We may find faults, but the overall effect was very positive.

Delay, delay

It’s hard to recall now, but the tournament fell foul of Covid-19 not once but twice. Originally planned for January 2021, it was postponed till the following December, then again for thirteen months. The wait had the unfortunate effect of excluding players who had by then exceeded the age-limit.

Size and Scope

It was a bold move to include sixteen nations. One of cricket’s abiding weaknesses has been its failure to cross borders. The number of elite nations (full members) remains embarrassingly low.

It was a delight to see so-called ‘Associate Members’ (e.g. Indonesia, Rwanda, UAE) taking part and enjoying themselves immensely. The large number of participating nations gave them the chance to gain a valued victory.

Even cricketers from that first category, let’s say, Australia, England and India, must have marvelled at the opportunities they were given. Cameras covered every match; captains had to collect their thoughts for interviews. For all but one team there was a new country to discover. New friendships were born, horizons widened.

One pity was that some of the names of less fancied sides appearing (for example USA and UAE) contained overwhelmingly sub-continental names; few signs of the game spreading to the majority of the nations’ youth.

The organising committee didn’t object to India’s inclusion of established test players in their squad (Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh). Though objections were expressed, an ‘open house’ policy proved to be correct. Age was the sole determining factor.

Structure

From the start the ICC aimed high. Quite apart from that major decision to extend invitations beyond the twelve we might have expected, a schedule of warm-up games was built into the overall programme – twenty matches across 4-11 January.

While they were an essential preparation for the big event, they added enormously to the expense. Squads and staffs would be away from home for at least a month.
Only then could the show proper get under way, and matches had to be squeezed in as tightly as possible. The choice of venues was crucial.

Potchefstroom’s two closely adjacent grounds gave it a prized advantage. Two more in Benoni were not far away. Even so, fitting everything into fifteen days (14-29 January) meant a huge expenditure of effort from everyone, players, officials and administrators, coaches, supporters and media folk.

41 matches were played out in that fortnight.

Four pools of four were drawn up; at the end of that stage only the bottom teams were eliminated. That left twelve to be divided into two groups for the Super Sixes. The top four from that second stage contested semi-finals.

Syd Egan of crickether.com has pointed out one weakness in this format: over the two preparatory stages a leading contender like New Zealand met West Indies, Ireland, Indonesia, England, Rwanda and Pakistan. That is, only one main rival for the title. The confidence they gained from easy victories was not the best preparation for harder tasks ahead. Egan proposes a round-robin between the top four finishers in the Super Sixes. That would have meant India, England, New Zealand and Australia all playing each other. In that way they would all have the chance to play more games against their top rivals. Fairer all round.

But that would require altering the earlier structures, to keep the tournament within bounds.

Second (a comment from Ireland): the tournament will force national unions to put firm Under 19 structures in place.

We can be sure that the ICC will be looking closely at how their plans worked out. Given the age-group they were dealing with, they had been entering untrodden paths.

Playing Standards

This must be the biggest single plus of the operation.

I can dimly recall seeing a European series played out in Spain in which France and Germany took part. Teams included absolute beginners; their performances showed what a technical game cricket really is. If I remember correctly, wides sometimes outnumbered teams’ total runs.

That sort of level must have been an unspoken fear among administrators in South Africa. It didn’t happen. While huge variations remained between teams, they never approached the level of embarrassment. Right across the board, spectators could marvel at the standards achieved.

And success bred delight.

Squad Sizes

A maximum of fifteen players was permitted for each squad, with five more allowed to join, should the need arise. Fortunately very few players had the misfortune of sustaining a tournament-ending injury, and selectors had sufficient numbers available to vary their combinations according to form and playing conditions.

Family influences

One worry I have had for quite a while: cricket’s ability to reach beyond the accident of birth. How many of England’s elite squad and the recent Under 19 squad came into the game without the good fortune of family members introducing them to it?

I fear the number might be extremely small. All too often it has been a parent, grandparent or elder sibling who gave the first nudge.

Let’s hope that this inaugural tournament will inspire more youngsters to take up the game without that lucky springboard to help them.

Conclusion

This tournament had several bonuses, not least to offer young players across the globe an attainable target. It would encourage them to work on their game and make selection more difficult for national managements. The next one is due in two years’ time.

