KEY POINTS
- Australia qualified for Super Six with dominant 8-wicket victory over Japan.
- Will Malajczuk smashed 55-ball century, fastest in U19 World Cup history.
- Persistent rain caused abandonment of the New Zealand vs. Bangladesh match.
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe: Australia secured a spot in the Super Six of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 with an emphatic eight-wicket win over Japan in Windhoek on Tuesday.
In Bulawayo, persistent rain forced the abandonment of the Group B clash between New Zealand and Bangladesh, with both teams sharing the points.
Opting to bat first, Japan built their innings around a determined unbeaten 79 from Hugo Tani-Kelly.
After losing an early wicket, Tani-Kelly found support from Nihar Parmar (33) and later Charles Hinze (24) to guide his side to a respectable total.
However, the Australian bowlers kept striking at regular intervals, restricting Japan to 201/7 in their 50 overs.
Australian chase was nothing short of spectacular. Openers Will Malajczuk and Nitesh Samuel launched an immediate assault, smashing a match-winning 135-run partnership in just 15 overs.
The highlight was Malajczuk’s blistering 55-ball 102, which set a new record for the fastest century in the history of the Under-19 World Cup.
Samuel remained not out on 60 as Australia raced to the target in just 26.2 overs, sealing their place in the next round.
Rain spoils New Zealand-Bangladesh showdown
In the other Bulawayo fixture, the highly anticipated clash between New Zealand and Bangladesh was washed out after only 10 overs of play.
Having been put in to bat, New Zealand were 42/1, with Aryandeep Mann and captain Thomas Jones at the crease, when the rain arrived.
No further play was possible, marking New Zealand’s second consecutive abandoned match in the tournament.
Upcoming fixtures
Australia, now with a perfect record, will face another unbeaten side, Sri Lanka, in a top-of-the-table clash on Friday.
Japan will look to bounce back against Ireland on Thursday.
In Group B, New Zealand will aim for their first completed game when they take on India on Saturday. Bangladesh will face the USA a day earlier, with both teams still in contention for a Super Six spot.
