Young Tigers oust hosts South Africa

"It’s a very good finish. We had our plans and we executed well. I was bowling wicket-to-wicket and varied my pace. It’s a slow pitch and had assistance for spinners."

 

Rakibul Hasan

Bangladesh U-19 spinner 

A strong batting display backed by a clinical bowling performance, led by left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan, helped Bangladesh crush hosts South Africa by 104 runs and qualify for the Super League semifinal stage in the ICC Under-19 World Cup at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom yesterday.

After piling on a challenging 261 for five, it was Rakibul’s spin that dismantled the South African batting line-up as the hosts were bundled out for 157 runs in 42.3 overs.

Rakibul’s fifer included the scalps of three of the top four South African batsmen. South Africa never looked on course in chase of the challenging total as the hosts kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Luke Beaufort was the only exception but he kept on running out of partners before he too was finally removed by Rakibul in the 43rd over after a resilient 90-ball 60. Rakibul finished with impressive figures of five for 19 in 9.3 overs as the unnerved young Tigers outplayed the hosts.

Skipper Akbar Ali had mentioned earlier about their intention to put extra effort on their batting, especially after their poor showing in the last Group Stage match against Pakistan, where rain had saved the young Tigers’ from blushes. Their efforts did pay off as Bangladesh got off to a decent start, courtesy of openers Parvez Hossain and Tanzid Hasan. The duo strung together a 60-run stand before Parvez was dismissed in the 13th over.

Tanzid, who provided a solid start, was dismissed in the 28th over after a solid 84-ball 80, featuring 12 boundaries. After that, it was a magnificent 102-run fourth-wicket stand between Shahadat Hossain and Towhid Hridoy that saw Bangladesh post a daunting total. Shahadat remained unbeaten on a 76-ball 74 while Towhid scored 51 off 73.

Bangladesh will now face New Zealand in a Super League semifinal match on February 6 at the same venue with hopes of making it to their first ever final in the biggest age-level event. Meanwhile, hosts South Africa can now only hope to finish fifth in their own backyard.

Scores in brief

Bangladesh: 261 for 5 in 50 overs (Tanzid 80, Towhid 51, Shahadat 74 not out, Moletsane 2-41)

South Africa: 147 all out in 42.3 overs (Bird 35, Beaufort 60, Lees 19; Tanzim 2-41, Rakibul 5-19)

Result: Bangladesh U-19s won by 104 runs. 

Player-of-the-match: Rakibul Hasan.