A few closing Statistics

Winners: India
Runners-up: England
Most individual runs: Shweta Sehrawat (India) 297
Most wickets: Maggie Clark (Australia) 12
Best bowling in an innings: Ellie Anderson (England) 5-12
Highest innings: Grace Scrivens (England) 93
Highest team total: India 219-3
Player of the Tournament: Grace Scrivens

A specially convened panel selected these players to form a best team of the tournament:

Grace Scrivens (captain, England), Shweta Sehrawat (India), Shafali Verma (India), Georgia Plimmer (New Zealand), Dewmi Vihanga (Sri Lanka), Shorna Akter (Bangladesh), Karabo Meso
(w-k, South Africa), Parshavi Chopra (India), Hannah Baker (England), Ellie Anderson (England), Maggie Clark (Australia).

Now, who’s willing to take them on?

The inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup is now complete, and India have been crowned as the first -ever champions after beating England in the final held in Potchefstroom on Sunday. Throughout the tournament, the 16 participating teams have provided incredible performances, led by brilliant individual displays.

The selection panel featured commentators and former international cricketers, Lydia Greenway, Stacy-Ann King and Julia Price as well as journalist, Kalyani Mangale and ICC Women’s Cricket Manager, Snehal Pradhan, who led as Convenor. The chosen squad will be led by England’s Grace Scrivens, whose all-round skills and leadership qualities have been a feature in England’s run to the final.

Her destructive 93 against Ireland, as well as 56 against the West Indies, were her big highlights with the bat. With ball in hand, she was nerveless and there was no better example than the calm manner in which she closed out the semi-final against Australia.

India’s winning skipper, Shafali Verma, makes a more than capable inclusion into the team with her unflappable manner and composure at the crease. She offered control with the ball but could also get on with it when she had to – as she proved with her unforgettable 45 not out from 16 balls against South Africa.

The top-order also sees India rock Shweta Sehrawat rewarded for a fortnight of fine batting. Her 92 against South Africa in their opener, as well as 61 not out in the semi-final against New Zealand underlined her class, but she was a constant source of runs and stability.

New Zealand’s Georgia Plimmer is also recognized in the top-order, after a series of sparkling knocks to propel her side to the last four. Her 53 off 38 balls against Pakistan was a stand-out contribution, and she also scored an important 41 against West Indies.

Sri Lanka’s Dewmi Vihanga’s consistency with the ball saw her win a slot in the middle-order of the side. Her best was three for 11 against the United States of America (USA), but she was constantly probing with the ball. She also made useful runs in the middle-order.

Bangladesh star Shorna Akter was a tower of strength for her side, mixing aggression with the ball, tenacity on the field and a calm head under pressure. She completes the middle-order, with livewire, South African wicketkeeper Karabo Meso behind the stumps.

Often heard before she was seen, Meso displayed excellent glovework, especially up to the stumps. She also had the knack for scoring important runs, such as her 32 off 30 balls against Bangladesh in the Super Six stage.

The spin twins for the Team of the Tournament are Parshavi Chopra (India) and Hannah Baker (England). Both have the full bag of tricks, and wonderful control at this stage of their careers. They took wickets and asked questions every time they got the ball in their hands.

England’s Ellie Anderson delivered the best figures of the tournament, with her burst of five for 12 against the West Indies. Direct, but with good variations, she is perfectly partnered with Australia’s Maggie Clark to take the new ball.

Clark was the spearhead for the Aussies, often striking with the new ball to set the tone. Her three for 20 against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was her tournament best, but she contributed to every contest, underlying her value to the team.

The 12th player, and a worthy replacement if needed, is Pakistan spinner, Anosha Nasir. She brings delightful left-arm spin variation to the party, with deft control of flight and pace.

ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Team of the Tournament: Shweta Sehrawat (India), Grace Scrivens (England, captain), Shafali Verma (India), Georgia Plimmer (New Zealand), Dewmi Vihanga (Sri Lanka), Shorna Akter (Bangladesh), Karabo Meso (South Africa), Parshavi Chopra (India), Hannah Baker (England), Ellie Anderson (England), Maggie Clark (Australia).

12th player, Anosha Nasir (Pakistan).

So the final between the two strongest squads will come down to effective run-scoring.

Shweta Sehwarat

India’s trump card is the majestic Shweta Sehwarat, who already looks like a seasoned test player. If England can somehow wheedle her out – a Mankad, a leg-side stumping? – then a door opens. Shafali Verma is the more familiar figure at the crease, but she hasn’t scored big runs yet; the final would be the perfect place to do so.

England’s batting is deep, but their vulnerability was shown this weekend.

India’s bowling is based almost exclusively on spin. On a pitch that must inevitably be wearing – offering either variable bounce or a lot of turn, possibly both – their bowlers may be in clover.

