Bulawayo: England beat Australia by 27 runs in the semifinal of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 at Queens Sports in Bulawayo on Tuesday to knock the defending champion out of the tournament.
England captain Thomas Rew’s 107-ball 110 trumped his counterpart Oliver Peake’s 88-ball century as Australia was bowled out for 250 in the 278-run chase.
The contest was headed for a thrilling finish after Peake and Charles Lachmund added 39 runs in 24 balls for the ninth wicket to put Australia back on track. However, the pace duo of Sebastian Morgan and James Minto, England’s best bowlers on the day, removed Lachmund and Peake, respectively, to confirm their team’s third Under-19 World Cup final appearance.
Barring opener Nitesh Samuel’s 47 and Aryan Sharma’s lower-order contribution of 34 in 23 deliveries, Peake didn’t find much support from the rest of his teammates, resulting in Australia failing to cross the line.
It was a similar tale for England, with Rew outshining the rest of the batting line-up with a scintillating 110, studded with 14 fours and one six. Rew’s 135-run partnership with Caleb Falconer (40) for the fourth wicket put England on course for a competitive total, while Farhan Ahmed’s unbeaten 26-ball 28 put the finishing touches on the innings.
The Australian pace spearheads, Lachmund and Will Bryom, had an ordinary outing, with the duo picking just one wicket between them in 14 overs. Right-arm medium-pacer Hayden Schiller (2/31 in 8 overs) led Australia’s charge with the ball, with leg-spinner Naden Cooray lending support with 2/49 in 10 overs.
In contrast, England’s seamers made inroads into the Aussie batting order at regular intervals, which eventually made the difference.
England last qualified for the final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2022, when it lost to India in the summit clash.
India and Afghanistan will lock horns in the second semifinal at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.
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