India brush aside Ireland

India won the 5th match of the ICC U19 CWC 2016 when they brushed aside Ireland by 79 runs at Mirpur today.  

Chasing 269, Irish innings folded for 189. Tucker and McClintock were the top-scorers for their side. However, rest of the Irish batters failed to fire.

For India, Rahul Batham was the best bowler on show. He took three wickets for 15 runs in eight overs. Lomror and Avesh picked up two each.

Ireland lost their last wicket when Tucker was caught in the deep for a well-made 57. Tucker faced 89 balls and managed to hit six boundaries in his knock.

With victory now impossible for Ireland, Stanton tried to score some quick runs but perished in the process. He was sent back for four runs.

Avesh Khan took India closer to victory when he dismissed Chopra for six runs in the 47th over.

Tector fell to Avesh in the 45th over, when his outside edge was taken by the first slip.

McClintock scored 58 from 86 balls, tried for one big shot too many and was stumped by the keeper.

The wheels nearly came off Irish chase after they lost their fourth wicket with very few runs on the board in the 17th over.

McClintock got a thick outside edge to a back of a length delivery outside off to the keeper. He faced 33 balls, managed 17 tough runs with a single four to his name. Batham got his second of the day!

Indian bowler Batham got his name in the wickets column when he struck in the 15th over. He sent back Dennison with a delivery that bounced more than the batter anticipated.

Dennison tried to glide the ball to third man, but the leading edge was pounced by the slip fielder. He fell for 20, however played 45 balls and was bogged down at the crease.

India got off to a great start, when their bowlers came out to defend 268 as Ireland openers were slow to respond to the situation.

J Tector was the second batsman to fall, that too in the fourth over when a direct hit from Jaffer found the Irish batter short of his ground.

Jaffer swooped in low and flicked the ball back at the stumps all in one motion.

Ireland lost their first wicket in the third over when poor running between the wicket gifted India with a breakthrough. A sharp bit of fielding from India’s captain resulted in a wicket.

Earlier, India reached 268 for the loss of nine wickets, thanks to a cameo from Ansari and responsible knocks from Sundar and Sarfaraz.

For India, Sarfaraz Khan topscored with 74. Sundar’s 62 was the other notable contributor in India’s innings.

Rony Anders was the best bowler for Ireland today, and finished his ten overs with three wickets for 35 runs. Joshua Little took three for 52 while McClintock and Tector grabbed a wicket each.

India lost Avesh Khan in the last over, but the damage had been done in the big overs before.

India’s hopes for a big total took a dent in the 46th over when Anders claimed his third wicket of the match. He sent back Washington Sundar.

Sundar kept the Indian innings afloat after the fall of Sarfaraz, and was busy at the crease. He scored 62 from 71 balls with three hits to the fence.

Joshua Little returned in the 39th over and immediately had an impact with Lomror’s wicket. Lomror played inside the line and the ball knocked back his off stump.

He went for 17 from 18 balls.

A superb delivery from Joshua, and India lose their way late in their innings.

India looked good heading for a fighting total with Sarfaraz and Sundar at the crease. However, Tector threw a spanner in their works when he struck in the 35th over.

Tector stopped the 110-run stand when he stumped Sarfaraz against the run of play. Sarfaraz’s eyes lit up when he saw the lofted delivery, went down the track for a massive hoick and missed the ball altogether.

The Indian batsman scored 74 from 70 balls with seven fours to the delight of his teammates. His maturity under pressure was truly noteworthy for a young lad. 

The fifth wicket unbroken partnership between Sarfaraz and Sundar revived the Indian innings after they were struggling at the half-way stage of the game.

They combined for 80 runs in over 14 overs, and kept the Irish bowlers at bay with sensible cricket.

Sarfaraz got used to the pace of the wicket and was more assured in his strokeplay. He reached 60 from 61 balls, and managed to pierce the gaps easily as he progressed in his innings.  

India were in the doldrums during the middle overs, as the loss of the fourth wicket in the 17th over compounded the problems for their lower order batters.

McClintock gave Ireland a precious breakthrough when Armaan Jaffer was caught behind for four.

Irish bowlers maintained their discipline, and were patient while executing their plans. As they chocked the scoring opportunities for India, opposing batters had to manufacture the big hits to shore up the run-rate.

India were dealt a bloody nose in the 14th over when Ricky Bhui, who was the only batsman to look comfortable scoring runs in the middle was dismissed by Anders.

Bhui punched a full ball on off straight to cover, as if he played too early. The pressure of too many dot balls yielded his wicket.

The Indian batsman faced 54 balls for 39, and struck six boundaries in his knock.

Rory Anders was bowling a beautiful line on middle and off to lefthanders, and was duly rewarded for his persistence.

Anders struck in the 12th over, and dismissed Pant with a full, wide ball. Pant drove loosely, and only produced a thick edge for the keeper to grab.

Pant managed 6 from 22 balls, and looked out of form at the wicket.

India recovered from the early jolt with their 2nd wicket partnership, and reached 46 with Bhui doing the bulk of scoring.

Ireland new ball bowler Joshua Little gave his side a great start when he removed India opener and captian Kishan for a duck in the first over of the fifth match of ICC U19 CWC 2016.

Ishan Kishan had a poke at a back of a length ball outside off, and paid the ultimate price for playing away from his body. The thick edge was comfortably taken. Poor shot with feet rooted to the crease!

The new ball moved slightly off the proud seam, and Irish bowlers managed to extract decent bounce on the pitch at Mirpur.

Ireland captain Jack Tector won the toss, and immediately decided to bowl first and utilize the morning conditions for this important clash with India.

India Under-19 captain Ishan Kishan has said that he is enjoying the expectation on him to win the trophy, something Virat Kohli had done in 2008 and Unmukht Chand four years ago. He has said that he finds inspiration in the fact that his team has plenty of allrounders and batting depth.

India are one of two teams to have won the title thrice; Mohammad Kaif had first lifted the trophy in 2000. Australia are the other team but they have pulled out of this year's tournament, which makes India's job easier, as they were drawn in the same group.

Ireland arrived with a full-strength squad for the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, after being confirmed as late replacements for Australia. Three players have come into the group that finished as runners-up at the ICC Qualifier in October.

Ireland Under-19s Team

J Tector (Captain), S Doheny, A Dennison, G McClintock, L Tucker (Wicketkeeper), W McClintock, H Tector, V Chopra, R Anders, J Little, T Stanton, A Gillespie, B White, F Tucker and A Austin

India Under-19s Team

Ishan Kishan (Captain), RR Pant (Wicketkeeper), RK Bhui, SN Khan, Armaan Jaffer, Washington Sundar, MK Lomror, RR Batham, Zeeshan Ansari, Avesh Khan, KK Ahmed, MJ Dagar, SC Mavi, Anmolpreet Singh and AN Khare