Manny Lumsden’s five wicket haul propelled England into the semi finals of the men’s Under 19 World Cup as New Zealand were beaten by 65 runs in Bulawayo.
The Hampshire seamer exploited the slow surface at Queens Sports Club to devastating effect, returning figures of 5-17 as New Zealand were dismissed for 169 while chasing 235.
England’s semi final opponents will be confirmed once India complete their final Super Six fixture against Pakistan. Australia or Afghanistan await on 3 or 4 February, depending on whether England finish first or second in the group. India currently occupy second place on six points and hold a superior net run rate of 3.337 compared to England’s 1.757, with the group winners set to face Afghanistan and the runners up meeting Australia.
England captain Thomas Rew welcomed the confirmation of progress to the knockout stage.
“It’s nice to win and know we are through. We are looking forward to the semi finals now,” Rew said.
“Manny has been good all tournament. He’s bowled quick and been aggressive, having firepower like that is a great asset.”
Asked to bat first on a difficult pitch, England built their innings carefully to reach 234 for 7. Openers Ben Dawkins and Joseph Moores laid a steady foundation with a 48 run stand, with Dawkins contributing 42.
Dawkins then combined with Ben Mayes for another partnership of the same value. Mayes went on to top score with 53 from 70 balls, extending his lead as the tournament’s highest run scorer.
Late momentum came from Caleb Falconer, who struck 47, and Farhan Ahmed with 29, although Snehith Reddy was the most effective of the New Zealand bowlers with figures of 2 for 28.
Lumsden set the tone early in the chase, removing Hugo Bogue and captain Tom Jones in the same over to leave New Zealand under immediate pressure.
Reddy offered resistance with 47 from 65 deliveries, while Jaskaran Sandhu added 26 before becoming Lumsden’s third victim. The seamer returned late in the innings to seal the result, bowling Harry Burns and Hunter Shore with successive deliveries.
Reflecting on the overall performance, Rew highlighted England’s discipline with both bat and ball.
“It’s a great result and I’m really proud of how we stuck at it with the bat. We knew 230 or 240 would be a good score,” he said.
“It was a tough wicket, very inconsistent, and then the way our seamers bowled was incredible.”
