Riding on a superb bowling performance by Joshua Boyden followed by a 44-run knock by Jacob Bethell, the England U19 team defeated the Bangladesh U19 side by seven wickets to register their first win of the ICC U19 World Cup 2022. Bangladesh set a below-par target of 96 runs, England chase down it in 26th over of their innings.
England got off to a poor start with George Thomas getting dismissed in the 9th over of the innings for 15. Ripon Mondol gave Tigers hopes and Rakibul Hasan backed it up with another wicket in the 14th over. He sent back The Three Lions captain Tom Prest on four. However, the partnership between Bethell and James Rew sealed the game for the English side. Bethell got run out in the 25th over falling six runs short of his well deserved fifty.
Earlier, Boyden was the pick of the bowlers for England with figures of four for 16, while right-arm fast bowler Thomas Aspinwall scalped two wickets, giving away 18 runs. Besides, Tom Prest (1/5), Fateh Singh (1/29) and James Sales (1/29) took a wicket each. Defending champions Bangladesh’s decision to bat first backfired as they lost wickets at regular intervals and slumped to 26 for five by the 14th over. Bangladesh made a slow start to their innings before losing their first wicket — Mahfijul Islam — in the fifth over.
Bangladesh kept losing wickets thereafter and were tottering at 51 for nine by the end of the 25th over. Bangladesh’s struggle from the onset can be gauged from the fact that only four of their batters managed double-digit scores, with last man Ripon Mondal top-scoring with a 41-ball 33-run unbeaten knock. He hit five boundaries and one six during his innings. Bangladesh’s highest partnership was forged by the last wicket duo of Mondal and Naimur Rohman (11). They shared 46 runs to take Bangladesh close to the 100-run mark.
