WATCH: Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashes 24-ball Fifty in MASSIVE chase in U19 World Cup 2026 semifinal
Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed his third half-century in the tournament. He reached his fifty in just 24-ball, which included three boundaries and a six in the semi final clash against Afghanistan in U19 World Cup 2026 at the Harare Sports club on Wednesday. At the other end, Aaron George played the perfect supporting role, scoring 20 off 18 balls.
However, Suryavanshi was dismissed by Nooristani Omarzai after a quickfire 68 off 33 balls, once again failing to convert a strong start into a big score.
Coming to the match, earlier, centuries from Faisal Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai guided Afghanistan to a massive 310/4 in 50 overs against India in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC Men’s U19 World Cup on Wednesday.
Faisal Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai stitched a massive 148-run partnership off 130 deliveries to put Afghanistan in a commanding position. The winner of the India vs Afghanistan semi-final will go on to face England in the final which is scheduled for February 6
After choosing to bat first, Afghanistan made a steady start, as they reached 23 without loss in the first five overs. The opening pair of Khalid Ahmadzai and Osman Sadat took the score to 42/0 at the end of the 10th over before Deepesh Devendran broke the 53-run stand by removing Ahmadzai for 31 off 39 balls, which included four fours and a six.
Osman Sadat and Faisal Shinozada steadied the innings for Afghanistan but Kanishk Chouhan broke the 64-run partnership for the second wicket after dismissing Osman. Meanwhile, Faisal Shinozada smashed 49-balls fifty during and guided Afghanistan to a comfortable position at 145/2.
Uzairullah Niazai and Faisal Shinozada dominating batting guided Afghanistan cross the 200-run mark during the 41st over.
Faisal Shinozada became the fourth batter, and the first from Afghanistan to smash a century against India in the U19 World Cup, joining an elite list that includes Malcolm Lake, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, and Ben Stokes.
Niazai also smashed his half-century off 63 balls. The massive 148-run partnership was finally broken in the 46th over when Deepesh Devendran dismissed Shinozada, who struck a superb 110 off 93 deliveries, laced with 15 boundaries.
Towards the end of the innings, Uzairullah Niazai brought century off 85 balls, helping Afghanistan post a challenging total of 311 in 50 overs.
