Rehan’s brilliance seals U-19 WC final after 24 years

Fancied England kept their nerve to reach the ICC U-19 World Cup final after prevailing over Afghanistan by 15 runs in an exciting last-four clash here, ending a 24-year wait for the side.

Spinner Rehan Ahmed became the hero for the Young Lions, taking three wickets in the penultimate over at a crucial point when their opponents needed just 18 runs from the last 10 balls on Tuesday. It was a remarkable turnaround for England from the previous tournament just two years ago in South Africa when they finished ninth.

England will now face the winner of the other semifinal between Australia and India on Saturday in the final. As for Afghanistan they will head to the Coolidge Cricket Ground for the third-place playoff. (Agencies)

Brief Scores:
England 231/6 in 47 overs (George Bell 56, Alex Horton 53, George Thomas 50; Noor Ahmad 2-32) beat Afghanistan 215/9 in 47 overs (Allah Noor 60, Mohammad Ishaq 43, Abdul Hadi 37*; Rehan Ahmed 4-41, Thomas Aspinwall 2-37) by 15 runs (DLS Method)