England U19 got off to a winning start in their World Cup campaign on Friday at Harare’s Takashinga Sports Club, defeating Pakistan by 37 runs. The match, however, ended on a bizarre note when Pakistan batter Ali Raza suffered a brain fade, resulting in a comical run-out dismissal.
The incident occurred on the third ball of the 47th over when Momin Qamar pushed for a single off Manny Lumsden. Raza had reached the striker’s end but, in an attempt to evade the throw from the fielder, stepped out of his crease and allowed the ball to run through to the wicketkeeper. England captain Thomas Rew was alert to the situation, quickly realising that Raza was well short of his ground, and whipped off the bails in an instant. Although the batter attempted to recover, the bails were already dislodged by the time he made it back inside the crease.
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England comfortably defended their total of 210 on a tricky Harare surface that proved challenging for batters, with wickets falling at regular intervals. Pakistan’s task was further complicated by England’s bowling strategy of hitting the pitch hard, led by Alex Green, who removed both openers early, before the rest of the attack chipped in effectively.
{{/usCountry}}England comfortably defended their total of 210 on a tricky Harare surface that proved challenging for batters, with wickets falling at regular intervals. Pakistan’s task was further complicated by England’s bowling strategy of hitting the pitch hard, led by Alex Green, who removed both openers early, before the rest of the attack chipped in effectively.
{{/usCountry}}Pakistan slumped to 85 for six before captain Farhan Yousaf mounted a brief resistance with a composed 65 off 86 balls. However, with little support from the other end, his lone effort was not enough to alter the course of the chase.
Earlier, Ben Dawkins provided England with a solid start, but Pakistan’s bowlers clawed their way back by striking at regular intervals. Caleb Falconer then steadied the innings with a well-crafted 66, though England once again lost momentum as leg-spinner Ahmed Hussain caused problems with figures of 3 for 42.
Pakistan, placed in Group B of the tournament, will next face Scotland at the same venue on January 19, while England are set to take on hosts Zimbabwe on Saturday.