England Dominates Zimbabwe; Afghanistan Secures Victory in U19 World Cup 2026

On Sunday, England secured an eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe at the Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare during Group C of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026.

After opting to bowl first upon winning the toss, England managed to limit Zimbabwe to 208 for nine in their 50 overs. Manny Lumsden led the bowling with three wickets, while Ralphie Albert and Farhan Ahmed contributed with two wickets each.

Zimbabwe’s innings faced an early setback with the loss of their openers. However, the middle order provided stability, taking the team beyond the 200-run threshold. Unfortunately, Kian Hendrik Blignaut, Dhruv Patel, and Tatenda Chimugoro failed to build on their starts for larger scores. Captain Simbarashe Mudzengerere emerged as the top scorer with an unbeaten 45 from 63 deliveries.

England’s chase encountered early challenges as pacer Shelton Mazvitorera dismissed the openers quickly. Nevertheless, Thomas Rew and Ben Mayes formed an undefeated partnership of 167 runs that saw England reach their target in just 28 overs.

In Group D, Afghanistan achieved their second consecutive victory, defeating the West Indies by 138 runs at the High Performance Oval in Windhoek. This win secured Afghanistan’s place in the Super Six stage.

Opener Osman Sadat led the charge with an 88 off 131 balls, while captain Mehboob Taskin added a quick 86 off 69 balls, guiding Afghanistan to a total of 262 for six. The West Indies struggled in their chase, losing three wickets early in the PowerPlay. Jewel Andrew fought hard with 57 off 70 balls, but the team could only reach 124 runs. Nooristani Omarzai starred with the ball, securing four wickets for 16 runs, supported by Khatir Stanikzai and Wahidullah Zadran, who took three wickets each.

The day’s third match, between the USA and New Zealand, was abandoned due to rain.

Brief Scores:

• Zimbabwe: 208/9 in 50 overs (Simbarashe Mudzengerere 45; Manny Lumsden 3/38)
  England: 209/2 in 28 overs (Ben Mayes 77, Thomas Rew 86*).

• Afghanistan: 262/6 in 50 overs (Osman Sadat 88, Mehboob Taskin 86; Jakeem Pollard 3/39)
  West Indies: 124 in 33.2 overs (Jewel Andrew 57; Nooristani Omarzai 4/16, Khatir Stanikzai 3/20).

• USA: 253/9 in 50 overs (Nitish Sudani 117; Flynn Morey 4/40)
  New Zealand: 12/0 in 1 over – No result.

Published on January 18, 2026.