Marshall (106) lifts WI U-19s to semis

DHAKA: Opening batsman Xavier Marshall smashed an attacking century for West Indies Under-19s to defeat South Africa Under-19s by 34 runs yesterday and storm into the semi-finals of the ICC Youth World Cup. Sent to bat, West Indies scored 284 for six off their 50 overs behind Marshall’s 106, and South Africa replied with 250 all out off 50 overs in their Group-1 Super League match at the Fatullah Stadium. The Caribbean side, after shrugging off a flu-like virus that hit their camp last week will now face the winner of today’s match between England and Pakistan in the Super League semi-final on Tuesday.

“We treated (yesterday) like a quarter-final and we’re all delighted to get through,” West Indies manager Roland Sampath said after the game. The 17-year-old Marshall, who was later named Man of the Match, missed Tuesday’s loss to India because team management said he was not “mentally ready” for the game, set a scorching pace at the top of the order, and posted a 93-run first-wicket stand with Tishan Maraj. Maraj (34) sacrificed his wicket run-out after a mix-up left both batsmen at the same end of the pitch. Lendl Simmons joined Marshall in another fruitful stand for the second wicket, the pair adding 68 runs before Simmons was run out for 30. The right-handed Marshall, one of seven players in the current squad from the championship-winning West Indies team at the 2000 Costcutter Under-15 World Cup in England, eventually perished by the run-out route in the 39th over.

He batted 147 minutes and struck eight fours and one six in the 133-ball knock that bolstered the West Indies innings. Jonathan Augustus, getting 33 off 34 balls, Zamal Khan, with an unbeaten 26 off 20 balls, and Ravi Rampaul, 12 off eight balls, beefed up the lower-order run rate as the West Indies built a challenging total. Vaughn van Jaarsveld (40) and Clint Bowyer (32) gave the South Africans a promising 67-run opening stand 11.5 overs but they suffered a middle-order slide as pacer Rampaul and spinners Rishi Bachan and Liam Sebastien shared seven wickets to undermine their run chase. Captain Divan van Wyk stroked 41, and wicket-keeper Mpumelelo Silwana, batting at number eight, hit 42 off 53 balls before he was last man out — bowled by Rampaul with the final ball of the match.

Rampaul ended with figures of three for 41 off 10, while left-arm spinner Bachan and off-spinner Sebastien each picked up two for 46. Rampaul, who made his debut for the West Indies seniors on their recent Africa tour, had also dislodged the threatening Vince Pennazza, who belted a 23-ball 27. He had missed most of West Indies’ pool matches because of illness and found his rhythm for the first time in the tournament, for which CMC has television rights. The victory was the fourth in six games so far in the tournament for the West Indies, and captain Ramdin said the team is still operating below its best. “We still need to work on our batting, our bowling and our fielding,” he admitted.    

Scoreboard
SOUTH AFRICA vs WEST INDIES
West Indies inns:

X Marshall run out (Alexander) 106
T Maraj run out 34
L Simmons run out 30
A Fudadin c Bowyer b van der Merwe 8
D Ramdin c van Jaarsveld b September 16
J Augustus b van der Merwe 33
Z Khan not out 26
R Rampaul not out12
EXTRAS (B1, LB11, W5, NB2) 19
Total for six wickets (50 overs) 284
Did not bat: L Sebastien, R Bachan, L Baker.
Fall of wickets: 93; 161; 178; 196; 213; 267.
BOWLING: Alexander 4-0-21-0; Philander 6-1-21-0; Africa 5-0-42-0 (W1, NB2); September 10-0-57-1 (W4); Pennazza 10-0-57-0; Bowyer 10-0-44-0; van der Merwe 5-0-30-2.

South Africa inns:
V van Jaarsveld c Simmons b Baker 40
C Bowyer c Khan b Sebastien 32
D van Wyk st Ramdin b Bachan 41
J Booysen b Sebastien 17
V Philander st Ramdin b Bachan 2
R van der Merwe b Rampaul 15
K Africa run out 14
M Silwana b Rampaul 42
V Pennazza b Rampaul 27
W September run out 3
C Alexander not out 0
EXTRAS (B4, LB1, W3, NB9) 17
Total (50 overs) 250
Fall of wickets: 67; 95; 129; 132; 153; 163; 185; 238; 246; 250.
BOWLING: Rampaul 10-0-41-3 (W1, NB5); Baker 6-0-29-1 (W2, NB1); Sebastien 10-0-46-2; Khan 10-0-51-0 (NB3); Bachan 10-1-46-2; Augustus 4-0-32-0.