England captain Thomas Rew says the task remains unfinished as he looks to guide the side to a second ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup title.
England secured a place in the final with a narrow win over Australia in Bulawayo on Tuesday and now sit one victory away from matching their title success of 1998, achieved under the captaincy of future international all rounder Owais Shah.
Rew produced the defining performance against Australia, scoring a century and earning Player of the Match honours. The 18 year old said the focus has already shifted to the final on Friday.
“Yeah, it means a lot,” Rew said after the win over Australia.
“We came into this tournament with one aspiration and now there is one more game left.
“I think we’ve all had dreams of this World Cup and lifting the trophy. So it’s just another game of cricket for us.”
Rew said he plans to approach the final in the same manner, even after compiling 110 from 107 balls as England posted 277 for seven. He admitted frustration with his dismissal in the latter stages of the innings and believes greater composure at the end could prove decisive in the final.
“I feel like we still need a batter in the last five overs. That was my fault today,” Rew said.
“I think that’s just a silly dismissal with seven overs left in the game. If I can bat another five (overs) there, I think that makes a big difference. But I think we’ve done really well this competition to stick to our game plan.”
Australia captain Ollie Peake also scored a century in the chase and kept his side in contention before falling as the final wicket in the 48th over. It marked his second hundred of the tournament.
Peake accepted England had been the stronger side on the day.
“It was a disappointing result but I guess you can cop it on the chin a bit when the team just outplays you,” Peake said.
“I don’t think anything was wrong with our preparation, or the team we picked, or anything like that. I just think England played better than us on the day and I guess that makes it a bit easier to swallow.”
India’s 7 wicket win over Afghanistan in the second semi-final confirms the five-time champions as England’s opponents come February 6.
