NORTH SOUND (Antigua): Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed (4/48) led an excellent bowling display to help England bowl out South Africa for 209 in their Super League quarterfinal match of the U-19 World Cup on Wednesday.
Coming in at number three after South Africa opted to bat, Dewald Brevis top-scored with an aggressive knock of 97 off 88 balls but he hardly got any help from the other end as the English bowlers struck at regular intervals.
The lack of a substantial partnership hit the South Africans hard as wicketkeeper Gerhardus Maree (27 off 35 balls) and Matthew Boast (22 not out in 26 balls) lifted their team past the 200-run mark at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Number 11 Asakhe Tshaka contributed an useful 18 off two balls, extending the innings in the company of Boast, with whom he added valuable 40 runs for the last wicket.
The South Africans had a poor start to their innings, losing two wickets for just 21 runs on the board within the seventh over.
Brevis and Maree then stabilised the innings with a 55-run stand for the third wicket before Jacob Bethell had the latter with his left-arm spin.
Though skipper George Van Heerden got out after making 7, Brevis still managed to raise 41 runs with him for the fourth wicket before Ahmed picked up his first wicket of the day, sending back the South Africa captain.
Ahmed struck again as he dismissed Andile Simelane for a duck before bowling out Michael Copeland for 1 to leave South Africa reeling at 135 for six in the 31st over.
Two more wickets fell, for the addition of 34 runs, before the duo of Boast and Tshaka added 40 runs for the last wicket to take their team's total past 200.
Besides Ahmed, there were two wickets apiece for Joshua Boyden and James Sales.
Brief scores:
South Africa U-19: 209 all out in 43.4 overs (Dewald Brevis 97; Rehan Ahmed 4/48) vs England.
