West Indies cruise past Papua New Guinea

West Indies U19 371 for 3 (Maraj 117, Simmons 107) beat Papua New Guinea U19 219 (Vala 84*) by 152 runs
Scorecard

Tishan Maraj and Lendl Simmons each made centuries, while Xavier Marshall and Assad Fudadin chipped in with brisk fifties, as West Indies overwhelmed Papua New Guinea at Khulna. After winning the toss and batting first, West Indies clattered along to 371 for 3 in their 50 overs. Even though it was a day of upsets at the Under-19 World Cup, this particular result was never in doubt.

Even so, Papua New Guinea refused to fold. The openers Vivian Kila and Kupana Amini added 51 for the first wicket, before Asad Vala came to the fore with a hardhitting 84 not out. He required just 89 balls for his innings, which included 12 fours and a six, but unfortunately he lacked consistent support from his middle order, and was left stranded at the end with a century in sight. The best of his allies was Mahuru Dai, who made 32 and helped to add 81 for the sixth wicket.

West Indies shared their wickets around. Mervin Matthew picked up his two scalps with consecutive deliveries, but it was the offspin of Jonathan Augustus that proved the most successful. Augustus picked up three wickets in as many overs, but bore the brunt of Vala's assault as he conceded 23 runs.