England have the advantage of variety in their bowling options: pace, lateral movement, three sorts of spin and two left-armers. So however the pitch decides to play, they should have every corner covered.

India won their semi at a canter. England could hardly believe they had snatched victory out of the fire. Who will profit from those two contrasting experiences? England may be full of the joys of spring. – believing anything is possible – but they might not survive a second emotional mangling.

After that win over Australia England have yet to lose. India were given a wake-up call when they lost decisively to the same Aussies. Is that long enough ago for them to have regained their equilibrium? Time will tell.

Both are basically confident sides who trust each other to perform under pressure. To my mind, England did show nerves in their semi-final innings; they must hope that that has been a valuable lesson for them. They need to return to the confident approach they had shown previously.

The Indians were told on Saturday who is in the team. We don’t how the England management go about their selection, but it’s hard to imagine many (any?) changes being made.

One thing’s for sure: neither side has faced such quality opposition till now.

Captaincy

Shafali admits she’s still learning about leading her team. She’s a relative beginner, but cricketers go on learning all their careers.

Grace Scrivens has a great advantage there; she has been leading teams for a decade, and she’s still only 19.

Calmness under pressure is an enviable virtue.

The Pitch

By my reckoning this will be the fifteenth match played at the JB Marks Oval across the tournament. That is a challenge for any curator.

It’s equally a challenge for batters.

I have mentioned before the care they need to take. On a true pitch with even bounce they can take risks with confidence, knowing where and when the ball will arrive. Not so under these conditions: stepping away to slap the ball through mid-wicket or swinging hopefully towards long-leg will be fraught with danger. They will need to stay in line and watch the bounce like the proverbial hawk.

We must just hope that no batter is undone by a ball passing under the bat. Passing the outside or inside of the bat will be fine – well done, the bowler. If anyone manages to get the ball passing above the bat, that will be an achievement worthy of a trophy.

May the better team win, not the luckier.

Match Details:

India v England
JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Sunday 29 January
13.45 (local time); 11.45 (GMT)

Lead photo shows Ryana MacDonald-Gay of England

For those fo us whose lives revolve around the Ashes, the second semi-final of the Under 19 World Cup took on a whole new meaning.

First, let me go down memory lane.

At an age when grasshoppers still looked down at me, I saw a television set for the first time. It just happened to be showing the Oval test of 1948. Australia just happened to bowl England out for 52 in one session. I’m sure I can remember Len Hutton, later a knight of the realm, being the last man out, having nearly carried his bat for 30. Ray Lindwall 6-20, if you please.

Born pessimists claim that not much has changed in the decades since.

Now back to the present, to that second semi-final on 27 January 2023. It didn’t form part of an Ashes series, though you could be forgiven for thinking it did. Twenty-two players did battle, all of them, I’m pretty certain, new to the experience of an Australia-England encounter.

It hardly needed the prize at the end of the rainbow, a place in the first ever Under 19 World Cup final against India; simply coming up against one another was enough to raise blood-pressure.

And what a game it was! Another of those low-scoring jobs that turn out to be the most nerve- wracking, the most memorable.

England had carried all before them to that point. They had scored more runs than all the other fifteen competing nations; their bowling was hardly less effective; their fielding could be razor- sharp.

But these were the gold shirts they were up against. All that was missing was the baggy green cap.  For the first time in the tournament English batting looked edgy, fallible. By 45-7 the game looked to be over. Aussie bowling and out-cricket had done the job.

Then the current changed course a little. So often it happens that way, a cascade of early wickets, and the fielding side looks forward to a straightforward victory. How many tail-enders have tales to tell, not of their bowling prowess, but their batting triumphs?

Here it was Alexa Stonehouse and Josie Groves who provided the vital ballast. Neither had played more than a passing role in the batting dramas of the preceding rounds; now everything depended on their success.

They added a gallant 46 runs, but that still left the team with a total in double figures, way below their previous lowest of 156-7.

Time for stirring words from grizzled head coaches and teenage captains. On the Aussie side the tenor of the argument must have been: ‘it’s not a done deal; take nothing for granted.’

On the England side: ‘we can still do it; we’ve really got to pull out all the stops.’

The two early wickets England took were essential in balancing out the chances. Over the remaining sixteen overs an Aussie victory still looked more likely; the target was so near.

Captaincy

It’s curious to inspect the roles of the two captains here. After all, they bore the heat of the day, having to make the right bowling choices at the right time, deciding tactics with the bowler and setting fields accordingly.

