Read about Van Biljon and Rowles, who put South Africa in the driving seat.
Table of Contents
First Test: Day 4, England v South Africa U19s
The stage is set for a true classic at Beckenham. The opening match of South Africa Under-19s’ tour of England saw tense red-ball cricket during the first three days of the match. As the sun set on Sunday, the scores were poised to deliver an exciting climax to this Youth Test Match for the fans.
England Under-19 were chasing down a huge total of 386 to win after a patient stand by the South African batters on a deteriorating Beckenham pitch
South Africa set the chase well in motion
after a composed opening stand saw them reach 97 for 3 at the end of the second day. Resuming on Day 3, the visitors faced further pressure from England’s bowlers before eventually seeing the first wicket fall with the score on 222.
However, this was well within the reach of the chasing side, which saw the home team bowl 33 maidens in the visitors’ innings.
Jason Rowles scores 50
Jason Rowles was the first to capitalise on the excellent start as the South African reached 237 for 5. He drove Ali Farooq to the boundary to complete a well-deserved half-century before edging James Minto into the hands of opener Ben Dawkins.
Joshua van Biljon bats on to reach 50
Joshua van Biljon steadied the innings brilliantly and completed a magnificent 50 off 137 balls. He flicked Will Bennison for a well-timed four to complete the landmark, which sent shockwaves around the England camp as the lead slipped past the 300-run mark.
Bradley Sylvester bowls exceptionally well for England
Brad Sylvester was excellent for the hosts, eventually claiming the impressive figures of 3 for 33. In bowling figures that belied his 16-year age, he bowled a special delivery to trap the brilliant Van Biljon lbw, before cleaning up Michael Kruiskamp for a duck two balls later.
Paul James hits the accelerator as South Africa
With 10 wickets in hand, it was always going to be a huge ask for the England openers on Monday morning. However, the South African tail added 38 crucial runs before Soni added another 20.
Paul James was the aggressor as he hit the first ball he faced from Manny Lumsden for a boundary. The 17-year-old eventually fell to a well-judged reverse sweep from Ali Farooq, having scored 38.
Ntando Soni frustrates the home bowlers
Ntando Soni also fell for 20 after a stumping by Harry Wallace. The final wicket of JJ Basson came off the bowling of Farooq, who clean bowled the youngster for 15.
The final morning as England look to set up a thrilling final day
England have made a cautious start to their reply to the mammoth South Africa total. Ben Dawkins and Jacob Blades knew that their task was to protect their wickets at all costs while laying a platform for Monday afternoon.
The openers stuck to the task and survived 15 testing overs to complete the final day on 40, with Dawkins on 14 and Blades on 22. With 346 still needed and all 10 wickets in hand, the exciting final day of this first-ever Youth Test match is set to deliver.
Fast scores, major news, and zero fluff. Everything you need to stay ahead of the game.