South Africa will face India in the semi-finals of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup after securing their spot on February 2, 2024
A 119-run victory over Sri Lanka helped South Africa book their spot in the semi-finals alongside India. The hosts ran rampant on the day, setting their opponents a target of 233 runs before bowling them out for a significantly lesser score. (More Cricket News)
Placed in Group 2 of the Super Six round, South Africa carried a slender advantage with them - courtesy of their group stage performance - which they then increased with a smashing victory over Zimbabwe. A place all but confirmed in the knockouts, the home side then romped to a win versus Sri Lanka to vanquish any remaining concerns over their title-winning credentials.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius shone for South Africa with the bat on the day, scoring 71 crucial runs out of his team's 232 total. But the match belonged to the South African bowling unit, which returned the entire Sri Lankan team for a meagre 113 runs in just 23.2 overs.
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Interestingly, it took only two South African bowlers to claim all ten wickets, with Kwena Maphaka taking a six-wicket-haul compared to Riley Norton's four. Sharujan Shanmuganathan scored the most runs for an otherwise dismal Sri Lankan side, with his 29 off 32 being the highest among the team on the day.
In the other Group 2 Super Six match, Australia met West Indies, albeit their clash yielded no result due to rain interfering incessantly with play. Australia, however, batted whole, setting their opponents a target of 228 to chase. But, four overs into the West Indian batting, downpour intervened, never to relent from thereon and ultimately forcing the match officials to all it a day.
The outcome proved costly to West Indies, who missed out on a semi-final spot by a point. Australia, though, cruised to the next round as group winners and will face either Pakistan or Bangladesh in the last-four tie.