England U-19 beats India U-19 by 20 runs via DLS method

BULAWAYO (Zimbabwe): England U-19 stormed to a 20-run victory over India in a U-19 World Cup warm-up fixture via the DLS method after rain disrupted the match in Bulawayo on Monday.

At the time of interruption, England was cruising at 196/3, with Thomas Rew unbeaten on 71 and Caleb Falconer on 29. India won the toss and elected to bat first against England in what was the second and final warm-up for both sides.

England enjoyed a dream start with the ball as Sebastian Morgan struck early, removing the dangerous Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the third over before following it up with the wicket of Vedant Trivedi in the seventh, leaving India reeling at 40/2, as per the ICC website.

A brief rebuilding effort from skipper Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra was cut short just after the power play when James Minto struck twice to further dent India’s progress. With India in a precarious position at 74/4, Ambrish Sukumar and Abhigyan Kundu showed great composure and resilience to steady the innings.

The pair batted for 20 overs, adding a valuable 97-run partnership that brought India back into the contest. The stand was finally broken when Manny Lumsden dismissed Sukumar for 48. Harvansh Pangalia then joined Kundu, and the duo added a brisk 36-run partnership to push India past the 200-run mark.

Pangalia departed in the 40th over, but India found another late boost through Kanishk Chouhan, who played a quickfire knock of 45 off just 36 balls. James Minto wrapped up an impressive spell by picking up the wickets of Abhigyan Kundu and Mohamed Enaan to complete his five-wicket haul, as India finished their innings on a competitive 295/8.

James Minto’s outstanding figures of 5/34 were the standout performance with the ball for England, while Sebastian Morgan provided early breakthroughs with two wickets, and Manny Lumsden chipped in with a solitary wicket, according to the ICC website.

Henil Patel gave India an early breakthrough by dismissing Ben Dawkins in the second over. England responded strongly through Joe Moores and Ben Mayers, who put on a brisk 77-run partnership to steady the innings. The stand was broken when Khilan Patel removed Mayers for 37, and he struck again soon after to dismiss Moores for 46, leaving England at 104/3.

Skipper Thomas Rew and Caleb Falconer then stitched together an unbeaten 92-run partnership to seal victory for England in a shortened contest, with their total of 196 comfortably surpassing the revised target of 177. Rew led from the front with a captain’s knock of 71 off 66 balls, while Falconer provided solid support with 29.

For India, Khilan Patel was the standout bowler with figures of 2/38, while Henil Patel was the only other wicket-taker in the innings. (ANI)