Pakistan, New Zealand in U-19 semis
Holders Pakistan entered the last four of the Under-19 World Cup being held in Malaysia defeating Australia quite convincingly by six wickets. They will now meet South Africa for a place in the final. In another quarter-final, New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 80 runs to meet India in another semi-final.
Adil Raza played a major role for Pakistan claiming 3 for 26 to bundle out the Australians for a paltry 129. The target was too small to create any anxiety for the defending champions and they reached it easily with over 22 overs to spare. Although reduced to 32 for 3 at one stage, they recovered solidly through the efforts of Ahmed Shezad and Ali Asad. While Asad remained unbeaten on 63, Shezad contributed a valuable 39.
Batting first, New Zealand scored 213 thanks to George Worker’s 48 and skipper Kane Williamson's 34. For Sri Lanka, Umesh Karunarathne and Roshen Silva claimed three wickets apiece. In reply, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 133 as Nicholas Beard and Tim Southee bowled superbly taking three wickets each. For Sri Lanka, the only significant contribution came from Sachith Pathirana who made 42.
In the ninth-place quarter-finals, the West Indies beat Ireland by 7 wickets while Papua New Guinea defeated Bermuda by the same margin. The West Indies scored 158 for 3 in reply to Ireland’s 154 for 9. In the other match, Papua New Guinea made 108 for 3 after Bermuda scored 102.
