KIMBERLEY, South Africa (CMC) — All-rounder Nyeem Young became the first West Indian and only the fourth player of all time to hit a half-century and take five wickets at an ICC Under-19 World Cup, as a clinical West Indies trounced England by 71 runs under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern here yesterday, to take a giant step towards the second round of the tournament.
With the Windies wobbling on 138 for five in the 35th over after they were sent in, Young arrived at number seven to blast a whirlwind 66 from 41 balls and propel the Caribbean side to 267 for seven off their 50 overs.
He combined forces with Kevlon Anderson, who top-scored with an invaluable 86 not out, as West Indies plundered 104 runs from the last 10 overs.
In reply, England were well placed at 120 for two at the end of the 29th over before Young produced a lethal burst with his lively medium pace to capture five for 45 and cripple the innings.
When lightning and thunder in the area drove players from the field in the 44th over and ended the contest, England were tottering on 184 for nine and well behind the required par score.
Tom Clark top-scored with 38, opener Ben Charlesworth got 36 and Jack Haynes, 23, but England failed to get a single player to bat deep.
For Young, the outing marked his second straight man-of-the-match performance following a similar exhilarating half-century against Australia last Saturday in the Windies’ three-wicket win at the same venue.
More importantly, the victory put West Indies top of the group on four points and with just one preliminary round match remaining against minnows Nigeria on Thursday, they are virtually guaranteed of a spot in the quarter-finals.
It was left-handed opener Leonardo Julien who gave them a fluent start, striking five fours and a six in 40 off 57 balls, as he posted 47 for the first wicket with Captain Kimani Melius (24) and a further 38 for the second wicket with Anderson.
Melius eventually drove the last ball of the ninth over from off-spinner Hamidullah Qadri (2-46) and was taken at short cover and Julien followed in the 19th over, caught down the leg side gloving a pull at pacer Joey Evison.
Julien’s dismissal triggered a slide as four wickets tumbled for 53 runs, leaving West Indies in danger of collapse. But Young joined Anderson and together they put on 101 for the sixth wicket to help restore order to the innings.
Playing with his usual merry abandon, Young counter-attacked brilliantly with five fours and four sixes while Anderson faced 105 deliveries and struck half-dozen fours and three sixes.
Young eventually perished in the 48th over, holing out to deep cover off pacer George Balderson.
Facing a tricky run chase, England started positively when Ben Charlesworth and Jordan Cox (20) posted 53 for the first wicket, to keep the Windies without early success.
However, left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd (2-35) broke the stand in the 14th over when left-hander Cox’s reverse sweep found Matthew Forde’s safe hands at first slip – one of five catches snared by the Barbadian.
And the Windies struck again in the 21st, Charlesworth picking out Joshua James at long on off Matthew Patrick’s off-spin.
Clark, who counted four fours and a six in his 53-ball knock, then paired with Jack Haynes to stabilise the innings in a 51-run third wicket stand before Young scythed through the middle order.
Nedd again proved the partnership breaker, Clark missing a sweep and going lbw in the 30th over and Young then knocked over Dan Mousley (4) and Haynes in the 33rd over to turn the game on its head.
Mousley skied to Forde at mid-on and Haynes found the same fielder at long off four balls later, and following a break for rain, Young got Evison (1) to top-edge a pull behind in the 35th over at 135 for six.
Young completed his five-wicket haul when Lewis Goldsworthy (3) mangled a pull and offered a simple return catch in the 37th and Balderson was well held at long on by Forde in the 39th over with storm clouds gathering.
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES U19s
*K Melius c Haynes b Hamidullah Qadri 24
+L Julien c wkp Cox b Evison 40
K Anderson not out 86
K McKenzie c Clark b Goldsworthy 12
A Morris c & b Goldsworthy 14
M Patrick lbw b Hamidullah Qadri 3
N Young c Aldridge b Balderson 66
M Forde c Balderson b Aldridge 8
J James not out 4
Extras (lb1, w9) 10
TOTAL (7 wkts, 50 overs) 267
Did not bat: A Nedd, J Seales.
Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Melius), 2-85 (Julien),
3-100 (McKenzie), 4-129 (Morris), 5-138
(Patrick), 6-239 (Young), 7-250 (Forde)
Bowling: Balderson 9-1-61-1, Cullen 6-0-41-0,
Hamidullah Qadri 10-1-46-2, Aldridge 8-2-48-
1, Evison 7-0-42-1, Goldsworthy 10-0-28-2.
ENGLAND U19s
B Charlesworth c James b Patrick 36
+J Cox c Forde b Nedd 20
T Clark lbw b Nedd 38
J Haynes c Forde b Young 27
D Mousley c Forde b Young 4
J Evison c wkp Julien b Young 1
L Goldsworthy c & b Young 3
*G Balderson c Forde b Young 10
K Aldridge c & b Forde 21
B Cullen not out 7
Hamidullah Qadri not out 4
Extras (lb6, w7) 13
TOTAL (9 wkts, 43.4 overs) 184
Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Cox), 2-69
(Charlesworth), 3-120 (Clark), 4-129
(Mousley), 5-131 (Haynes), 6-135 (Evison),
7-146 (Goldsworthy), 8-151 (Balderson),
9-174 (Aldridge)
Bowling: Forde 5-0-34-1, Seales 10-2-21-0,
James 2.4-0-15-0, Young 9-0-45-5, Nedd 10-
2-35-2, Patrick 7-0-28-1.
Result: West Indies U19s won by 71 runs
(DLS).
Points: West Indies U19s 2, England
U19s 0.
Man-of-the-Match: Nyeem Young.
Toss: England U19s.
Umpires: Wayne Knights, Sam Nogajski
TV Umpire: Roland Black
