Zachary Carter starred with the bat once again, but West Indies fell just short of advancing to the semi-finals after going down to defending champions Australia in their ICC Under-19 World Cup clash in Harare.
Chasing a daunting 315 for victory, West Indies were restricted to 292 for nine, despite Carter smashing 64 off 42 balls, an innings which included seven fours and four sixes. Captain Joshua Dorne added 62 from 97 deliveries, while Jewel Andrew contributed 44 and Kunal Tilokani 35.
The regional side appeared well placed at 239 for three in the 40th over, but lost wickets steadily after the dismissal of Tilokani. For Australia, Charles Lachmund led the bowling with four for 66, while Hayden Schiller claimed two for 54 and Aryan Sharma two for 47.
All of West Indies’ top six batters passed 25, but the innings unravelled in the final ten overs. Needing 83 runs with seven wickets in hand, the Caribbean side lost five wickets for just 52 runs as pressure mounted.
Speaking after the match, Carter admitted disappointment at not getting his team over the line.
“My thought process was just to be positive and adapting to the conditions was key. I realised hitting the ball straighter was a better option, so I was trying to capitalise on the fuller balls. I was really determined to get a big score and get my team over the line, so I was gutted not to. To me it was poor shot selection, and I just think that learning has to take place.”
Carter said the tournament had highlighted important lessons at the international level.
“Decision-making is key at this level and with quality bowling like Australia, you just have to be really disciplined and I think that I lost the discipline there.”
Earlier, Australia posted an imposing 314 for seven after captain Oliver Peake struck a commanding 109 from 117 balls, including nine fours and one six. Opener Nitesh Samuel added 56, while fellow opener Will Malajczuk contributed 48 as the pair shared 73 for the first wicket.
Peake, who arrived at the crease after 11 overs at number four, anchored the innings over 166 minutes. He found support from Alex Lee Young, who made 45 from 47 balls, and Jayden Draper, who added a brisk 29 from 23 deliveries.
For West Indies, Jakeem Pollard finished with two for 37 and R’Jai Gittens also claimed two for 37.
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