ICC U-19 CWC: Rehan Ahmed’s superb spell puts South Africa on backfoot

Rehan Ahmed bowled a brilliant spell of 48/4 in 10 overs to bowl South Africa U-19 out for 209 runs.

On Wednesday, in the first Super League Quarterfinal, South Africa Under-19 won the toss and decided to bat first. Ethan-John Cunningham and Valentine Kitime opened the innings for South Africa. The opening duo couldn’t get a good start with Joshua Boyden striking early.

Dewald Brevis and Gerhardus Maree controlled the team’s condition by building a fifty partnership for the 2nd wicket. Maree (27) looked in pleasing touch before losing his wicket to Jacob Bethell.

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South Africa’s scoring stood at 76-3 when Dewald Brevis went on to play a sensational inning of 97 runs in 88 balls with the help of nine fours and four sixes to take the team’s score to 169 runs, missing his well-deserved century by just three runs. Brevis was looking to attack, and score runs quickly as he wasn’t getting any support from the other end. Losing wickets at the regular interval was not something South Africa would have wanted in the Quarterfinals.

In the last few overs, Matthew Copeland (22) and the last man to come in, Asakhe Tsaka (18), helped South Africa to attain a total of 209 runs and complete the respectable mark of 200.

For England, Rehan Ahmed (4 wickets) was the hero with the bowl; he shattered the opposition’s middle order and took the crucial wicket of South Africa’s captain George Van Heerden. Other English bowlers who got wickets are Joshua Boyden (2 wickets), James Sales (2 wickets), and Jacob Bethell (1 wicket). With the bowling lineup South Africa possesses, Africa would look to produce early breakthroughs and stop the opposition to reach the target of 210, to enter the semifinals.