Maphaka stars as SA U19 thump Zimbabwe

Kwena Maphaka’s brilliant five-wicket haul and an unbeaten half-century from Lhuan-dre Pretorius ensured SAU19 cruised past Zimbabwe by nine wickets in their ICC U19 World Cup Super-Six encounter at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Wednesday. 

The 17-year-old left-arm fast-bowling sensation’s figures of 5/34 were his second “fifer” in the competition after claiming his first against the West Indies in the group stages. 

He became the joint leading wicket-taker in this edition of the global showpiece with Pakistan’s Ubaid Shah and India’s Saumy Pandey on 12 wickets from four games and it also moved him into the third spot on SA’s all-time wicket-takers list in U19 cricket with 37 victims behind Rabian Jemaine Engelbrecht (38) and Prenelan Subrayen (48).

The junior Proteas’ win is also one step closer to a semifinal berth and will be a confidence booster heading into their clash against Sri Lanka on Friday. 

Chasing a modest target of 103, SA’s strong batting line-up chased the score down in the blink of an eye. 

SA’s opening pair of Pretorius and Steve Stolk delivered almost every shot in the book as the Zimbabwean bowling attack struggled for the breakthrough.

The duo posted 86 runs off 62 balls for the first wicket before Stolk was dismissed by Anesu Kimoriwo for a quick-fire 37 off 27 balls.

But that did not deter Pretorius, who finished with an unbeaten 53 off 39 as SA reached their target in 14 overs.   

Earlier, SA won the toss and elected to field in partly cloudy conditions.

The decision by their captain Juan James was on the money, as Kwena Maphaka ran through the Zimbabwe top-order in his opening spell which saw him bag three wickets for seven runs. 

He accounted for the dismissals of Brandon Sunguro and Campbell Macmillan for ducks and clean-bowled Panashe Taruvinga for just three runs within the first power play.

Ronak Patel (32) and Ryan Kamwemba (24) were the only significant contributors to Zimbabwe’s score.

They steadied the ship with a 53-run fifth-wicket partnership that threatened to bring them back into the game.

But those smiles from the Zimbabwean changing room were quickly wiped away by Riley Norton and Tristan Luus.

They turned the scoreboard from 69/4 to 69/7 in quick succession, conceding only 13 runs in their first four overs as a bowling pair. 

Maphaka returned to rattle the tail, claiming the scalps of Newman Nyamhuri (3) and Ryan Simbi for a fourth duck of the innings. 

Maphaka was supported by Luus (3/25) and Norton, who was miserly, taking one wicket for seven runs in five overs.