The South Africans have been a dominating force in world cricket but their destiny has been such that they have not witnessed too many crowning moments. However, on this day the South Africans tasted a slice of glory when the Proteas lifted the Under-19 World Cup for the first time. The young guns thrashed Pakistan in the final to breeze past their way to glory.
First Innings
Sami Aslam, the Pakistan skipper, had won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the side batting first could not capitalize on the advantage of batting first in a high-stakes final. The South African bowlers made early inroads by dismissing half of the opposition’s batting unit without even allowing them to cross the 100-run mark.
The fast-bowling all-rounder Corbin Bosch led the bowling attack with his performance. Bosh picked up 4 wickets that included the dismissal of key middle-order batters. Wickets at regular intervals did not let Pakistan gain momentum in the first innings and the first innings was eventually wrapped up with 131 runs on the scoreboard. An unbeaten batting effort from Amad Butt in the lower order gave some runs to Pakistan to fight in the second innings.
Second Innings
The South African batting order had been in good nick throughout the tournament as it was not a challenging job for them to chase 132 runs. However, a finale always comes with its pressure. The Proteas had to be cautious in the run chase as Pakistan had a talented bowling lineup. The savior for Pakistan in the first innings, Amad Butt, struck early in the second innings as he dismissed the opener Clyde Fortuin in the fourth over. Pakistan have added another wicket to their tally by sending Jason Smith back to the pavilion.
South Africa had a very slow start but once captain Aiden Markram was settled, he steered the run chase with the required composure. The skipper stayed unbeaten and saw his team completing the run chase with 4 wickets in hand. It was a historic moment for South African cricket as the young guns had scripted history with their first-ever Under-19 World Cup title.
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