Under-19 World Cup – We would have liked to bat better than we did – Tom Priest

England’s Under-19 captain Tom Priest admitted that they would have liked to bat better than they did against India in the final of the Under-19 World Cup at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua on Saturday.

Priest decided to bat first after winning the toss but England could only manage 189 runs on the board.

England colts were pegged on the backfoot by Ravi Kumar as the left-arm seamer dismissed Jacob Bethell and Tom Priest in the first four overs. Priest was dismissed for a golden duck and it was the first time when an English batter was dismissed without troubling the scorers in the tournament.

England kept losing wickets at regular intervals as they were reeling at 61-6 at one stage. However, James Rew played a fine knock to help his team get to 189 runs.

Tom Priest said in the post-match presentation, “We would have liked to bat better after choosing to bat first. But the was James Rew batted was outstanding, deserved a hundred. We definitely got the bowling and we did believe we could defend this. But they batted well. Not only the cricket, but the media exposure we have got is something we will not forget. I have made a couple of friends from other teams as well. Our parents and families have flown in to support us here. I am proud of the way the boys played”.

On the other hand, Raj Bawa was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he scalped five wickets and conceded 31 runs in 9.5 overs. Furthermore, Ravi Kumar returned with impressive bowling figures of 4-34 in the nine overs he bowled. Thus, the Indian Under-19 team came up with a fine bowling performance to keep the opposition at bay.

Moreover, Bawa scored a fine knock of 35 runs to get the team over the line. Ergo, he was awarded the Player of the match for his fine performance with both bat as well as the ball.

Bawa said after the game, “Always feels special to win any game, but to do it in the final is a great feeling. Just went out to execute the plans we discussed with the coach and captain”.

Meanwhile, Nishant Sindhu and Shaik Rasheed scored fifties in the run-chase for the Indian team.