Rhys McKenna and Grace Scrivens could hardly have shown more dissimilar records during the tournament. McKenna had hardly bowled an over; her batting had proved largely unprofitable.

Scrivens was jousting with Shweta Sehrawat for the honour of scoring the most runs; in addition she had bowled tidily and taken crucial wickets.

As `England were in the field at the end, all the weight fell on Scrivens’ shoulders. She knew her bowlers well. They could be trusted to bowl with discipline, but inevitably they might offer the odd loose ball and be whacked for four. Keep them on, or whip them off?

Here I think Scrivens showed the maturity of her approach. She made tiny adjustments to the field, avoiding the big flourish.

As the game grew tenser, she went into conclave with her vice-captain, Ryana Macdonald Gay, and her bowler. Fortunately the two leaders had been playing together for many years; they could trust each other’s opinion. Equally, when nerves needed to be at their steadiest, the experiences of bowlers like Hannah Baker in the full glare of public and media exposure stood them in good stead.

The last two overs were the nerve-shredders. Australia needed a handful of runs; a couple of big shots (‘larrups’ Jim Maxwell would call them) would carry them home.

Baker bowled a loose one; it was whacked for four. I must admit, if I’d been in her boots, I might have decided cricket had got the better of me and retired to play shove-ha’penny.

But no, she proceeded to bowl a masterly over, taking a ninth wicket (3-10), enough to win the Player of the Match award.

Four runs to win; one wicket to fall; plenty of balls left, it was only the 18th over.
Scrivens had all her bowlers available bar one: Baker had completed her four. Who should be given the hideous responsibility of taking the ball? One heave, and the game would be lost. So of course the skipper took the burden on her shoulders. And it worked.

Spare a thought for those Aussie tail-enders (Ella Wilson 8*, Milly Illingworth 8 and Maggie Clark 0).

They, rather like that earlier England pairing, can hardly have expected to face such a do-or-die scenario. It was sad for them the way things turned out, but, as the female commentators kept reminding us, a great learning experience.

We can confidently expect to see many of those 22 players repeating their exploits in a real Ashes test match before long.

Lead photo shows Alexa Stonehouse

I had my headline ready for you: ‘England pay heavy Price’

I was absolutely right till the fourth ball of the 18th over of the Australian innings. At the start of the 17th they needed 8 to win two wickets left. Time to recall Hannah Baker. First ball 4! Then a dot. Milly Illingworth skied the next ball to mid-off, dropped! But Ryana Macdonald-Gay’s throw hit the stumps direct – run out on review! Next two are plays-and-miss, followed by a dot ball. One of the more remarkable overs you’re likely to witness.

18th over, 4 to win, 1 wicket left. Who’s to bowl? The England skipper does the honourable thing and takes the ball. Three deliveries are defended out on to the off-side. Fourth ball, a swing and miss. Owzat!

The umpire takes her time, then raises a finger. England win by three runs amid intolerable tension.

Now back to the start

The toss was hardly needed. Grace Scrivens won it yet again and chose to bat. She comes close to a world record in this exclusive area of the game.

But for the first time England were up against a demanding attack

Things went badly wrong for them. When Scrivens was nearly run-out off the first ball, you could sense all wss not well. More aggressive shots misfired, calling into question the English strategy of all-out attack. Sure enough, in the third over Libby Heap aimed a wild sweep and was caught at third man. Niahm Holland followed her, well taken behind off Maggie Clark, who picked up her tenth wicket overall.

No sooner had Seren Smale charmed the crowd with an elegant cover-drive than she attempted a quite unnecessary reverse and was lbw to Ella Hayward’s off-spin. Three balls later Ryana Macdonald-Gay missed with an angled bat to give Hayward another wicket. (28-4). Charis Pavely was caught hitting in the air, and Sophia Smale offered Hayward her third, lbw again.

When Scrivens slightly mistimed a lofted drive to be caught at long-off, you could see the tension had reached even the calmest team-member.

45-7 was rewriting the story of this tournament.

Now came a recovery from batters who cannot have expected to be exposed to such demands so early in proceedings, Alexa Stonehouse and Josie Groves. They did well to add 46 invaluable runs, Stonehouse top-scoring with 25. The tail failed to wag, leaving the Aussies with an eminently gettable 100 to win.

Therein lies one of the charms of the game. The lower the chasing target, the larger it appears.

The Reply

Ellie Anderson and Stonehouse each took a wicket in their opening over; Australia 4-2, and the scales had tipped again.

