Under-19 World Cup 2026: England eases past Zimbabwe, Afghanistan pick second win

England recorded an eight-wicket win against Zimbabwe at the Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare on Sunday in Group C of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026.

After winning the toss, England opted to bowl and restricted the home side to 208 for nine in 50 overs. Manny Lumsden picked three wickets while Ralphie Albert and Farhan Ahmed grabbed two each.

Zimbabwe lost its openers early but steady hands from the middle order got the side past the 200-run mark. However, Kian Hendrik Blignaut, Dhruv Patel, and Tatenda Chimugoro were also guilty of squandering starts and not converting them into big scores.

Captain Simbarashe Mudzengerere was the top scorer with his unbeaten 45 off 63 balls.

Zimbabwe jolted England’s response early on, with pacer Shelton Mazvitorera picking the openers. But Thomas Rew and Ben Mayes got together for an unbeaten 167-run partnership to finish the chase in 28 overs.

In Group D, Afghanistan too picked its second straight win, beating West Indies by 138 runs at the High Performance Oval in Windhoek.

Opener Osman Sadat struck 88 off 131 balls and skipper Mehboob Taskin slammed 86 off 69 to take Afghanistan to 262 for six.

In response, West Indies never got going and lost three wickets inside the PowerPlay. Jewel Andrew waged a lonely battle with his 70-ball 57 but could only drag West Indies to 124 runs.

Nooristani Omarzai was the pick of the bowlers, picking four wickets for 16 runs. Khatir Stanikzai and Wahidullah Zadran got three apiece.

The third fixture of the day between USA and New Zealand was washed out due to rain.

Published on Jan 18, 2026

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