On this day in 2014: South Africa win their maiden U19 World Cup
The young brigade of South Africa created history on 1st March 2014, by beating Pakistan in the Under-19 World Cup final that was held in Dubai. In fact, this remains the only Under-19 World Cup that the South African side has won.
On the day of the summit clash, Pakistan U-19 won the toss and chose to bat first. The Pakistan side never got going with the willow and delivered an abysmal performance. The Sami Aslam-led side was bowled out for just 131 in 44.3 overs. Every South African bowler who rolled his arm over picked up a wicket. However, the pick of the bowlers was Corbin Bosch, who picked up 4 wickets, giving away just 15 runs in 7.3 overs. Apart from Bosch, Justin Dill and Yaseen Valli scalped 2 wickets each.
The chase was going to be an easy one, considering that South Africa could even afford to score at less than 3 runs an over to achieve the target. And, the batsmen approached the chase cautiously. Even though the South African side lost a couple of early wickets, skipper Aiden Markram stood up when it mattered the most.
The right-hander played through the entire innings and scored a patient 125 ball unbeaten 66 to ensure that his side comfortably reached the target with 6 wickets and 7.5 overs to spare. Apart from Markram, Greg Oldfield contributed a handsome 40. In fact, it was the 71-run partnership between Markram and Oldfield that acted as the catalyst in South Africa’s run chase.
For Pakistan, the pick of the bowlers was Karamat Ali. The right-arm leg spinner scalped 2 wickets and gave away just 24 runs in his 10 overs. However, his spell went in vain as South Africa held their nerve on the biggest stage.
Corbin Bosch was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his stunning spell with the ball in the summit clash. And, from that set of cricketers, there have been a handful who have gone on to represent their nation. While Markram and Kagiso Rabada went on to represent South Africa, the likes of Sami Aslam, Imam-ul-Haq and Zafar Gohar went on to represent Pakistan in the international arena.
