England on Tuesday defeated arch-rivals Australia by 27 runs in the first semi-final to secure a place in the ICC Under-19 World Cup final.
Batting first, England posted a competitive 277-7 in their 50 overs, thanks to a brilliant century from skipper Thomas Rew and crucial contributions from Caleb Falconer, Joseph Moores, Ben Mayes and Farhan Ahmed.
Rew led from the front, scoring 110 off 107 balls, including 14 fours and a six. Falconer added a valuable 40 from 53 deliveries, while Farhan remained unbeaten on 28 off 26 balls.
Moores and Mayes contributed 25 and 24 runs respectively.
For Australia, Naden Cooray and Hayden Schiller claimed two wickets each, while Will Byrom and Aryan Sharma took one apiece.
In reply, the Australians were restricted to 250 all out in 47.3 overs despite a valiant century from captain Oliver Peake, who scored 100 off 88 balls, featuring 10 fours and a six.
Nitesh Samuel supported with 47 off 83 deliveries, and Aryan Sharma added 34 off 23 balls, but the rest of the batting lineup faltered.
England’s bowlers made full use of the situation, with Ralphie Albert, Manny Lumsden, James Minto, and Sebastian Morgan taking two wickets each, while Alex French and Farhan Ahmed chipped in with one each.
The Lions will now face the winner of the second semi-final between India and Afghanistan in the final, scheduled for Friday at Harare.
