tucker with his next delivery to complete the hat-trick.

"What was more important than the hat-trick was that we won an important game and qualified for the quarter-finals," said Lamichhane. "I hope we can continue the same way in other matches."

Nepal's captain Raju Rijal said qualifying for the quarter-finals meant a lot to his nation.


"I am sure there will be a lot of celebrations back home because cricket is very popular in our country," said Rijal. "Performances like these will inspire more people to play the game in Nepal.


"The team spirit is very good and we enjoy each other's success. The target now is to get past the quarter-finals also."

Ireland captain Jack Tector blamed his team's low total on the regular fall of wickets. "The hat-trick really did us in and our batsmen could not get enough runs on the board."

India, sent into bat by New Zealand in Mirpur, piled up 258 for eight with Sarfaraz Khan top-scoring with 74 for the second time in the competition. Rishabh Pant made 57 and Armaan Jaffer scored 46.

But Mahipal Lomror stood out with a fine all-round display as he followed up his 45 with the bat with five for 47, which bundled New Zealand out for 138 in the 32^nd over.

Avesh Kumar

Seamer Avesh Kumar, who took three wickets in his first four overs to reduce the Kiwis to five for three, finished with four for 32. He was later declared player of the match.


"Our first aim to make the quarter-finals has been realised, but we cannot afford to relax," said India captain Ishan Kishan. "We need to top the group, so the match against Nepal will be very important.


"I am confident because the batsmen are in form and the bowlers too are doing well. It is good that the seamers and spinners have got used to conditions here."

Charith Asalanka

Sri Lanka survived a tense run-chase by Afghanistan before clinching victory and a place in the quarter-finals.


Skipper Charith Asalanka top-scored with 71 in Sri Lanka's modest 184 all out, but Afghanistan was itself bowled out for 151 despite opener Karim Janat's 40 and Waheedullah Shafaq's 47.

Kamindu Mendis, who possesses a rare talent of bowling both right-arm off-spin and left-arm orthodox spin, claimed three wickets for 36 runs.

Pakistan scored a seven-wicket win over Canada after bowling out the unfancied rival for 178. Hasan Khan took three wickets and Shadab Khan took two.


The Pakistanis surpassed the target in the 41^st over with opener Zeeshan Malik scoring an unbeaten 89 and Saif Badar 44. Zeeshan was later declared player of the tournament.

Pakistan captain Gohar Hafeez said he was satisfied with the way the tournament was progressing for his team.

"We are batting and bowling well and that is a good sign," he said. "We will be well prepared for the Sri Lanka game because we want to win and top the group."

The 11^th edition of the biennial 16-nation tournament features nine Test-playing nations and seven Associate and Affiliate Members – Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Namibia, Nepal, Ireland and Scotland.

Teams have been divided into four groups with the top two in each advancing to the Super League quarter-finals and the other two qualifying for the Plate championships.

Scores in brief:

Group B: Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 33 runs in Sylhet
Sri Lanka 184 all out, 48.1 overs (Charith Asalanka 71; Shamsurrahman Wali 3-19, Karim Janat 2-37, Zahir Khan 2-36)
Afghanistan 151 all out, 44.5 overs (Waheedullah Shafaq 47, Karim Janat 40; Kamindu Mendis 3-36).

Group B: Pakistan beat Canada by seven wickets in Sylhet
Canada 178 all out, 48.3 overs (Bhavindu Adhihetty 51, Abraash Khan 44; Hasan Khan 3-36, Shadab Khan 2-44)
Pakistan 180-3 in 40.5 overs (Zeeshan Malik 89 not out, Saif Badar 44)

Group D: India beat New Zealand by 120 runs in Mirpur
India 258-8, 50 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 74, Rishabh Pant 57, Armaan Jaffer 46, Mahipal Lomror 45; Zak Gibson 3-50, Nathan Smith 2-39, Rachin Ravindra 2-41)
New Zealand 138 all out, 31.3 overs (Christian Leopard 40; Mahipal Lormor 5-47, Avesh Khan 4-32)

Group D: Nepal beat Ireland by eight wickets in Fatullah
Ireland 131-9, 50 overs (Harry Tector 30 not out; Sandeep Lamichhane 5-27, Dipendra Airee 2-18)
Nepal 132-2, 25.3 overs (Yogendra Karki 61, Aarif Sheikh 31 not out)

Sunday's matches:

Group A: Bangladesh v Scotland, Cox's Bazar
Group A: South Africa v Namibia, Cox's Bazar
Group C: West Indies v Fiji, Chittagong
Group C: England v Zimbabwe, Chittagong


Points table

Group A

Team	Played	Won	Lost	NNR	Points
Namibia	1	1	0	+3.05	2
Bangladesh	1	1	0	+0.86	2
South Africa	1	0	1	-0.86	0
Scotland	1	0	1	-3.05	0

Group B

Team	Played	Won	Lost	NNR	Points
Sri Lanka	2	2	0	+2.29	4
Pakistan	2	2	0	+1.23	4
Afghanistan	2	0	2	-1.07	0
Canada	2	0	2	-2.48	0

Group C

Team	Played	Won	Lost	NNR	Points
England	2	2	0	+3.60	4
Zimbabwe	1	1	0	+2.84	2
West Indies	1	0	1	-1.22	0
Fiji	2	0	2	-5.980	0

Group D

Team	Played	Won	Lost	NNR	Points
India	2	2	0	+1.99	4
Nepal	2	2	0	+1.53	4
New Zealand	2	0	2	-1.52	0
Ireland	2	0	2	-2.09	0

·       Top two sides from each group will progress to the Super League stage while the bottom two sides will feature in the Plate Championship