Jacobs stars as WI U-19s crush PNG
The TCL Group West Indies Under-19s had an easy win by 176 runs over Papua New Guinea to keep their hopes alive of reaching the quarter-finals of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.Playing at the Royal Selangor Club on Wednesday, the Windies rattled up 319 off 49.4 overs – the highest score of the tournament so far. In reply, PNG got off to a flying start with 50 coming in the first eight overs, but the West Indies bowlers shot back and dismissed them for 143 off 37.1 overs. Vice captain Steven Jacobs was the star of the day with a stroke-filled century. He made 101 off just 86 balls with 11 fours and two towering sixes to win the Player-of-the-Match Trophy.
“It was a good day for me and a great day for the team. I’m happy with my performance and also delighted that some other members of the team performed well,” the tall Jacobs said.
“I was not getting any (major) scores in the previous matches, but I decided to be positive in my approach today and it worked for me. After I hit the first few balls in the middle (of the bat) I knew it was my day and I managed to cash in.
"We are now looking forward to the match on Friday against India. We know we have to win that match to stay in the competition. We believe in ourselves and we are confident we can do the job, the same way we did it here today."
Jacobs was not the only batsman on fire. Opener Keiron Powell started the innings with a bang, blazing to 60 off 35 balls with eight fours and two sixes. In the middle overs, left-hander Darren Bravo batted sensibly to make 59 from 62 balls, while at the end Nkrumah Bonner topped up with 34 from 31 balls.
When the Windies bowled, fast bowler Jason Dawes was unstoppable. He took 4-25 from 8 overs, and also had a brilliant run out with a direct hit from deep square leg. Leg-spinner Bonner ended a good day by taking 3-15 from 6.1 overs
“The pitches here are slow and low and it is really hard work for the faster bowlers. That’s why I’m quite pleased with the way I bowled today,” Dawes said. “It was a game we had to win and I was happy I played my part in the team’s success.”
The West Indies lost their opening Group B match on Monday to South Africa by three wickets. They now face India on Friday in a must-win situation. South Africa meet PNG on Thursday. India lead the group with two wins, while West Indies and South Africa have one each.