South Africa U-19's win Commonwealth Tournament

South Africa won the Commonwealth Under-19 tournament held recently in India. They comprehensively thrashed Bangladesh by 250 runs in the final at Faridabad. South Africa chose to bat first and made a mammoth 396 for 3, and overwhelmed Bangladesh.

Ab de Villiers, man of the match in the final, and player of the tournament, smashed 192 from just 144 balls in his team's huge score. Imraan Khan, the captain, hammered 96 from 109 deliveries and JP Duminy chipped in with 59 off 45 balls.

In response Bangladesh were bowled out for just 119 in 33.3 overs. Heinrich le Roux, the paceman, snapped up four wickets for 31 runs and Aaron Phangiso finished with 2 for 25 in ten overs of left-arm spin. Vernon Philander was voted bowler of the tournament with 8 wickets for 93 runs.

Lawrence Mahatlane, coach of South African team, was ecstatic with a win in this eight-nation tournament. "We came to enjoy the experience and knowing that India is a difficult country to tour, we set out to do well on the cricket field and I am grateful that we performed beyond expectation, he said. "We left South Africa with 14 boys and we return with 14 young men."

The South African Under-19 team qualified for the final of the Commonwealth Championships in India with a nine-wicket win against Kenya in the semi-final in Faridabad on Friday.

South Africa topped their group, and were unbeaten with wins over Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India A (see below). They will now play Bangladesh in the final on Sunday.

The South Africa Under-19 team topped the Commonwealth Cricket Tournament Group B table after beating Sri Lanka Under-19 by 63 runs at the TDLSC Ground in Gurgaan on Tuesday.

In a match curtailed by fog, South Africa's batting powerhouse braved the conditions to reach 186 for seven in the allotted 30 overs after Sri Lanka won the toss. While no one score more than 35, the batsmen ensured the scoreboard kept ticking, and made vital - if small - contributions. AB de Villiers top-scored with 35, while Francois du Plessis, the other man to cross thirty, remained unbeaten on 33. Besides this, three batsmen scored twenties.

Clearly, the target proved to be beyond Sri Lanka's reach. Faced with an asking rate of 6.2, they were bundled out for 123. Yohan De Silva (37) and Sameera Zoysa (24) were the only ones to put up any semblance of a fight. Imraan Khan, the South African captain, who starred with the bat in his previous match, turned the screws with his bowling, bagging 5 wickets for 27 runs. He was named Man of the Match for his effort.

With the victory, South Africa are scheduled to meet Kenya in the semi-final on Friday. India, leaders in their group, will meet the winner of the match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, in the other semi-final.

The South African Under-19 Team have won their second match of the Commonwealth Cricket Tournament in India.

In a match reduced to 42 overs aside due to heavy morning fog, the South Africans beat India A by six wickets to secure a place in the semi-finals of the tournament with one pool match still to play. India A were invited to play in the eight-team event after Pakistan withdrew.

For the second match in a row, Imraan Khan put the opposition in to bat and was backed up in his decision by some disciplined bowling. Vernon Philander was the pick with four wickets as the Indians were restricted to 136 for 7 in their 42 overs.

Francois du Plessis who made 48 and Imraan Khan with 42 anchored the South African run-chase. They carried the South Africans home in just 30 overs to gain a bonus point and go to the top of the group.

South Africa play Sri Lanka in their last Group B match on Tuesday.

The South African Under 19 Team began the Commonwealth Cricket Championship in Mumbai, with a convincing six-wicket win over Bangladesh on Friday.

The match, played at the TDLSC ground in Gurgaan, was restricted to 31 overs a side due to rain.

South Africa's captain Imraan Khan won the toss and put Bangladesh in to bat, and his bowlers rewarded him with a tidy display in restricting them to 135 for 4 in their allotted overs. South Africa cruised home with six overs and one ball to spare.

South Africa are in Group B of the eight-nation tournament, and also have Sri Lanka and India A in their group.