Australia U19 vs West Indies U19, 7th Match, Super Six Group 1 (A,D), ICC Under 19 World Cup 2026 - Commentary

Australia march into the semi-finals having remained undefeated in the tournament so far. West Indies, on the other hand, are still not mathematically out of the competition but their net run-rate is pretty poor and that highly diminishes their chances to progress further. We hope you enjoyed our coverage. Until next time, goodbye and cheers!

Peake: (On heading to the semi-finals undefeated) It’s really pleasing. To go into the finals undefeated is a great position to be in. It was good to come up against some really strong opposition today and properly test ourselves — especially batting first for the first time in the tournament — and also getting used to the conditions out here. (On what he thought about their 300-plus score) I think anytime you get 300-plus you’re pretty happy. They came out pretty hard with the new ball when it was skidding on nicely, but I thought it got more and more difficult as the game went on. I was really impressed with the fightback, both with the ball and in the field. (On Lachmund's role with the ball) Once again, he’s got great ball speed, so when he gets it right he always has a chance to pick up wickets. It was probably the first time someone really came at him on the front foot in this competition, but he stuck to his plans really well. That resilience and ability to come back is a big part of why he’s so important to us.

Joshua Dorne: (On what did he think about the total) To be honest, the pitch was really dry, and I thought they batted very well. I still feel it was probably about 20 runs short. We bowled well in patches — at times we were really good, and at other times we let ourselves down — but overall it was a pretty decent effort. I thought we were a little unlucky early on, but towards the end of the powerplay we let them slip away slightly. After that, we had to work really hard to pull things back. (On their fielding) We were not that good especially with our ground fielding. We gave away a bit too many runs in the field. (On his innings) I felt it was a decent knock but it would have probably felt better in a winning cause. (On his captaincy) I feel I haven't done a bad job, I'm proud of the boys and how far we have reached.

Oliver Peake | Player of the Match: (On did Will Malajczuk's start at the top ease the pressure) 100 per cent. He’s done that all tournament, and it really helps our middle order. Especially today, when it started to get a bit trickier as the game went on. For him to start like that set the tone, and we were able to follow on from there. (On getting a good hit in the middle with the bat today) Definitely. It’s always great to contribute. I haven’t had much to do — the boys at the top have been doing it all — so I was really happy to spend some time out there today. Not yet. There’s still a bit more left in the tank. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind two years, but you’re always just trying to win games. To be honest, it wouldn’t have meant much if we’d lost today, so I’m really proud of the bowlers for fighting back and getting us over the line. (On celebrating with his family) My grandma and grandpa are here, along with Mum, Dad and my brother. They’re actually heading home after this game, so it was nice to do something while they were here. They see all the highs and lows along the way, so I can’t thank them enough.

Dorne and Tilokani were dropped once each and both of them did well to stitch a 68-run stand to help their side's cause further. The former in particular threatened to take the game away from Australia but both of them departed in quick succession and that gave Australia the advantage. Jonathan van Lange played a nice little cameo at the fag end and kept his side in the hunt. But, Aryan Sharma was handed the responsibility to bowl the penultimate over and he responded brilliantly. He got rid of van Lange and that took the fizz out of the run-chase. Eventually, the Aussies closed things out really well. The Windies had their moments but couldn't capitalise. They lost six wickets in the last ten overs and that eventually took a toll on them.

17:14 Local Time, 15:14 GMT, 20:44 IST: Australia defend their strong total on the back of some quality death bowling. There were a few phases when it looked like the game was going away from Australia's grasp but they responded with timely wickets to always stay in the game. Earlier, Oliver Peake's century guided Australia to a total in excess of 300. Samuel's fifty and a few breezy cameos were also instrumental in Australia's cause. In response, West Indies got off to a flier courtesy Carter and Francis. The former in particular was looking dangerous as he was finding the boundaries at will. Francis was trapped in front off a full-toss. Carter carried on though and raised a fifty but soon after, Cooray knocked him over off his first delivery to change the flow of the game. Andrew's cameo titled the momentum once again in favour of the Windies before he got dismissed.

Charles Lachmund to Vitel Lawes, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Aryan Sharma is on a hat-trick. Can he take it?

Aryan Sharma to RJai Gittens, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!