India to face SL in semis

Mirpur, February 7

India will face Sri Lanka in the semifinals of the ICC U-19 World Cup after the island nation reached the last-four stage with a six-wicket win over England.

In an impressive all-round performance, Sri Lanka dismissed England for just 184 and then overhauled the target in the 36th over.

Avishka Fernando hit 95 off 96 balls after Wanidu Hasanranga grabbed three wickets to set up the semifinal against India on Tuesday.

This is the third time Sri Lanka has reached the semifinals of this tournament since its inception in 1988. Hosting the event in 2000, Lanka reached the final where it lost to Mohammad Kaif-led Indian team, while in 2010 in New Zealand, Sri Lanka reached the last four and finished in the fourth position.

England failed to match its earlier run-feast in Group C where it raked up totals of 371 for three against Fiji, 282 for seven against West Indies and 288 for four against Zimbabwe.

Callum Taylor top-scored with 42 after England elected to bat, but the rest of the batting fell apart against the sustained pressure applied by the Sri Lanka bowlers.

Leg-spinner Hasaranga finished with the figure of 3/34 after seamer Asitha Fernando wrecked the start with two dismissals. Sri Lanka made a breezy start, racing to 51 for no loss in eight overs before the lunch break, with Fernando contributing 35 runs to the total. Kaveen Bandara helped Fernando put on 76 runs for the first wicket before he was run out for an individual score of 22 runs in the 14th over. Fernando hit 11 boundaries and a six to steer Sri Lanka towards an emphatic win. He was caught behind off Saqib Mahmood when just 14 runs were needed for victory in 17 overs.

Skipper Charith Asalanka, who put on 69 for the third wicket with Fernando, fell for 34 soon after, but Sri Lanka cruised home easily.

Asalanka said he was delighted to see his team bounce back after losing to Pakistan in the last league match. Asalanka said Sri Lanka will test India with spin. “We know Indians are good players of spin, but spin is our strength and we will stick to it. We are confident of doing well in the semifinal,” he said.

Brief Scores: England: 184 in 49.2 overs (C Taylor 42, W Hasaranga 3/34, A Fernando 2-16); Sri Lanka: 186/4 in 35.4 overs (A Fernando 95). —PTI