Chronicle Editor
Mehluli Sibanda in Kimberly, South Africa
ZIMBABWE continue with their quest to finish in a respectable position in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup when they take on England in a Plate League semi-final encounter at the Diamond Oval this morning.
Zimbabwe finished third in their pool with just one win, failing to book a spot in the Super League quarter-finals and were relegated to the Plate section of the competition, which is for those playing for positions outside the top eight. The Young Chevrons thumped Canada by 95 runs to book a spot in the Plate semis against England, who beat Japan by nine wickets on Monday. In the 2018 edition of the tournament, Zimbabwe finished 11th after beating Canada by 138 runs in the play-off. If Zimbabwe beat England, they will qualify for the Plate League final at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Monday where a win would see them finishing ninth out of 16 teams at the tournament.
The worst Zimbabwe can finish in is 12th, if they lose to England today and again in the 11th spot play-off on Sunday. Zimbabwe made a great recovery with the bat against Canada on Tuesday after being out of sorts earlier in their innings.
However, Emmanuel Bawa, batting at No. 7, struck an unbeaten 105, while Gareth Chirawu (54 not out) and Taurayi Tugwete (50) pushed Zimbabwe to 271/7 in 50 overs. Zimbabwe’s bowlers made sure Canada were way off their target by blowing them away for 176 runs in 47.3 overs. — @Mdawini_29.
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