England are seeking to win the Under-19 World Cup for the first time since 1998 as they take on India in the final; Watch England vs India in the Under-19 World Cup semi-final on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 1pm
Friday 4 February 2022 19:55, UK
England’s youngsters are just one win away from securing a place in the Under-19 World Cup final for the first time in almost a quarter of a century.
It's 24 years since the likes of Rob Key, Graeme Swann and Owais Shah swept New Zealand aside by seven wickets in Johannesburg to take the trophy - and none of the 11 subsequent finals have featured an England side.
Tom Prest's team have impressed so far in the Caribbean, winning all three group matches before beating South Africa in the quarter-finals and then claiming a dramatic victory over Afghanistan in their last-four clash to set up a final against India, live on Sky Sports Cricket.
So who have been the standout figures during England's thrilling campaign so far?
The Warwickshire left-hander, who grew up in Barbados, was earmarked for stardom when former England star Ian Bell - citing Bethell's emergence as a factor in his own decision to retire from county cricket - labelled him 'the best 17-year-old' he had ever seen.
Having made his Bears debut in all three formats last season, Bethell has gone some way towards justifying Bell's praise with some dominant performances at the top of the order in this tournament.
He top-scored with 44 in England's victory over Bangladesh, got them off to a flying start against the UAE with 62 and then demolished South Africa's bowling with 88 from just 42 balls to set up a resounding six-wicket success.
The pressures of captaincy don't appear to have affected Prest, whose innings of 93 against Canada laid the foundations for his side's 106-run victory in Basseterre - but even better was to come.
The Hampshire batter blazed a remarkable unbeaten 154 from 119 balls just two days later at the same venue, flaying 13 fours and four sixes against the Emirati bowlers as England racked up 362-6.
Raj Bawa's 162 not out for India against Uganda has denied Prest the honour of top score in the tournament so far, but who would bet against the skipper going big again in Saturday's final?
Prest is also more than useful with the ball, as he showed in the semi-final against Afghanistan, taking 1-39 in his 10 overs of off-spin.
The Lancashire left-arm seamer has proved adept at taking early wickets throughout the tournament, bagging a total of 13 in his five games so far.
Boyden opened the England campaign with a devastating return of 4-16 as Bangladesh were blown away for just 97 and matched that with another four-wicket haul, including two in as many balls, to wrap up victory against Canada.
His economy rate was impressive in the UAE win, finishing with 2-10 from five overs, and he made early inroads again in the quarter-final, removing both South African openers cheaply to put his side on the front foot.
The opening bowler struck early again in the semi-final and then held his nerve in the last over to close out a memorable win.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who made the headlines as a 13-year-old when he bowled Ben Stokes in the nets ahead of a Lord's Test match, has progressed into a key member of the side during this tournament and was the hero of the semi-final.
The Leicestershire player did not feature in England's first two group games, but made an immediate impact to close out a comfortable victory against the UAE, finishing with figures of 4-30.
Ahmed's role was even more significant in the quarter-final clash, wrecking South Africa's middle order with 4-48 as they slid from a promising position at 117-3 to be bowled out for 209.
That was all preamble for what came in the semi-final though. Ahmed already had one wicket to his name, a beautiful googly to leave Afghanistan six down and that's where they remained when he returned to bowl the penultimate over of the innings.
Momentum was with Afghanistan and they needed 19 from 12 balls before Ahmed took three wickets for just one run in a magnificent over to send England to the final.
Ahmed's heroics would not have been possible were it not for Bell. The Lancastrian came in at No 6 and held the England innings together as they threatened to subside at 92-4 and then 136-6.
Bell batted through to the end of the innings, making a measured half-century, his second of the tournament after scoring 57 versus Canada, and finished unbeaten on 56. After batting so diligently early on, he opened up later in the innings with some eye-catching strokes through the offside as well as a pair of superbly-executed ramp shots.
The 19-year-old's efforts in an unbroken 95-run stand for the seventh wicket lifted England to an ultimately match-winning total of 231-6.
The other half of that crucial seventh-wicket stand, Glamorgan wicketkeeper came out with 11.5 overs left in the innings and England a long way short of setting a target they could reasonably hope to defend.
Horton, who took six catches in the win over Bangladesh, allowed himself a couple of overs to get set and then dropped the hammer.
He proceeded to hit five fours and a six, with the maximum and two of those boundaries coming from the last three balls of the innings to take him to a 36-ball fifty as he finished 53 not out. It was his first innings of note in the tournament but what a time to produce it!
Watch England take on India in the U19 World Cup final from 1pm, Saturday on Sky Sports Cricket.
