England reached the U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final with a 27-point victory over defending champions Australia in Harare.
Thomas Lew hit a stunning century, top-scoring 110 off 107 deliveries, to help England fight back from being reduced to 60-3, sharing 135 runs with Caleb Falconer (40) in the fourth wicket stand.
Farhan Ahmed added an unbeaten 28 late in the innings and Australian bowlers Hayden Schiller (2-31) and Naden Cooley (2-49) helped England to 277-7 from 50 overs.
England reach U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final for the first time since 2022
Manny Lumsden’s second wicket (2-55) reduced Australia to 134-5, while captain Olly Peake (100) produced an 85-ball century to move his team closer to victory in a close contest.
However, with 28 needed off the last 16 deliveries, Peake was caught by Seb Morgan on the final wicket with a point from James Minto (2-30) as Australia were bowled out for 250 in 48 overs.
This is England’s third time in the Men’s Under-19 World Cup final, the first since India finishing runners-up in 2022, and England are aiming to lift the trophy for the first time since 1998.
“(The win) feels great,” said Liu, who was named Most Valuable Player after an inning that included 14 walks and a six.
Thomas Lew becomes England’s top scorer and helps them reach the U19 World Cup final
“I just spoke to the players and said, ‘Enjoy yourself.’ It was a great game of cricket and a reflection of the tournament so far. Ollie (Peake)’s batting there was unbelievable, but it’s a special feeling to get over the line.”
“We were never calm at the end. We were nervous. We were rooting for the bowlers. They were trained to nail the yorkers at the end and that’s what they did.”
What’s next?
The other semi-final will be played on Wednesday, with 2024 finalist India taking on Afghanistan in Harare. Watch live on Sky Sports Cricket from 7am (first pitch 7.30am). The final will be held on Friday and will be broadcast live from 7am (7.30am start), also on Sky Sports Cricket.
Watch every match of the Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from February 7th to March 8th. Get Sky Sports now and stream without a contract.
