Young Tigers roar into Super Six

Bangladesh Under-19s produced a clinical all-round display to defeat the USA Under-19s by seven wickets, with 51 balls remaining, in a must-win Group B clash to book their place in the Super Six.

Bowling first, the young Tigers ripped through the USA batting to restrict them to 199, setting up a controlled chase under pressure.

Iqbal Hossain Emon led the attack with three wickets, while Al Fahad, Shahriar Ahmed and Rizan Hossain backed him up superbly with two scalps each to keep the scoring in check.

In reply, Bangladesh made a strong start as openers Zawad Abrar and Rifat Beg laid a solid foundation. Zawad struck a fluent 47 off 42 balls, while Rifat contributed 30 off 50.

After the openers departed, captain Azizul Hakim anchored the innings with a composed 64 off 82 balls, guiding the chase with maturity.

He found able support from Kalam Siddiki, who scored 30 off 55, and Rizan, whose unbeaten 20 off 16 sealed victory in style.

The emphatic win keeps Bangladesh’s World Cup hopes very much alive.