U19 World Cup Highlights: Afghanistan U19 Crush Ireland by 191 Ruens to Qualify for World Cup 2026, England Knock Out New Zealand

Afghanistan have qualified for the U19 World Cup 2026 after beating Ireland U19 by a huge 191 runs. They dominated the tournament and bowled Ireland out for just 124 runs. Afghanistan opted to bat first and got a couple of early jolts as Osman Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai got out for cheap scores. But Uzairullah Niazai gave good assistance to Faisal Shinozada and they added 75 runs for the 3rd wicket. Niazai got out for 26 runs. 

Afghanistan never looked back in the game then. Faisal Shinozada was joined by his skipper Mahboob Khan and they started hitting the ball well. They played 157 balls together and scored 188 runs in their partnership. Mahboob Khan hit 5 fours and 2 sixes on his way to score 89 off 79 balls. Faisal Shinozada was the star of the batting show. He hit 18 boundaries and a maximum to score 163 off 142 balls and his innings created a difference between the two sides. He was instrumental in taking the team score to 315/7.

Afghanistan U19 dominate Ireland with massive 191-run win to seal World Cup 2026 spot

Skipper Oliver Riley and Reuben Wilson took three wickets each. Thomas Ford took a wicket. Ireland came to chase the gargantuan target and never looked to be in a good position. They lost Freddie Ogilby for a seven-ball duck and later lost two more wickets inside the powerplay. James West and Adam Leckey got out for cheap scores and they were 26/3 from the first 10 overs. Robert O'Brien got a good start and hit a couple of boundaries but got dismissed as run out.

Sebastian Dijkstra got out for 8 and Ireland went into a shell after that. The sixth wicket partnership between Marko Bates and Reuben Wilson was off 55 from 77 balls but Wilson was the only aggressor there scoring 31 of 36 balls. Bates showed a futile resilience and took the game deep. He top scored for Ireland with his 34 but took 81 balls in the process which didn't help his team. Eventually they got bundled out for 124. For Afghanistan U-19, Abdul Aziz finished with 3/21. Aqil Khan who was playing his first game of the tournament took 3 wickets for 36 runs. Nooristani Omarzai and Roohullah Arab took a wicket each.

Lumsden’s five-wicket haul powers England U19 to 65-run win as New Zealand U19 crash out

Manny Lumsden cleaned up the lower order by taking three wickets in one over. He ended with 5 wickets for 17 runs in 6.5 overs as England U19 beat New Zealand U19 by 65 runs. Kiwis fail to chase down the target of 235 runs and are all out for 169 inside 39 overs. With this defeat, their hopes of advancing to the knockouts come to an end. After being sent in to bat first, England posted a competitive 234 for 7 in their 50 overs, building a challenging total on a wicket that offered variable bounce and assistance for bowlers. The English innings was anchored by measured contributions through the top and middle order.

Ben Mayes scored a half-century while Ben Dawkins scored 42. Caleb Falconer was brilliant at the latter stages of the innings and scored 47 off 58 balls. A notable cameo from Farhan Ahmed, who scored 29 off 23 balls, helped England cross the 230-run mark. New Zealand’s bowlers found some movement early on, but were unable to sustain pressure throughout the innings. Mason Clarke and Snehith Reddy picked up two wickets each. Chasing 235 for victory, New Zealand struggled to settle against a disciplined English attack. The Kiwi innings never fully gained momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals.

New Zealand never looked comfortable and unlike England, who had almost a 50-run opening partnership, the Kiwis lost their first wicket with 13 on the board. Suddenly, when things looked to get better, pacer Lumsden came in and took a couple of quick wickets. The middle overs offered New Zealand a brief hope as a couple of partnerships attempted to steady the innings. However, England’s bowlers refused to release the pressure, using changes of pace and tight field placements to choke the run flow. Every time New Zealand looked set to rebuild, a wicket halted their progress, preventing any sustained momentum in the chase.

As the required run rate continued to climb, New Zealand were forced into riskier strokes. England capitalised, with regular breakthroughs ensuring the asking rate remained well beyond reach. The spinners played a key role during the middle phase, exploiting the slow nature of the pitch and drawing false shots, while Lumsden returned effectively at the death to clean up the tail. He took three wickets in the 39th over and ended up with a fiver. He will be on a hat-trick in the next game as the final two wickets were taken on consecutive balls.

It is important to mention here that Falconer took two brilliant catches inside the circle off the bowling of seamer Sebastian Morgan. At 38.5 overs, New Zealand were bowled out for 169, with English bowlers maintaining consistent pressure and exploiting every opportunity to strike. The victory cemented England’s strong position in the Super Six stage and kept alive their hopes of progressing further in the tournament. For New Zealand, the defeat was a setback and with this, their campaign at this WC comes to an end.

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