Thrilling finishes in the history of ICC U19 Cricket World Cup

Group D

At Colombo (MSCG): Namibia 186-7, 48 overs (Johannes van der Merwe 70, Stefan Swanepoel 39; Andrew White 3-31)

Ireland (target 128 from 36 overs) 127-5, 36 overs (Dom Joyce 43, Andrew White 28; Pieter Burger 2-19)

Result: Match tied (Duckworth-Lewis method)

On the same day as the Group A match between England and Zimbabwe came a thriller of a match between Associate nations Ireland and Namibia. In their curtailed Group D encounter, Ireland restricted Namibia to 186-7 from their allotted 48 overs. Johannes van der Merwe, Stefan Swanepoel and Stefan Ludick were the only three Namibia players to reach double figures, while Andrew White took three wickets.

After more overs were lost in the game, Ireland was given a revised target of 128 from 36 overs, by the Duckworth-Lewis method (D-L method). In conditions that were difficult for batting, Dom Joyce and Andrew White were the only two Ireland batsmen to cross 20. When future international John Mooney departed with 14 runs required from 4.4 overs, the odds were in favour of Ireland, who still had five wickets in hand. However, the sixth-wicket pair of Ryan Haire and Peter Shields left it too late and eventually, Ireland had to be content with sharing the spoils.

2002 – New Zealand

20 January – Australia v Kenya

Group D

At Dunedin: Australia 480-6, 50 overs (Craig Simmons 155, Shaun Marsh 125; Nehemiah Odhiambo 3-97)

Kenya 50 all out, 21 overs (Alfred Luseno 18; Aaron Bird 3-10, Rob Cassell 3-7)

Result: Australia won by 430 runs

A few days before the Bangladesh-India match, those present at Carisbrook had witnessed nowhere near as thrilling a finale but certainly a record-breaking exhibition of destructive, attacking batting from Australia. Right from the time Kenya captain and future international player Ragheb Aga won the toss and opted to bowl first, things went horribly wrong for his side. Opener Craig Simmons blasted 155 off just 115 balls with the help of 12 fours and 11 sixes, while Shaun Marsh, batting at number four, hammered 125 off 81 balls with 12 fours and four sixes.

Chasing an improbable 481 to win, Kenya was skittled for just 50 in 21 overs, with Aaron Bird and Rob Cassell taking three wickets each. Australia, whose line-up featured future international players like Marsh, Cameron White, George Bailey, Daniel Christian and Xavier Doherty, thus created a slew of records – for the highest score, biggest margin of victory and most sixes in an innings.

24 January – Bangladesh v India

Group A

At Auckland: India 77 all out, 32.4 overs (Stuart Binny 17, Siddharth Trivedi 16 not out; Ashiqur Rahman 3-17)

Bangladesh 78-8, 32.2 overs (Aftab Ahmed 19, Ali Arman 12 not out; Siddharth Trivedi 3-24)

Result: Bangladesh won by two wickets

A low-scoring nail-biter at the North Harbour Stadium saw Bangladesh rolling India over for just 77 after winning the toss and bowling first. Stuart Binny and last man Siddharth Trivedi were the only two India batsmen to reach double figures in this engagement. The new-ball pair of Ashiqur Rahman and Shafaq Al Zabir took five wickets between them, as Extras proved to be the highest scorer for India with 18.

A similar pattern unfolded for Bangladesh, which also had the most runs from extras and failed to post any significant partnership. Its innings, though, unravelled more dramatically, as it lost seven wickets for 30 runs, slipping from a comfortable 34-1 to a perilous 64-8. Man of the match Ali Arman and Ashiqur Rahman, however, knocked off the 14 remaining runs to complete a famous win for Bangladesh.

2004 – Bangladesh

18 February – Nepal v South Africa

Group B

At Chittagong: South Africa 156 all out, 50 overs (Keagan Africa 52 not out, Godfrey Stevens 29; Manjeet Shrestha 4-15)

Nepal 158-9, 49.4 overs (Shakti Gauchan 51 not out, Sharad Vesawkar 27; Craig Alexander 3-23)

Result: Nepal won by one wicket

South Africa, which featured the likes of Vernon Philander, Roelof van der Merwe (who played as a wicketkeeper) and Vaughn van Jaarsveld, was dismissed for a below-par 156. Right-arm medium bowler Manjeet Shrestha ripped through the top and middle orders, as South Africa was reduced to 62-7 at one stage. A fine rearguard act from Keagan Africa, however, helped lend his side’s total some respectability.

Nepal, featuring current internationals like Paras Khadka, Shakti Gauchan, Basant Regmi and Sharad Vesawkar, also began badly. Skipper Gauchan’s unbeaten half-century was the bulwark of its chase. Just as he had done with the bat in the first innings, Africa once again changed the face of the match with the ball. His second spell brought him three quick wickets, as Nepal lost five wickets for the addition of just 20 runs and looked to be self-destructing towards the end at 138-9. Gauchan, however, stood tall amidst the ruins, shepherding his side through to a historic win. Together with last man Sashi Kesari, he put on 20 runs for the last wicket in Chittagong.