Pakistan Under-19s 190-4 (Usman 75, Hussain 47) beat Scotland Under-19s 187 (Raza 4-37, Qamar 3-46) by six wickets
South Africa Under-19s 397-5 (Rowles 125*, Bulbulia 108) beat Tanzania Under-19s 68 (Majola 2-6, Rowles 2-14) by 329 runs
Pakistan too sharp for Scotland
A pair of new-ball bullets from Ali Raza set the mood in Harare. Two wickets in his opening over – both bowled, both furious – left Scotland two down before everyone had found a seat. “I wasn’t looking at the speed gun, just at the stumps,” Raza smiled later, mud still on his boots. He finished with 4 for 37; left-arm wrist-spinner Momin Qamar tidied up the middle, 3 for 46, as Scotland were limited to 187.
Thomas Knight, the Scottish captain, hung in for 37 from 72 balls. “We knew 220 might have kept us in,” he admitted, “but losing those early poles hurt.” Finlay Jones and Manu Saraswat added a gritty 68 for the seventh wicket, giving their bowlers something – not a lot – to work with.
Pakistan’s chase very nearly slipped early when Ollie Jones found movement with the new ball, but No.3 Usman Khan played the one truly composed innings of the match. His 75, equal parts cuts and clips, underpinned a 111-run stand with Ahmed Hussain (47). Hussain, who earlier pulled off a tumbling catch at point, said simply, “We back our batting. Put partnerships on the board and the game looks quite small.” The target fell in the 44th over, six wickets in hand, and Pakistan jogged off with the points.
Scotland never gave up – they took four wickets and kept the scoring rate honest – yet were plainly outgunned. Raza’s pace, up around the 140s, was the key difference, while Qamar’s wrong-un proved unreadable on a surface offering a hint of grip but not much turn.
Rowles, Bulbulia batter Tanzania
South Africa’s day in Windhoek felt different. Tanzania began brightly – two wickets before drinks had SA 93 for 2 – but that was as good as it got. Jason Rowles and Muhammed Bulbulia combined for 201 off 176 balls, wiping any pressure away with clean, percentage stroke-play. Bulbulia’s run-a-ball 108 was almost measured; Rowles went harder later, five sixes and ten fours in his unbeaten 125 from 101.
“I enjoy batting with Mo,” Rowles said. “He talks calm, I swing hard, it works.” Paul James added a 46 off 18 at the end, five sixes of his own, pushing the total to a hefty 397 for 5. Anything near four-an-over is usually par at this ground; nine-plus was always going to be too steep.
Tanzania never got close. Majola seamed one away in the second over, edges kept flying, and by the tenth they were four down for 24. Every South African bowler picked up at least one; Rowles even swapped bat for left-arm spin and grabbed 2 for 14. The innings ended in the 24th, all out 68. Coach Malibongwe Maketa kept it simple: “Job done, onto the next one.”
A few numbers in context
• Raza’s opening over – wickets three and four balls in – was timed at roughly 142 kph, quick for Under-19 level.
• Rowles has now passed fifty in five of his last seven age-group knocks.
• Tanzania’s 68 is their third-lowest total in Youth ODIs; they were bowled out for 58 and 62 at the previous World Cup.
What it means
Both Pakistan and South Africa take early control of their respective groups. Scotland, who showed backbone with the ball, still need points to keep quarter-final hopes alive. Tanzania must regroup fast; their batting, solid in qualifiers, froze under World Cup lights.
Next fixtures
Pakistan meet Ireland on Thursday, pace against technique on the same Harare strip. Scotland travel to Windhoek, needing a win over Namibia. South Africa get two clear days before facing Sri Lanka; Tanzania square up to the hosts.
Plenty still to settle, but on day one the heavyweights swung first – and hard.
