Rew ton trumps Peake's as England qualify for Under-19 World Cup final
Peake scored 22 runs off the 46th over to drag Australia back, but his side fell 27 short in the 278 chase
ESPNcricinfo staff
Feb 3, 2026, 4:08 PM • 19 hrs ago
Thomas Rew scored a century in the semi-final • ICC/Getty Images
England 277 for 7 (Rew 110, Falconer 40, Schiller 2-31) beat Australia 250 (Peake 100, Samuel 47, Minto 2-30) by 27 runs
Centuries from the England and Australia captains, Thomas Rew and Oliver Peake, respectively, stood taller than the rest in a thriller that saw England clinch the first semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup.
After opting to bat, Rew came to the crease at 57 for 2, soon after the powerplay, and stabilised the England innings with a knock that featured 14 fours and one six. He and Caleb Falconer, who scored 40 off 53 balls, put together a 135-run partnership for the fourth wicket. By the time Falconer was dismissed by Naden Cooray to end the 36th over, England had steadied their position to 195 for 4. Rew, though, batted on till the 43rd over, and looked in sublime touch, until he was run out by a direct hit from Steven Hogan at backward point.
In Australia's response while chasing 278, Nitesh Samuel made a characteristically slow but steady start - his 47 from the top of the order came off 83 deliveries. Most of those runs came in the company of Peake during a 62-run partnership for the third wicket. Samuel departed at the midway mark of the chase - in the 25th over - beaten in flight, and stumped off Ralphie Albert.
Peake, meanwhile, batted steadily, but constant wickets at the other end meant Australia soon slipped from 134 for 5 in the 32nd over to 207 for 8 in the 43rd. But in the company of Charles Lachmund, Peake launched a stunning assault in the 46th over that dragged Australia back into the contest: he hit 6, 4, 4, 4, 4 off Manny Lumsden, scoring 22 vital runs for Australia.
However, any hopes of a late heist in the chase faltered once Lachmund fell off the first ball on the very next over, taken out by Sebastian Morgan with Australia still 32 runs behind. Peake was soon the last batter to fall, in the 47th, driving a full ball straight to the point fielder.
The England fielders, in a display of sportsmanship, ran up to shake hands with Peake before celebrating their passage to the finals after a 27-run victory. In the end, Rew's century had trumped Peake's.