The Paragon Hub ISSUE 9

SPORT
U19 CRICKET WORLD CUP THAT HAD IT ALL
Marc Pozzo
After 23 days and 41 matches, it was Hugh Weibgen’s
Australia who got their hands on the coveted ICC U19
Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 trophy, beating five-time
champions India in the final in Benoni. Weibgen’s triumph
places him in esteemed company with Geoff Parker,
Cameron White, and Mitchell Marsh as captains who
guided Australia to U19 Men’s CWC titles. This triumph
marked the end of a 14-year U19 trophy drought for
Australia.
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Weibgen not only led by example with the bat but was
praised for his tactical acumen during difficult moments in
the tournament, including the brave decision to pick four
seamers and bat first against India in the final in overcast
conditions. Australia posted a formidable total of 253/7
in 50 overs. Harjas Singh’s half-century, coupled with
significant contributions from Harry Dixon, Weibgen, and
Oliver Peake, played a pivotal role in Australia posting
the highest score in U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final
history. In response, the Australian pacers dominated
the Indian batsmen, who had performed exceptionally
well throughout the tournament. The pressure of the
scoreboard eventually led to India falling short by 74
runs, securing Australia’s first victory over India in the
tournament since 1998. India’s woes in finals against
Australia continue, the senior side having previously lost
out to Australia in last year’s ICC World Test Championship
Final and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
A total of 16 teams were divided into four groups of
four, with three teams from each group progressing to
the new Super Six stage. India, Bangladesh and Ireland
progressed from Group A while South Africa, England
and West Indies moved forward from Group B. While
Australia, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe qualified from Group
C, it was Group D that witnessed a dramatic finale to the
group stages, as Nepal edged out Afghanistan in a lowscoring
thriller to join Pakistan and New Zealand in the
Super Six. The Super Six stage infused a renewed sense
of excitement and energy into the tournament, elevating
the stakes for the eagerly awaited semi-finals. England
ended their U19 Cricket World Cup campaign with an
emphatic 146-run victory over Zimbabwe, despite batter
Hamza Shaikh’s controversial dismissal when given out for
‘obstructing the field’. The incident occurred in the 17th
over of the Super Six clash in Potchefstroom when Shaikh
blocked a delivery from Ryan Simbi and the ball stopped
after hitting his foot. The right-hander then picked the
ball up to throw it back to wicketkeeper Ryan Kamwemba
as he approached from behind the stumps, prompting
Zimbabwe to appeal on the grounds Shaikh had done so
without seeking permission from the fielding team.
Law 37.4 of cricket states: “Either batter is out Obstructing
the field if, at any time while the ball is in play and, without
the consent of a fielder, he/she uses the bat or any part of
his/her person to return the ball to any fielder.”
The two on-field umpires consulted with each other
and sent the appeal for a review, with the third umpire
signalling Shaikh was out (for one off nine deliveries) after
viewing the replay, leaving England 78-3 after losing the
toss and having been made to bat first. This was a sad day
for Zimbabwe cricket and the spirit of the game in general.
The Zimbabwe Captain Matthew Schonken should have,
with consultation from the side lines consulted with his
team and called the batsmen back with just a warning. If
that’s how one wishes to get wickets, they are extremely
desperate or very nieve about the rules of the game and
way the sport is played . While the decision to give Shaikh
out was correct within cricket’s laws, there will no doubt be
debate around whether it was in the spirit of the game for
Zimbabwe to appeal in the first place. From that moment
on, my support of Zimbabwe U19’s dropped a notch or
three for the rest of the game after that debacle.
Shaikh’s dismissal is reminiscent of a near-identical
incident which occurred in the 2018 U19 World Cup, in a
match between the West Indies and South Africa, which
created a minor furore in the cricket world. In total, eight
players have been given out for obstructing the field in
the history of senior men’s one-day international cricket,
including current England Test captain Ben Stokes in a
match against Australia at Lord’s in 2015.
In Group 1, Bangladesh and Pakistan played out a
humdinger in a low-scoring affair. In the end, it was
Pakistan’s pacers who made the difference, defending 155
runs to take their side through to the semis.Group 2 saw
the vibrant West Indies crash out due to rain interruption
in their virtual knockout against eventual champions
Australia. Both teams needed a victory to progress, but
the match concluded with no result, leading to Australia
and West Indies sharing points.
Both semi-finals were closely contested matches that
went right down to the wire. For the first time in the