SA U19 VS WI U19 MATCH 1

Right then, that's all from this entertaining game, and this brings an end to the opening day action of the 2024 Men's Under-19 World Cup. We are just getting started, and there is plenty of action to look forward to in the coming days. We have three games lined up on Saturday, 20th of January where the defending champions, India open their campaign as they take on Bangladesh. The runners-up of the previous edition, England, will clash with old rivals Scotland, and in the third game, Afghanistan will lock horns with Pakistan. All three games will begin at 1.30 pm GMT (8.00 am GMT), but our build-up will begin much sooner. Until then, take care and goodbye!

The captain of South Africa Under-19, Juan James starts off by appreciating the crowd for the support and says that he had a cramp and walked off as a precautionary measure. He then talks about his innings and says they wanted to bat as long as possible. He appreciates Kwena Maphaka and says that having somebody like him is a boon for the captain. He further talks about the second innings and the nerves that were building as he sat outside the fence which was then taken care of by the boys pretty well. He concludes by saying they were 2 bowlers short but still managed to do well with the ball.

The skipper of West Indies Under-19, Stephan Pascal says that he is happy with the effort that the boys have shown and the way they have brought them back into the game from difficult situations. He then says it was a nervous start in the second innings. He then talks about the intensity and says he knew they could pull the game back in the first innings after that big partnership and lost hold of a few key moments in the game that cost them the match eventually. He then talks about the two spinners and appreciates the efforts they put in and complement each other well. He concludes and appreciates Jewel Andrew and says the 17-year-old plays like a 25-year-old and is an asset to have in the side.

Kwena Maphaka is PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his outstanding spell with the ball. He took 5 for 38 from 9.1 overs including a maiden. He says there could have not been a better start with the boys playing so well. He then talks about making use of some short balls with the ones shaping in that got him the results. He further talks about how they kept calm when there was a big partnership in the middle and managed to keep it simple and put pressure on the batters by restricting the runs and boundaries. He concludes that this is a box ticked and there are many more to be ticked as they stick to the process.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, after being inserted into bat, South Africa Under-19 were off to a steady start. Steve Stolk perished early, but Lhuan-dre Pretorius took the attack to the opposition and converted the steady start into a breezy one. However, Pretorius failed to make his start count, and it was the same case with Richard Seletswane. The West Indian spinners dominated the middle phase, where both David Teeger and Oliver Whitehead struggled for momentum. Just as the hosts looked to get a move on, they lost three wickets in quick succession, which put them firmly on the back foot. Dewan Marais and skipper Juan James then got together and forged a solid recovery. As the innings progressed, both James and Marais changed gears, with the latter going on to reach his fifty. Thanks to their 131-run stand, South Africa reached 285, which looked unlikely at one stage. For West Indies Under-19, Nathan Sealy was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 34 from his 10 overs including 2 maidens.

On the other hand, given that they let it slip with the ball in the last 10 overs or so of their bowling effort, West Indies Under-19 needed to start well with the bat. It was a far-from-ideal start for them as they were 3 down inside the first three overs. Jordan Johnson and Steve Wedderburn could not do much either and West Indies Under-19 were starring down the barrel at 73-5. Jewel Andrew and Nathan Sealy joined hands to weather the storm as they soaked in the pressure and kept the scoreboard ticking. As the innings progressed, Andrew grew in confidence and found boundaries at will to put his side in pole position out of nowhere. He soon brought up his hundred and at that stage, the pressure was on South Africa Under-19. However, a mix-up resulted in the downfall of Sealy which gave the opposition an opening. With two wickets in hand, Andrew was left with all to do but eventually, he went down bringing down the hopes of his side.

Having finished strongly with the ball, South Africa Under-19 took that momentum into their bowling effort. Kwena Maphaka set the tone early with a wicket in his first over before going on to strike twice in his next over. Introduced early into the attack to replace the injured Martin Khumalo, Riley Norton took no time in getting into the act to pile more misery on the opposition. At that stage, South Africa Under-19 had their tails up and were in complete command of the game. However, they let West Indies Under-19 off the hook and allowed a partnership to build during the middle phase. A brilliant piece of effort in the field resulted in them breaking the stand but they needed the wicket of Jewel Andrew. It was Riley Norton who sealed the deal for the hosts with the wicket of Andrew before Kwena Maphaka made Isai Thorne his fifth victim to complete the formalities.

And breathe.....! Pheww, what a game on the opening day of the 15th edition of the Men's Under 19 World Cup! A rollercoaster of a game at the JB Marks Oval where South Africa Under-19 edged out West Indies Under-19 to get their campaign up and running. On the other hand, it was a case of 'so close yet so far' for West Indies Under-19 who will be gutted with this loss but you gotta tip your hats off to Jewel Andrew who kept them in the game but it wasn't to be.

OUT! LBW! Kwena Maphaka, you beauty! Finishes off things and how! He steams in from over the wicket and bowls the perfect yorker right in the blockhole. Isai Thorne fails to get his bat down in time and gets hit on the boots. South Africa Under-19 go up in unison and the umpire raises his finger. Kwena Maphaka is off on his celebrations and he is joined by the rest of his teammates who are as ecstatic as him. A five-fer for Maphaka to seal a 31-run victory for South Africa Under-19!

Drop and run! Fuller on a length, around off, Isai Thorne taps it on the off side with soft hands and sprints to the other end. That's a very successful over for the South Africa Under-19.

Drops the length short and angles it into the right-hander on middle and leg, Deshawn James pulls it awkwardly to square leg for one.

Pitches this one on a good length outside off, Isai Thorne nudges it late to third man and gets a single.

Fuller again around the channel of off, Isai Thorne blocks it well off the back foot.

Oh dear, he nearly chopped that onto the stumps. Riley Norton drops the length a bit and angles in in from around off, Deshawn James plays across the line and gets an inside edge that falls just beside the leg stump. The ball trickles down to fine leg and the batters get a single.

Deshawn James is the last man in for West Indies Under-19.