All-round U-19s through to WC semis

An all-round performance by the Bangladesh Under-19s helped the young Tigers secure the semifinal spot in the ongoing ICC Under-19 World Cup as they thrashed hosts South Africa by 104 runs in Potchefstroom yesterday.

Bangladesh will now face New Zealand at the same venue on February 6 in  their second-ever semifinal of cricket’s biggest age-level event.

Left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan shone for the young Tigers yesterday. He returned figures of five for 19 in 9.3 overs as Bangladesh bundled South Africa out for 157 runs in 42.3 overs after posting a challenging 261 for five. All the six bowlers used by Bangladesh on the day were economical with Towhid Hridoy being the exception, giving away seven runs in one over.

The challenge for the young Tigers, who saw rain serve them a point against Pakistan in their last group stage game, was to improve their batting. Skipper Akbar Ali was jubilant after the batsmen had done an excellent job in yesterday’s game. Fifties from Tanzid Hasan, Towhid and Shahadat Hossain helped Bangladesh get a daunting total.

“Extremely happy. When we started the tournament, our aim was to make it to the semis. Now we have to focus and do well from here. After the toss we thought anything around 240 was a good total, our plan was that. Our top 5 batted really well, we kept wickets in hand and in the final 10, we exploded. It’s about character, everyone wants to reach the finals. I have to give credit to the batters. After the first innings, our spinners did well. It’s a complete performance,” said Akbar after the match.