As the innings progressed, very tight bowling alternated with loose deliveries that were put away for four. Stonehouse must still work on that ball that slips down the leg-side: two consecutive boundaries accrued.

This time round Sophia Smale couldn’t produce the goods, but Hannah Baker and the captain could, 4-0-10-3 and 3.4-0-8-2 respectively.

Claire Moore, Hayward and Amy Smith batted with power and common sense up the order, but thereafter no-one could match that defining 7th-wicket partnership by England.

We’ve had some nail-biters already – think of West Indies’ one-run win, but with so much at stake here it was a wonder that spectators could bear to keep their eyes open.

The Indian players were interested onlookers. What must they have made of it all?

Teams:
Australia
Pelle, Ginger, Moore, Hayward, A. Smith, Hamilton, McKenna (cpatain), Hall (w-k), Wilson, Illingworth, Clark

England
Scrivens, Heap, Holland, Seren Smale, Pavely, Macdonald-Gay, Groves, Anderson, Sophia Smale, Stonehouse and Baker.

My guess before the Windies match was:

Scrivens, Heap, Holland, Perrin, Seren Smale, Macdonald-Gay, Groves, Anderson, Sophia Smale, Stonehouse and Baker.

So the selectors brought in the laft-handed Charis Pavely for the babe of the team, Davina Perrin. We can be sure she would have played a full part.

Scores:
England 99
Australia 96-9

England win by 3 runs

Player of the Match: Hannah Baker

Final:
Sunday 29 January
India v England
JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom Start: 11.45 GMT (13.45 Local time)

Notes

Of the two semi-finals this was forecast to be the tighter, the less predictable. And so it proved, an hundredfold.

On past results England had the advantage, posting four of the five biggest totals of the tournament.

They were happy to follow the example of the men’s team, led by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. But it nearly cost them the game. Or, defending counsel will claim, it proves the strategy is right!

Their direct counterparts, the men’s Under 19s, reached the final in Antigua early last year, but lost to India, so that was another target to reach.

Before the final both sets of coaches will be instructing their batters to play straight to straight balls. Quite understandablty the bounce is irregular, mainly low.

Cold Stats for England pre-semis

Batting

5 batters had averages between 42 and 55
10 of the 12 who came to the crease had a strike rate of 100+ 108 fours were struck; 9 sixes
3 batters scored 50s

Bowling

Anderson was the only bowler to take 5 wickets in an innings
12 bowlers were used. 8 took wickets; 7 of them averaged under 10
Between them they bowled 9 maidens

First Semi-Final, U19 World Cup

An easy win for India, as you might expect when 1,326,000,000 plays 5 million.

Shafali Verma invited the Kiwis to bat first, seeing that as the neatest, quickest way to achieve success.

For once, icc.tv denied the world the opening overs. It remained blind as the game swung decisively India’s way.

Anna Browning was smartly caught at slip in the second over, and Emma McLeod soon followed, lbw to a ball that kept low. Izzy Gaze responded bravely to these losses, hitting three fours in one over. But she fell lbw in similar style to McLeod. That was always likely to be batters’ fate, as the square had taken a pounding for two weeks running.

Batters in the remaining games will know the dangers of playing across the line.

Georgia Plimmer confirmed her promise with a top score of 35, but once she was dismissed, caught at deep-square, the game was gone. At least she has the Senior T20 World Cup to look forward to.

Parshavi Chopra (3-20) bowled her leg-spinners with guile and pace.

The Reply

At no stage were the Indians under pressure. The captain did fall to a magnificent tumbling catch by Plimmer at deep-square, but that left Shweta Sehwarat to achieve her own personal target, to overhaul Grace Scrivens’ top total of 269 runs. This she did with barely a tremor, reaching 50 off 39 deliveries. She finished unbeaten on 61 off 45.
Many of the Kiwis’ shots had failed to get past the infield ring. The Indian batters found space for both easy singles and well-struck fours.

Teams:

India
Verma (captain), Sehwarat, Tiwara, Trisha, Ghosh (w-k), Bashu, Sadhu, Kashyap, Devi, Chopra, Yadav

New Zealand
Browning, McLeod, Plimmer, Gaze (w-k), Sharp (captain), E. Irwin, K. Irwin, Loggenberg, Codyre, Knight, Hotton

Result:

New Zealand 107-9
India 110-2 (14.2 overs)
India win by 8 wickets
Player of the Match: Sehwarat

Umpires: Sarah Bartlett (Eng), Lisa McCabe (AUS)

Notes

In prospect, this semi-final was seen as the more one-sided; India the strong favourites to win through. So it turned out.

