Ben Mayes barely blinked. Asked to bat first in Harare, England’s opener blazed 191 from 117 balls – the highest Youth ODI score by an Englishman – and England Under-19s piled up 404 for 6 before dispatching Scotland for 152. The 252-run margin sealed a perfect three-from-three record in Group D, while Scotland head for the plate rounds after two defeats and a no-result.
“It was one of those days where the ball just looked big,” Mayes said, his shirt still streaked with red dirt. “Joseph kept telling me to stay greedy, so I tried not to get cute.” Joseph Moores, who shared a 188-run stand with Mayes, added: “Ben hits areas most of us only dream about. My job was to stay out of his way, really.”
Key facts first, then the colour. England rattled along at 7.21 an over; Mayes reached fifty in 33 balls, his hundred in 65 and eventually finished with 18 fours and eight sixes. Moores’ 81 came at a breezy pace too, and although leg-spinner Charlie Woodhouse checked the charge briefly with 3 for 88, the damage was done.
Scotland’s reply never threatened. They were 33 without loss after ten overs but the pressure of the chase told: four wickets tumbled for 14 runs, off-spinner Caleb Falconer finishing with 3 for 19 while left-arm seamer Manny Lumsden zipped out two more. Finlay Carter’s 34 offered resistance and a faint smile; everything else was tidy work for England, who wrapped things up with 31 balls unused.
Scotland coach Grant Morgan kept perspective: “We were taught a lesson in tempo. Credit to England, but our lads will learn faster from this than any net session.”
If England’s dominance felt loud, Afghanistan’s was almost ruthless. In Potchefstroom, seamer Nooristani Omarzai ripped through Tanzania with 5 for 9 as the debutants were hustled out for 85. Afghanistan coasted home on 88 for 1 in just 12.2 overs, topping Group C in the process.
“Line, length, and let the pitch do the rest,” Omarzai shrugged afterwards. “The new ball nipped; I just tried to hit the top of off.” Captain Sohail Hotak, grinning nearby, chipped in: “He makes the team talk easy – ‘Give the ball to Noor!’”
Tanzania never built momentum. They crawled to 14 in the powerplay and lost two wickets; a further setback came when Rehaan Ahtif retired hurt. Augustino Mwamele and skipper Laksh Bakrania stitched 35, but once off-spinner Uzairullah Niazai removed Bakrania, the collapse – 7 for 19 – felt inevitable. Extras, 25 of them, were the second-highest contributor.
Chasing 86 was little more than batting practice. Despite losing Khalid Ahmadzai cheaply, Faisal Shinozada raced to 55 not out from 34 balls, peppering the off-side fence and clearing it once. Afghanistan won with 224 balls spare; more importantly, they made it three wins from three against South Africa, West Indies and now Tanzania.
Afghanistan coach Dawlat Wafa praised the squad’s calmness. “We talk about earning the right to play fearless cricket,” he said. “They’re teenagers – sometimes fearless comes naturally – but they’re also disciplined.”
Analysis, kept simple. For England the positives are obvious: Mayes’ form, Moores’ fluency and a bowling unit that still has overs in the tank. The lingering question is how they respond if an opponent survives the early burst; Scotland never forced that scenario.
Afghanistan, by contrast, have shown they can scrap – witness the squeeze against South Africa – and also put weaker sides away without fuss. Their seam-spin blend, with Omarzai up front and Niazai through the middle, looks well-balanced on southern African surfaces that reward hitting the seam and giving the ball a rip.
There were setbacks, and they deserve empathy. Scotland’s young top order walked off heads down but to applause from a vocal travelling group. Tanzania’s batters batted deep into the second drinks break, refusing to surrender. “We’ll park today in the bin and focus on fielding skills tomorrow,” Bakrania said. “This tournament is about opportunity, not just results.”
Next up, the Super Sixes beckon for England and Afghanistan. Form lines are encouraging; workloads need managing; teenage nerves remain unpredictable. That, as every age-group coach knows, is half the fun.
