India made it three wins from three in the group stage of the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup, with a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand.
Rain once again impacted proceedings but India were able to quickly reach their target after impressive bowling from R.S. Ambrish had reduced New Zealand to 135 all out.
There was also victory for Japan, who beat Tanzania by nine wickets in the first of the 13th to 16th-place play-offs.
Nihar Parmar was the star for Japan, as he posted four for 30 with the ball before contributing a half-century in the run chase.
India stay perfect
India made it three wins from three with a rain-affected seven-wicket victory over New Zealand, via the DLS method.
New Zealand were put into bat and struggled to get going as R.S. Ambrish dismissed both Hugo Bogue (4) and Tom Jones (2) on his way to four for 29.
That left New Zealand 17 for three as Aryan Mann was out to Henil Patel and that quickly became 22 for five as Marco Alpe (1) and Snehith Reddy (10) also fell.
Jacob Cotter (23) led the fightback, with Callum Samson (37 not out) and Selwin Sanjay (28) taking New Zealand into three figures, eventually ending up all out for 135.
India were set a revised target of 130 and looked unflustered in their chase despite the early loss of Aaron George, who was bowled for seven by Mason Clarke.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (40) and Ayush Mhatre (53) combined excellently to take their side the majority of the way, before Vihaan Malhotra (17 not out) and Vedant Trivedi (13 not out) finished the job to secure top spot in Group B.
Japan progress in play-offs
Nihar Parmar starred with bat and ball to help Japan beat Tanzania by nine-wickets in the 13th to 16th play-offs.
Tanzania chose to bat and vindicated that decision early on despite the loss of opener Karim Kiseto for zero.
Acrey Pascal (55) and Ayaan Shariff (40) combined for a 79-run partnership before Pascal fell to Kazuma Kato-Stafford.
Parmar then struck twice with consecutive balls to dismiss Shariff and Agustino Mwamele (0) and that triggered a collapse, as Tanzania fell from 118 for three to 131 all out.
Parmar struck twice more to finish with four for 30, while Nikhil Pol took three for 23 as Japan ripped through the Tanzanian tail.
Japan responded ruthlessly with the bat, as Parmar and fellow opener Taylor Waugh steadily chased down the target.
The pair put on 122 before Waugh was run out on 47 before Parmar brought up his half-century.
Parmar finished unbeaten on 53, with Pol (12) joining him in the middle to wrap up victory.
Scores in brief:
India v New Zealand, Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
New Zealand 135 all out in 36.2 overs (Callum Samson 37 not out, Selwin Sanjay 28; R.S. Ambrish 4/29, Henil Patel 3/23)
India 130 for three in 13.3 overs (rev) (Ayush Mhatre 53, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 40; Selwin Sanjay 1/22, Mason Clarke 1/29)
Result: India win by seven wickets (DLS method)
Japan v Tanzania– High Performance Oval, Windhoek
Tanzania 131 all out in 38.3 overs (Acrey Pascal 55, Ayaan Shariff 40; Nihar Parmar 4/30, Nikhil Pol 3/23)
Japan 136 for one in 28.2 overs (Nihar Parmar 53 not out, Taylor Waugh 47)
Result: Japan win by nine wickets
Automatic Slicer
Albert Johanneson Made Country People Proud: Very few black players from South Africa have had the chance to represent the country at the top level of English football, but many are quite successful at small African football clubs such as the Garden Hotspurs. Gladly, he was the first black player to represent the country in this tournament and also in the FA Cup Final. He proved to be a gem for the country by giving an amazing performance in the contests!
Red Woman
Sport Trivia: Who was the first black player to represent South Africa in rugby? Answer: Errol Tobias made his debut for South Africa on 30th May 1981, against Ireland at Newlands. South Africa won the match 23-15. He went on to win six caps between 1981 and 1984.