Image Credit- ICC
Australia won the Under-19 World Cup in Benoni thanks
to a devastating four-pronged pace attack led by the boisterous Callum Vidler
and Mahli Beardman, who had Anrich Nortje glued to the action.
India’s undefeated campaign came to an abrupt end when
the pace pack claimed seven wickets, as the top order was unable to withstand
Australia’s intense heat. Beardman finished with 3 for 15 off seven overs,
inflicting the most damage.
Harjas Singh, a middle-order batsman, was a major
factor in the victory as well. He gave Australia’s innings impetus by reaching
the highest score of 55. By doing this, Harjas restored the management of the
team’s faith after a poor performance that saw him score just 49 runs—with a
career-high of 17—in the six innings before the championship.
What was most admirable was the way he recovered from
a sluggish start by outclassing India’s great spinners, taking them to 253 for
7, which was 79 too many for India.
Hugh Weibgen’s class of 2024 won the Under-19 World
Cup for the first time since Mitchell Marsh’s batch did so in 2010 after losing
to India twice earlier in the competition (in 2012 and 2018). India has now
lost three straight ICC finals to Australia.
India’s pursuit seldom moved past second gear. The
opener, Adarsh Singh, laboriously reached 47 and stayed in the game until the
31st over, hoping to attempt a late robbery, as the top order, which had
brushed past attacks in the run-up to the knockouts, folded cheaply.
An over after Adarsh had hooked a short ball for six,
he misplayed a pull to a quick Beardman bouncer, which had him gloving to
wicketkeeper Ryan Hicks, all but ending Australia’s hopes as India collapsed to
115 for 7.
India’s equation reached double figures when Murugan
Abhishek and Naman Tiwari struck a string of boundaries in their ninth-wicket
stand of 46. With two wickets remaining, they needed to make 88 off the final
10 overs. However, it never truly seemed as though they were trying for an
impossible victory; instead, they were just postponing what was about to
happen.
When Tom Straker, their semi-final hero against
Pakistan, packed off Tiwari in the 44th over, it was the last seal of triumph,
and the Australian camp celebrated wildly.