Shafali Verma’s main contribution to India’s success had come through the speed of her run-gathering, rather than sheer weight of runs. She came into the semis totalling one run fewer than Libby Heap, England’s opening bat (147/148). Verma’s strike-rate of 213 stood head and shoulders above everyone else’s, but she had achieved only a single half-century.

Coverage

As noted above, as play began, icc.tv announced ‘We’ll be right back’, a subtle use of the word ‘right’.

Once transmission was restored, the production team gave a mixed performance. There were two Indian commentators, but none from New Zealand, so we learned far more about one team than the other.

The producer kept inserting extreme close-ups of the players watching on from the edge, rather than shots of spectators. But the residents of Potchefstroom were noticeable by their absence.

The rivalry between the nations is long and storied at senior level and both England’s Grace Scrivens and Rhys McKenna of Australia are chomping at the bit to play for a chance to be in Sunday’s final.

The pair have relished the added responsibility of leading their countries on such a massive occasion at this stage of their young careers.

“It’s a privilege to captain any team, never mind an Australian side. I have learned a lot, and I think this has been really good for my cricket,” McKenna enthused.

Scrivens said she had embraced the responsibility and noted that the supporters that have travelled to South Africa have given them a massive boost.

“We have had a real Barmy Army here, cheering us on. Hopefully, we can keep making them proud,” she said ahead of their biggest game of the tournament so far.

“There is a good vibe in the camp, and everyone is playing really good cricket at the moment, which is really nice to see,” she said of her side’s form in the tournament so far.

Australia started the tournament with a loss to Bangladesh but have been undefeated since then. McKenna called it the wake-up call they needed.

“That first loss kicked us into gear, and we’ve been playing pretty good cricket since then. I think we are peaking at the right time, and it should be a good match,” she explained.

England have dominated their matches thus far, with several batters in fine form. Scrivens is hopeful that they will continue in a similar vein when it matters most.

“I am extremely proud of the girls because they’ve been amazing all tournament. If they can carry that into the semis, that will put us in a really good space.”

While the stocks are higher than ever now, both teams have not lost sight of the bigger picture. Playing against nations whose cricket pedigrees are still developing such as Rwanda, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States of America (USA), has been eye-opening for the captains, and getting the opportunity to watch them make their own mark in the tournament and talk to them about it after, has given these more established teams memories that they will cherish.

“It has been a real honour playing against them. They have reminded us what cricket is all about, because they are so down to earth,” Scrivens said of heartwarming nations such as Rwanda and Indonesia.

McKenna spent time with UAE captain Theertha Satish, who shared her incredible journey to this point.

“She has only been playing cricket for three years, which is pretty remarkable! There is no way I could have done what she has in that time,” she saluted.

“It has been pretty cool to see other teams, get to know them and hang out with them (at the team hotel),” she said of the close-knit nature of the tournament in South Africa.

Now, of course, England and Australia must focus solely on delivering their best cricket on the field, as they battle for a spot in the first-ever ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup final.

Australia vs England starts at 13h45 (SAST) at JB Marks Oval. Entrance is free of charge.

Please click here for the broadcast details.

With thanks to the ICC

New Zealand’s young side have kept a low profile throughout the tournament, navigating their way to the final four undefeated. Well led by Izzy Sharp, the Kiwis are looking to play their very best cricket as they enter the business end of the tournament.

“We are very proud of how far we have come, and I am extremely proud to be captain of this team,” Sharp said of her team’s journey to this point.

“It’s been a privilege and captaincy has brought the best out of me. We’ve been soaking up this experience of the first ever ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup as a team, and we have a great team of staff that keeps us on track,” she added.

Leg-spinner Kate Chandler, batters Emma McLeod and Georgia Plimmer, as well as the all-round contributions of Anna Browning have been central to New Zealand’s success thus far. They have also been razor-sharp in their fielding, and they will need to build on that on Friday morning.

In typical New Zealand fashion, Sharp said they were happy to be the less fancied side in their clash against India.

“We are happy to be the underdogs. We are keeping our focus on us, and not them,” she added.

India captain, Shafali Verma, explained that they were equally excited to be amongst the first four teams to play in a semi-final of this tournament.

“We are really happy to be here and excited for what will come. We are backing each other and just enjoying South Africa,” she said cheerfully.

Verma added that she had sought advice from former India captain and tournament ambassador, Mithali Raj.

“I have been learning day by day, but I also looked at how she was doing things. I spoke to her before the World Cup, and she just told me to keep calm and to believe in myself and the team,” she explained.

