Australia U19 122-4 (Hogan 43, Draper 23*, Basson 3-41) beat South Africa U19 118 (James 34, Lachmund 3-29) by six wickets
A tidy new-ball burst and an unhurried reply were enough for Australia’s Under-19s to collect another two points, this time against South Africa in Potchefstroom. Charles Lachmund’s 3 for 29, backed by two apiece from Will Byrom and Aryan Sharma, restricted South Africa to 118. Steven Hogan then chiselled out 43 from 73 balls as the chase finished with 17.1 overs unused.
The bare facts matter first. South Africa slid to 37-4 inside the powerplay, wrestled their way to three figures, and never quite recovered. Australia lost early wickets for the first time in the tournament but still crossed the line at a canter.
“It felt like there was enough in the pitch if you just hit the top of off,” Lachmund told the host broadcaster. “Nothing fancy, just keep asking questions.” Byrom, who removed both openers, offered a similar view: “There was a hint of seam, enough to keep us interested.”
Van Schalkwyk and Paul James briefly hauled the innings out of trouble. James, last out for 34 from 60, picked off anything on his pads yet found little support once Van Schalkwyk fell to a sharp bit of work from wicketkeeper Alex Lee Young. Aryan’s left-arm spin, drifting and turning enough to draw edges, finished off the middle order.
At the interval, South Africa’s assistant coach Sizwe Nxumalo admitted the target looked light. “We never really gave ourselves a platform. Against Australia you pay for that.” Even so, JJ Basson’s opening spell raised hope. He nipped one back through Sam Konstas, then had Ryan Hicks edging behind, returning later to pin Hogan lbw and finish with 3 for 41.
Hogan’s innings was hardly fluent—he spent long stretches fencing at Basson and driving on the up—but it soaked up 73 balls and took Australia past halfway. “It wasn’t pretty,” he smiled afterwards, “yet someone had to hang around, and today that was me.” Once Basson’s overs were done, Jayden Draper steered the visitors home, sealing victory with back-to-back boundaries.
For South Africa, the positives were slim: Basson’s rhythm, James’s composure, and another glimpse of Van Schalkwyk’s temperament. Australia, meanwhile, stay unbeaten, their bowling again doing most of the heavy lifting, their batting ticking over without fuss. As Lachmund put it, “Job done, on to the next one.”
