ICC U-19 World Cup - - West Indies Revived Their Hopes For The Title After Nail-Biting Win Against Bangladesh

West Indies Under-19s revived their title hopes with a thrilling one-run victory over Bangladesh in a nail-biting ICC Under-19 World Cup Group D match yesterday.

Electing to bat in the crucial fixture at Fitzherbert Park, West Indies U19s posted 249 for eight off their 50 overs and Bangladesh replied with 248 all out in 49.4 overs.

Bangladesh were on the verge of victory- needing two runs from three balls - but Shaker Ahmed was run out by wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich to spark wild celebrations in the West Indies camp.

Yannic Cariah emerged with the man of the match award with two wickets after a solid knock of 44 for the Caribbean side’s victory, a result they badly needed after losing their opening match to Pakistan on Friday.

Uncharacteristically, the West Indies top order failed and they were in strife at 20 for three in the sixth over after prolific batsmen Kraigg Brathwaite (7), Trevon Griffith (0) and Evin Lewis (5) all fell cheaply.

Cariah and his captain Andre Creary fully repaired the early damage by posting a splendid 120-run fourth wicket stand at 5.21 runs per over.

Creary stroked a top-score of 55 off 83 balls with seven boundaries and Cariah compiled his 44 off 76 balls with three boundaries.

The pair fell in quick succession as the young Windies dipped from 140 for three to 140 for five but robust late-order knocks from Dowrich, Jermaine Blackwood and Akeem Dewar boosted the total toward the 250-mark.

Dowrich scored 35 off 42 balls with two boundaries and hard-hitting Blackwood thumped a thunderous 48 off 28 balls with two fours and four sixes.

Blackwood, batting at No.8, and Dewar (39) gathered a rapid 70 runs-at approximately nine per over--for the seventh wicket that propelled West Indies U19s to their match-winning total.

Opening bowlers Shaker Ahmed (2-39) and Abul Hasan Raju (2-55) were Bangladesh’s chief wicket-takers.

Bangladesh were clearly off the required pace before a rousing middle-order revival threatened the West Indies’ bid for victory.

Spinners Dewar and Jomel Warrican combined to topple the top order but the Asian side rallied from 87 for four in the 23rd over and used half-centuries from Tasamal Haque (54) and Shabbir Rahman (53) to force their way back into the game.

Rahman smashed six boundaries in his run-a-ball half-century and Haque compiled his 54 off 57 balls with three boundaries in a 73-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Captain Mahmudul Hasan was Bangladesh’s next highest scorer with 32.

Left-arm spinner Warrican was the most economical bowler at 4.00 with figures of two for 36 off nine overs, while Dewar claimed three for 63 off ten overs.

Cariah broke Bangladesh’s momentum when he dislodged the dangerous Rahman en route to tidy figures of two for 38 off nine overs.

The odds favoured a Bangladesh victory in the last over when they needed just two runs from four balls with two wickets standing but West Indies snatched the stirring victory when tall pacer Jason Holder (1-38) bowled Haque and Ahmed, trying to sneak a bye, was run out next ball without scoring.

The result was a second dramatic last-over win for West Indies here inside a week.

In a warm-up match against Ireland on Tuesday, the young Windies incredibly claimed five wickets for four runs and snatched a four-run victory over the Irish with three balls to spare.

Despite the loss, Bangladesh stay top of Group D on net run-rate having won their opening match handsomely against Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Bangladesh, at +1.112, lead Pakistan (+0.800) and West Indies (-0.390) although all three teams have two points.

In the remaining Group D matches, Pakistan play PNG today, West Indies face PNG tomorrow and Pakistan tackle Bangladesh on Wednesday.

The two top teams from each of the four groups will move on to the Championship quarter-final phase and the bottom two will play in the Plate event.

In other matches yesterday, former champions Australia stayed top of Group B when they crushed Ireland by 209 runs, Sri Lanka opened their Group C campaign with an eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe, and title-holders India cruised to a nine-wicket victory over Hong Kong in Group A.