By Samuel Peters
A superb all-round bowling display from Micah McKenzie guided West Indies Under-19s to a 25-run victory (DLS method) over Ireland Under-19s in the 26th Match of the Super Sixes (Group 1) at the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, West Indies posted a 226 all out in 46.5 overs, built around a composed 66 from Jewel Andrew and valuable middle-order contributions from Jonathan van Lange (28), Aadian Racha (28), and *Vitel Lawes (18 off 10)**. Ireland’s bowlers shared the workload, with Luke Murray (2/37) and James West (2/24) keeping things relatively tight through the middle overs.
Rain later intervened during Ireland’s chase, reducing their innings to 40 overs and revising the target to 190 under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. Ireland made a steady start through James West, who top-scored with 45, but struggled to maintain momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals.
McKenzie proved decisive with the ball, ripping through the Irish middle order to claim 4 for 36 in 10 overs, earning him the Player of the Match award. He was well supported by Vitel Lawes (2/41) and Aadian Racha (1/27) as Ireland closed on 164 for 7, finishing 25 runs short of the revised target.
The result strengthens West Indies’ position in Super Sixes Group 1, while Ireland were left to rue missed opportunities in a rain-affected contest where the Caribbean side held their nerve when it mattered most. The Caribbean side will face off against titleholders Australia in a must win encounter on Thursday.
