MATCH REPORTDunith Wellalage led from the front with an all-round show as Sri Lanka defeated Australia by four wickets to register their second consecutive win in Group D of the ICC U-19 World Cup.
Wellalage (5/28) first spun the web around Australia batsmen with his slow left-arm tweakers to bundle out the opposition for 175 runs after opting to bowl at the Conaree Sports Club on Monday. Opener Campbell Kellaway was the top-scorer for Australia with a 77-ball 54-run knock as Sri Lankan bowlers picked up wickets at regular intervals to make life difficult for their opponents.
Besides, Wellalage, Treveen Mathew (2/32) and Matheesha Pathirana (2/34) picked up two wickets apiece for Sri Lanka. Chasing a modest target, Sri Lanka suffered early jolts and were reduced to 49 for four at one stage before Wellalage steadied the ship with a 71-ball 52 and stitched two crucial partnerships with wicketkeeper Anjala Bandara (33) and Ranuda Somarathne (32 not out) to take Islanders home in 37 overs.
Sri Lanka are leading Group D with four points from two games, while Australia are placed third with a win.
In another Group D match in Basseterre, West Indies thrashed minnows Scotland by seven wickets to register their first win of the tournament. Electing to field, West Indies first bundled out Scotland for 95 in 35.4 overs and then chased down the target in 19.4 overs by losing just three wickets.
Right-arm pacer Shiva Sankar (3/17) was the star performer for West Indies with the ball, while off-break bowler Onaje Amory (2/26) and left-arm spinner Anderson Mahase (2/16) also chipped in with wickets. By virtue of a better net run rate, West Indies currently occupy the second spot in Group D standings ahead of Australia.
Opener Haseebullah Khan smashed a brilliant century as Pakistan showed their batting prowess to start their campaign on a positive note, beating Zimbabwe by 115 runs in Group C at the Diego Martin ground. Wicketkeeper Haseebullah scored 135 off 155 balls, the highest score of the tournament so far, while Irfan Khan made 75 off 73 deliveries to propel Pakistan to 315 for nine after being sent into bat.
Haseebullah and Irfan shared 192 runs for the third wicket to set the platform for the total. For Zimbabwe, pacer Alex Felao (5/58) picked up a fifer. Brian Bennett (83) played a lone hand for Zimbabwe but they were never really in the hunt after early dismissals and were all out for 200 in 42.4 overs.
Zimbabwe fell 116 runs short in the chase despite an 83 run eighth-wicket partnership between Brian Bennett and Tendekai Mataranyika. Pakistan's opener Haseebullah put on the highest score of the tournament so far with 135 from 155 balls as he and Irfan Khan combined for a 192-run third-wicket partnership.
While Pakistan have a positive start, Zimbabwe have registered a win against Papua New Guinea in their opening group match.
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