India had one blip at the start of the Super Six stage, when they lost to Australia, but they bounced back immediately and have had their match-winners, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, the dangerous Richa Ghosh and the skipper, producing the goods ever since.

“We are in the semis and we know what we need to do. These next two games are very crucial.

Every player knows that doing well here can get them to the senior level, going forward. We just want to do well for the country,” she said ahead of the clash against New Zealand.

Both captains reiterated their delight at being part of this historic tournament, adding that it was wonderful to see so many countries participating and really developing their cricket through exposure to top competition.

India vs New Zealand starts at 10h00 (SAST) at JB Marks Oval. Entrance is free of charge.

With thanks to the ICC

No, not James Anderson, who has a good few of them in his locker, but Ellie Anderson, who made it difficult for the England selectors to exclude her from the XI to face Australia in the semi-final on Friday. She finished with an outstanding 5-12.

It is hard to grasp why Grace Scrivens opted to bat again. She doesn’t know how to lose the toss, but the team really needed to experience having to chase. It’s doubtful that any of the other semi-finalists (Australia, India and New Zealand) will be rolled over for around 70. Chasing a target against demanding bowling is another ball-game entirely.

In the final fixture from Group 2 England demolished the opposition to remain unbeaten, but analysts will have spotted chinks in their armour. The early batters all had escapes as Caribbean out-fielding lapsed again. Libby Heap was dropped in the fifth over.

Scrivens made her regulation half-century (56/43) and Heap helped her set a strong base with a stand of 44 inside the powerplay. All four of the remaining batters topped 6 runs per over; the last pair, Seren Smale and Charis Pavely, adding a belligerent 48 off the final 4.1 overs.

But we cannot know how the game might have played out if the Windies had accepted all the chances they were given and not let the ball slip through fingers to reach the boundary.

Let’s remember though that they have been training together for a mere five months.

The Reply

At once England were on top. Anderson had her first wicket from a skier to mid-off, then Alexa Stonehouse made another strong case for retention in the side with two fine wickets. She had Shunelle Sawh lbw with late inswing, then Naijanni Cumberbatch was castled with a similar delivery.

In no time the Windies were staring at 23-4.

All the spinners, Sophia Smale (slow left-arm), Hannah Baker (leggers) and Scrivens (off-spin), bowled delightfully, but with minimum reward – just one wicket between them. Scrivens thought she had taken a wicket as the leg-bail was spotted on the ground, but the umpires finally decided it had got there by quite other means; no wicket.

Anderson came to the rescue with a devastating second spell. As Djenaba Joseph bravely held the fort (44*/42) Anderson skittled four more batters out. Two of her wickets were the result of outstanding fielding. First, Maddie Ward took a leg-side delivery standing up and whipped the bails off. It was indeed a wide! Then Seren Smale dived forward to clutch a short skier as she hit the deck.

Great rejoicing in the ranks. 5-fers in T20s are rare beasts.

England made changes again, allowing players a last chance to make their mark. Anderson and Stonehouse certainly did. Who should keep wicket remains a thorny problem. Ward’s leg-side stumping was sublime, but we haven’t had a chance to see her prowess with the bat. Seren Smale wins on that score. She hit fiercely at the end and added that splendid catch off Anderson.

Teams

West Indies:

Realanna Grimmond, Zaida James, Shunelle Sawh, Naijanni Cumberbatch, Djenaba Joseph, Asabi Callendar, Trishan Holder, Ashmini Munisar (captain), Jannillea Glasgow, Earnisha Fontaine (w-k), Abini St Jean

England:

Grace Scrivens (captain), Liberty Heap, Niamh Holland, Seren Smale, Davina Perrin, Charis Pavely, Alexa Stonehouse, Maddie Ward (w-k), Ellie Anderson, Sophia Smale, Hannah Baker

Scores:

England 179-4
West Indies 84-8
Player of the Match: Ellie Anderson

The Semi-finals are confirmed as

New Zealand v India, Start: 08.00 (GMT)
England v Australia Start: 11.45 (GMT)

Both on Friday 27 January at the JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom

Afterthoughts

This was the last opportunity for the three lead England coaches, Chris Guest, Head Coach, assisted by Laura Marsh and Darren Franklin, to decide on their optimum eleven for the big games that follow at the end of the week.

As we have seen, they made three changes to even out opportunities. I suspect they are more decided about their choices than many commentators, including me.

England’s overall performance has looked thoroughly professional. A credit to themselves and their coaches and advisers.

