ICC U-19 World Cup 2022: England beat Afghanistan in thriller, end 24-year wait to reach final
India Today
ICC Under-19 World Cup: England beat Afghanistan in a thrilling semifinal by 15 runs to seal their place in the final of the ongoing tournament.
England reached their first ICC U-19 World Cup final since 1998 after registering a 15-run win over Afghanistan in a thrilling semi-final on Tuesday in Antigua.
England had won the toss and opted to bat first in overcast conditions at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, but lost the dangerous opener, Jacob Bethell, early on.
Captain Tom Prest and George Thomas led the recovery from that early setback, with runs coming fast against Afghanistan’s medium-pacers, and the pair took their side to 56 on the powerplay before Prest fell for a quickfire 17.
Thomas continued with a half-century that featured two sixes and four fours, but Afghanistan’s spin trio of Noor Ahmad, Izharulhaq Naveed and Nangeyalia Kharote seemed to give their side the upper hand in the game through the middle overs, taking four wickets between them and proving extremely tough to getaway.
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England were in trouble at 136/6 after 35.1 overs when Rehan Ahmed fell to Naveed Zadran for a battling 16, and a brief rain shower saw the game reduced to 47 overs per side.
But a big late partnership between George Bell and Alex Horton ensured that the match was in the balance at the midway point, with Bell finishing unbeaten on 56 from 67 balls, and Horton racing to a 36-ball 53*.