On the third day of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024, New Zealand will play Nepal in Group D, while Sri Lanka will play Zimbabwe in Group C.
In Kimberley, Sri Lanka plays Zimbabwe, while in East London, South Africa, New Zealand plays Nepal.
Sri Lanka 204 (48.3 overs) v Zimbabwe in Kimberley
Toss: Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field
When facing Sri Lanka, Matthew Schonken made the correct decision and chose to bowl first. Schonken continued, saying that his team could expect a range of spin and pace options.
That call was supported by Kohl Eksteen, who claimed a wicket in his opening over. In the fourth over, Anesu Kamuriwo removed the other opener, putting Sri Lanka in a vulnerable position.
Rusanad Gamage and Ravishan de Silva, the fourth-wicket combination, agreed that reconstruction was necessary. Over the next 21.1 overs, the pair put on 54 runs, despite the disciplined bowling of the young Chevrons to prevent the advantage from swinging the other way.
Gamage was removed by Panashe Taruvinga in the 26th over. To put Zimbabwe back in control, he got past the batters’ defenses and grounded his middle stump. To increase their lead, Ryan Simbi then took care of Ravishan de Silva in the 31st over.
During the middle overs, Dinura Kalupahana batted with initiative and scored some significant runs. With Sharujan Shanmuganathan providing solid support, Sri Lanka amassed 80 runs from 72 balls for the sixth wicket. But Schonken’s dismissal of Kalpuhana destroyed Zimbabwe’s innings. At 204, the Asian team was bowled out.
New Zealand 302/8 (50 overs) v Nepal in East London
Toss: New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first
Like Pakistan did the day before, New Zealand chose to bat first against Nepal.
On a wicket where the ball came to bat with ease, the Kiwi openers looked positive. In the first Powerplay, Luke Watson and Tom Jones added 53. In the eleventh over, Watson was bowled over by Subash Bhandari’s spin.
With this wicket, the Rhinos, who had been careless in the opening overs, took control of the game. Once leg-spinner Tilak Bhandari removed the set Jones with an absolute beauty, the young Black Caps were in serious trouble. The fact that Oliver Tewatiya lost to a duck made their problems worse.
Oscar Jackson, the skipper, then teamed up with Snehith Reddy to cap off a challenging time. In the next overs, the pair let loose, with Jackson causing the most damage with a barrage of sixes. Nepal was back in the game after his collapse at the hands of Aakash Tripathi’s medium pace and Gulshan Jha’s double strike.
But the group Snehith contributed 99 runs to New Zealand’s total in the final 10 overs with an innings of brilliance. In his 147*, he hit 11 fours and sixes.
