Harare: India is one of the most successful teams in the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, having won multiple titles and reached the final on numerous occasions. As they get ready for another summit clash and the possibility of adding another title to their kitty, England Under-19s captain Thomas Rew is determined to treat Friday’s final as ‘just another game’ as his side takes on India in Harare.
England have not won the tournament since 1998, coming closest four years ago when they were beaten by Friday’s opponents in the final.
Rew’s sparkling century was key to his side’s 27-run victory over Australia in a thrilling semi-final on Tuesday, taking his tournament tally to 299 runs at 74.75. He hailed his top-order colleagues for laying the foundations during England’s unbeaten tournament so far – Ben Mayes has impressed with 399 runs at a shade under 80 – and believes his side have what it takes to clear the final hurdle.
“It means a lot,” he said in the pre-match press conference in Harare on Thursday. “We came into this tournament with one aspiration, and now there is one more game left. We have all had dreams of lifting the World Cup, but we have to treat it as just another game of cricket.
“It helps batting with our top order, every single person puts pressure back on the bowler, and that takes the pressure off you. All the credit has to go to them. The communication has been good among the squad, and I’m just trying to play some strong shots and hope for the best,” the England U19 captain added.
England’s bowling attack has been key to their success. Nobody has more wickets in the competition than Manny Lumsden, whose 15 wickets have come at under 12 runs apiece, while Ralphie Albert and Sebastian Morgan have also made valuable contributions.
Reflecting on their successful defence of 277 against Australia, Rew added: “It’s always nice batting first on a wicket that deteriorates.
“It wasn’t as bad as previously, but we used it to our advantage with the ball; we bashed away at hard lengths. Our bowlers have done that all tournament, and that’s why we’ve done really well.”
India were beaten finalists two years ago, having won the tournament in 2022, and their class of 2026 have made it through to the final unbeaten.
Aaron George’s fantastic 115 led their successful pursuit of 311 against Afghanistan, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set the tone with a 33-ball 68.
Captain Ayush Mhatre, who contributed 62 himself with four sixes, is excited for the occasion and, like his opposite number, is urging his side to keep it simple and not get overawed.
“England are a fabulous team who are also playing really nicely in this tournament,” he said. “We will play our natural game, play each ball on its merits, and adapt to conditions and the wicket. We will try to play simple cricket.
“Against Afghanistan, we had a simple discussion about playing our natural game and batting for a long time. Vaibhav’s start was really important for us. He just released the pressure and made it easier for us to build an innings.
“We had to look for ones and twos and find the boundary from loose balls. Nothing special, we just had to keep it simple. Our bowlers were very good, and Afghanistan batted very well. The bowlers have some pointers to improve, and they will try to do that,” he added.
