STELLENBOSCH: Captain Bennie Hansen led from the front with an assured half-century as South Africa Under-19 Men beat England in the decisive third and final Youth One-Day International at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch on Wednesday.
Daniel Bosman also played a key hand as the hosts first bowled out their visitors for 156, before chasing down the target with nearly 15 overs to spare.
The result ensured Malibongwe Maketa’s side completed an excellent 2-1 come-from-behind win after they had lost the first game of the series last week.
Medium-pacer Bosman was the star of the first innings with his excellent return of three wickets for four runs in only 2.5 overs.
After England won the toss and opted to bat, seamer Carl Fryer (1/17) landed an early blow by dismissing opener Ben Dawkins for four in the sixth over. Fellow opener Ben Mayes made two before he too fell – this time at the hands of Player of the Series Raeeq Daniels (2/24).
Touring skipper Archie Vaughan then dropped anchor with 60 (83 balls, 6 fours) as Aaryan Sawant (20), Farhan Ahmed (26) and Thomas Rew (25) tried to build partnerships with him.
But the junior Proteas kept chipping away through Divan de Villiers (1/27), Bandile Mbatha (1/23), Chad Mason (1/33) and Jason Rowles (1/24).
Bosman then snared three quick wickets – Joseph Moores, Harry Moore and Eddie Jack – all for ducks. That saw the away side slump from 146 for four to 148 for eight within a flash, and the tail was then quickly extinguished.
England were eventually all out in 40.1 overs leaving a target of 157 for the home side.
Openers Adnaan Lagadien (27) and Mason (28) provided the perfect start by helping them get to 77 for one at one stage.
And right-hander Hansen recorded a vital 57 off 60 balls (10 fours) to keep the scoreboard moving.
Even though wickets fell at the other end, the captain did enough to take his side close enough, before Paul James (15*) completed the job and sealed a famous series win.
“In the first game, we let the occasion get to us. However, the response after that was amazing,” commented Maketa.
“The key for us was ensuring that each player focused on their responsibilities, did the little things right, and then brought everything together. The way the team executed this gave them a great sense of self-belief in the second match.
“It was really encouraging to see that self-belief carried over into today’s match. They stayed in the fight for long periods, especially when England built partnerships, but continued to apply pressure to break those partnerships, which was really pleasing to see.”
Maketa added, “It was important for us to ensure that players from the last cycle brought their experience into this new cycle, and that’s exactly what the likes of Raeeq [Daniels], Bennie [Hansen] and Nqobani [Mokoena] have done in this series.
“They led from the front with their performances and have taken on leadership roles within the team, guiding the younger, less experienced players in the squad.”
SA U19 Men’s Youth ODI Squad against England U19
Bennie Hansen (captain, Western Province), Daniel Bosman (Western Province), Raeeq Daniels (Western Province), Divan de Villiers (Titans), Carl Fryer (North West), Paul James (Western Province), Enathi Khitshini (Garden Route Badgers), Adnaan Lagadien (Western Province), Chad Mason (KZN Inland Tuskers), Bandile Mbatha (Dolphins), Nqobani Mokoena (Dolphins), Lethabo Phahlamohlaka (Titans), Semal Pillay (Dolphins), Jason Rowles (Lions), and Ntando Soni (Dolphins).
SA U19 Men’s Youth Test Squad against England U19
Bennie Hansen (captain, Western Province), Daniel Bosman (Western Province), Muhammad Bulbulia (North West), Raeeq Daniels (Western Province), Divan de Villiers (Titans), Paul James (Western Province), Martin Khumalo (Eastern Storm), Adnaan Lagadien (Western Province), Chad Mason (KZN Inland Tuskers), Nqobani Mokoena (Dolphins), Lethabo Phahlamohlaka (Titans), Nathan Rossouw (North West), Jason Rowles (Lions), Jorich van Schalkwyk (Titans), and Sandiswa Yeni (Dolphins).
SA U19 Men’s Tour against England U19
Youth ODI Series
Friday, 17 January at 10:00
South Africa U19 lost to England U19 by 5 wickets – Western Province Cricket Club, Cape Town
Sunday, 19 January at 10:00
South Africa U19 beat England U19 by 5 wickets – Western Province Cricket Club, Cape Town
Wednesday, 22 January at 10:00
South Africa U19 beat England U19 by 4 wickets – Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch
Youth Test Series
27 – 30 January at 10:00
South Africa U19 vs England U19 – Coetzenburg Oval, Stellenbosch
03 – 06 February at 10:00
South Africa U19 vs England U19 – Western Province Cricket Club, Cape Town
Source: cricket.co.za
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