England U-19 Secures Victory Over India U-19 in Rain-Hit Warm-Up
England U-19 clinched a 20-run win against India U-19 in a U-19 World Cup warm-up fixture on Monday. Rain interrupted the match in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, forcing officials to use the DLS method to determine the result.
India's Innings: A Mixed Performance
India won the toss and chose to bat first. England made an excellent start with the ball. Sebastian Morgan struck early, removing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the third over. He then dismissed Vedant Trivedi in the seventh over, leaving India struggling at 40 for 2.
Captain Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra attempted to rebuild the innings. Their effort ended just after the power play when James Minto took two quick wickets. India found themselves in a difficult position at 74 for 4.
Ambrish Sukumar and Abhigyan Kundu then showed great composure. They batted for 20 overs, adding a valuable 97-run partnership. This stand brought India back into the contest. Manny Lumsden finally broke the partnership by dismissing Sukumar for 48.
Harvansh Pangalia joined Kundu, and the duo added a brisk 36 runs. They pushed India past the 200-run mark. Pangalia departed in the 40th over, but Kanishk Chouhan provided a late boost. He played a quickfire knock of 45 runs off just 36 balls.
James Minto wrapped up an impressive spell by taking the wickets of Abhigyan Kundu and Mohamed Enaan. He completed his five-wicket haul. India finished their innings at a competitive 295 for 8.
James Minto's outstanding figures of 5 for 34 stood out for England. Sebastian Morgan provided early breakthroughs with two wickets. Manny Lumsden chipped in with one wicket.
England's Chase and Rain Interruption
Henil Patel gave India an early breakthrough by dismissing Ben Dawkins in the second over. England responded strongly through Joe Moores and Ben Mayers. They put on a brisk 77-run partnership to steady the innings.
Khilan Patel broke the stand by removing Mayers for 37. He struck again soon after to dismiss Moores for 46. England found themselves at 104 for 3.
Skipper Thomas Rew and Caleb Falconer then stitched together an unbeaten 92-run partnership. Rain interrupted the match at this point, with England cruising at 196 for 3. Rew remained unbeaten on 71, while Falconer was on 29.
The DLS method came into play, setting a revised target of 177 runs for England. Their total of 196 comfortably surpassed this target, sealing a 20-run victory.
Key Performances
Thomas Rew led from the front with a captain's knock of 71 off 66 balls. Caleb Falconer provided solid support with 29 runs. For India, Khilan Patel was the standout bowler with figures of 2 for 38. Henil Patel was the only other wicket-taker in the innings.
This match served as the second and final warm-up for both teams ahead of the U-19 World Cup. England's victory gives them momentum, while India will look to address areas of concern before the tournament begins.