For the West Indies coaches, under the lead of Courtney Walsh, the emphasis for this last match must have been on ensuring the basic elements of the game, especially in the field. Catches must be held; the ball must be taken cleanly and returned accurately. Bowlers must have a clear plan, aiming the ball consistently qt one area, with the captain setting fields accordingly. With hard-hitting batters at the crease, spreading the nine fielders far and wide wouldn’t do.

Sadly, we can’t claim their wishes reached fulfilment.

The Pitch

If players are feeling the strain after weeks of endeavour, spare a thought for the square. A few balls kept low, causing the keepers trouble. Fortunately, no batter was undone by a grubber. Stonehouse even managed a sharp lifter; it was no-balled, but had its effect. She took a wicket in the same over.

We will see on Friday and Sunday how the curator’s strips will turn out. If there are still three left unused, that would be a minor miracle. Batters will have to be wary of low bounce.

The Future

With women’s franchises being bought for £465 million, some of these youngsters may be retiring as the idle rich before they’re 30.

The White Fernlets saw the Pakistan side off with ease to boost their confidence for the coming semi-finals.

Source: ICC

New Zealand (Photo: ICC)

They were invited to bat first, no doubt because they hadn’t done so thus far – exactly the reverse of England’s position. Their quick pool-stage wins meant that the depth of their batting would now be properly tested.

It needed Pakistan’s spin-heavy attack to produce the goods. They couldn’t.

Anna Browning is a highly promising all-rounder (31 runs off 25 and 4-0-5-1 with her off-breaks), but she was outshone at the start by Emma Mcleod’s clean hitting (32 off 18, 4×4 and 1×6).

Georgia Plimmer then took the game away from Pakistan with more aggressive cricket (53/38), helped by the keeper Izzy Gaze (21/16). The two contracted players added 35 off just four overs.

The Pakistan fielding wilted under the strain, and the bowlers had trouble repeating their best deliveries.

One point of concern for the Kiwi selectors was no doubt to see how their charges dealt with the second half of their innings. This would be their first chance to prove themselves.

At the halfway stage they had reached a commanding 90-2. Five wickets did fall in the remaining ten overs, but determined aggression added a further 88, so the powers-that-be must be satisfied with that performance.

After the break the reply showed how far the green shirts still have to develop. The die was cast at the very start. The two most productive batters, Shawaal Zulfiqar (1st ball) and Eyman Fatima (11th ball) were both back in the hatch for nought before slow tea-drinkers could resume their seats.

It was noticeable from early on the physical advantage the Kiwis had; they were taller and stronger. As a sequence of Pakistani batters prodded at demanding deliveries and mishit looser ones, the contrast was laid bare.

The rest of the innings turned into another procession. By the end the only question was whether they could creep within a hundred of the target.

Areesha Noor and Anosha Nasir fought hard to add 20 for the sixth wicket, but a wonderfully accurate throw by Paige Loggenberg from mid-off saw off Noor’s top-scoring effort (24).

The New Zealand selectors had made three more changes to the line-up for this last game of theirs in the Super Sixes, so plenty of players have had a chance to display their skills in the heat of Potchefstroom.

Scores:
New Zealand 178-7
Pakistan 75-7
NZ win by 103 runs
Player of the Match: Georgia Plimmer

The likely line-up for the semis is now:

India v New Zealand
England v Australia

The Indian team were interested spectators on the ground. Their selectors will have noted the ease with which the Kiwi top-order dealt with spin. Like Pakistan, India are spin-heavy.

If Windies beat England tomorrow (start 11.45 GMT) then it will be carnival time right across the Caribbean. But I’m not sure the dancing will match the quality of the Rwandan version.

The Most Dramatic Finish

The game on the neighbouring ground could not have been more different. South Africa and Sri Lanka fought out the tightest of finishes.

The Sri Lankans needed twelve off the last over, bowled by the off-spinner Miane Smit from Free State. She had bowled her previous three very tightly. But now tension overcame her: as the batters scrambled for an unlikely two, she snatched at the throw-in and missed it.

South Africa celebrate (Photo: ICC)

No matter; another risky double saw her take the return cleanly, and Vihara Sewwandi was run out; another delivery had slipped by.

Umaya Rathnayake and Rashmi Nethranjali were the two tail-enders left with the big task, six off one ball. Smit kept her nerve well. The left-handed Nethranjali swung hard to leg for four, but it was not enough!

Is cricket boring?

Scores:
South Africa 134-7
Sri Lanka 133-8
South Africa win by 1 run