Sri Lanka concede heavy defeat, settle for sixth place finish

ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup

Sri Lanka concluded their ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup campaign ranked sixth in the 16-team competition as they conceded a 238 run defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the 5th place deciding match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Thursday.

Put to bat, Pakistan made Dunith Wellalage’s team toil for wickets for more than 20 overs and when finally Raveen de Silva, the eigth bowler used, separated the openers they had added 134 runs. Opener Haseebullah Khan and skipper Quasim Akram then took the game beyond Sri Lanka’s reach by setting up a record partnership for the third wicket. Both scored centuries and set up an imposing target of 366 runs to win.

In their chase Sri Lanka lost five top order batsmen cheaply as Akram wrecked havoc with the new ball. Akram entered the record books as the only player in the history of the Youth World Cup to have scored a century and taken five wickets in the same match. In contrary, his opposite number, who was still the leading wicket taker of this edition with 17 wickets, finished without a single wicket from his ten overs. But the St. Joseph’s College player resisted the attack with a 67-ball 40 inclusive of five boundaries. Nalanda all-rounder Vinuja Ranpul remained unbeaten on 53 runs as they were bowled out for 127 runs inside 35 overs. Ranpul scored five fours and two sixes. While Sadisha Rajapaksa made 16, the others failed to reach double figures.

Pakistan were in command from the start as openers Muhammad Shehzad and Haseebullah Khan dominated the Sri Lanka attack. Shehzad made 73 off just 69 deliveries before he was dismissed by de Silva.

But when Khan joined skipper Akram they punished the Sri Lankan bowlers as they posted a second wicket stand of 229 runs, which is the highest partnership in an Under 19 World Cup for any wicket.

When Khan was trapped by Matheesha Pathirana he had scored 136 runs. Khan scored nine fours and two sixes in his knock which came in in 151 balls. Akram hammered 13 fours and six sixes in his unbeaten knock of 135 runs which came in just 80 balls.

Sri Lanka’s sixth place finish is a four place improvement from the last edition where they finished tenth.

Scores:

Pakistan U19s 365 for 3 in 50 overs

(Muhammad Shehzad 73, Haseebullah Khan 136, Quasim Akram 135n.o.; Matheesha Pathirana 2/62) 

Sri Lanka U19s 127 all out in 34.2 overs

(Sadisha Rajapaksa 16, Dunith Wellalage 40, Vinuja Ranpul 53n.o.; Quasim Akram 5/37)

ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 placings

05- Pakistan

06- Sri Lanka

07- South Africa

08 – Bangladesh

09 – United Arab Emirates

10 – Ireland

11 – West Indies

12 – Zimbabwe

13 – Uganda

14 – Scotland

15 – Canada

16 – PNG