Australian captain Hugh Weibgen confidently states that his team is prepared for the test against defending champions India in the ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup 2024 on Sunday, February 11.
Securing their spot in the final, Australia achieved a thrilling one-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second semi-final at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Thursday, February 8.
They successfully chased down 180 for victory with five balls to spare. In a closely contested knockout clash, India had earlier defeated South Africa by two wickets.
Expressing his thoughts on facing India in the U-19 World Cup 2024 final, Weibgen stated to ICC:
“India are a class team, they’ll come out and compete really hard – we’ll love that challenge, we’ll love that fight and we are really looking forward to it.”
India is set to appear in their ninth U-19 World Cup final, marking their fifth consecutive final. The Men in Blue remain undefeated in the competition, a feat matched by Australia.
Interestingly, this marks the third consecutive ICC final encounter between India and Australia. The two rivals previously met in the ICC World Test Championship final and ODI World Cup final, with Australia emerging victorious in both instances.
“Still don’t know what really happened, but it was awesome” – Australian captain thoughts on semi-final win
Following Australia’s decision to bowl after winning the toss, Tom Straker delivered an outstanding bowling performance, claiming 6/24 to dismiss Pakistan for 179 in 48.5 overs. In response, opener Harry Dixon made a valuable contribution with 50 runs off 75 deliveries, and Oliver Peake played a crucial role, scoring 49.
Despite Ali Raza’s impressive performance with 4/34, maintaining the bowling side’s competitiveness, Australia encountered difficulties at 164/9 after 46 overs. Raf MacMillan, remaining unbeaten with 19*, demonstrated composure and guided his team to victory alongside Callum Vidler (2*).
“We had full faith in Vids (Vidler) and Raf to get the job done. There was quite a bit of emotion in the dressing room. I was quite tense and excited too. I still don’t know what really happened, but it was awesome,” Weibgen commented, while reflecting on the tense win.
Tom Straker’s exceptional bowling performance of 6/24 surpassed Kagiso Rabada’s record (6/25), establishing a new record for the best figures by a bowler in a semi-final or final of the U-19 World Cup.
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