West Indies Under-19 vs Ireland Under-19 Match Highlights & Results

Right then. 2 matches in Group 1 of the Super Six have been completed. Australia roasted South Africa while West Indies managed to enjoy their toast against Ireland. Australia sit on top, with 6 points, while West Indies are on 3rd, in Group 1. Monday, 26th January, 2026 sees three matches played in the Under-19 World Cup - Scotland take on USA in a 16th place playoff, followed by the 2 Super Sixes matches - Bangladesh vs England from Group 2 and Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka from Group 1. All 3 matches are scheduled to start at 7.30 am GMT, but our buildup will begin well in advance. So do tune in early and have triple the fun! ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

The victorious skipper of West Indies Under-19, JOSHUA DORNE, is up next for the post-match chat. The winning feeling - Dorne says that the team's feeling really good, but there are still some areas to improve on. Calls the batting as an okayish effort, but praises the excellence by his bowlers. Message to the batters? Bowled out thrice - Joshua says that the side needs a bit more application from the batters, especially from the middle order. Honestly says that the batters are just throwing their wickets away. Micah McKenzie - On the leggie, JD says that he saw this coming for McKenzie. Explains that he was bowling very well at the start of the tournament but without any reward. Stresses that in this game, he was on point from ball one and reaped the rewards of his hard work. Selection plans - Joshua Dorne wants the selectors to be patient with the young group. Admits that a bit more concentration and focus are needed from the guys and they also need to stay switched on the field. But he shows his trust on the batting unit and backs his team to go all the way. Aussie challenge and a different venue - On facing group-toppers Australia next, Dorne says that the plans will pretty much be the same, irrespective of who they are playing against. Details by saying that they need to look at their opposition and gather some information. Informs that the Windies will be leaving for Harare on Monday and will try to gather some information about the surface.

The captain of Ireland Under-19, OLLY RILEY, is up for a chat now. Riley's assessment - Riley feels that overall, his side did pretty well. Explains that it was a decent wicket and the bowlers held their lines and lengths nicely. However, he adds that he is quite disappointed with the result. Explains that given the way his side bowled and started with the bat, they let this one slip away. Batting assessment - Olly puts it down to inexperience. Admits that his batters could not play the spinners. Adds that the batters need to know that they have got a bit more time than they actually feel they do and need to try to take it deeper. Rues the fact that they could not get enough partnerships after the first 10 overs to put pressure on West Indies. Pitch comparison - Riley does feel that there was too much difference between the pitch Ireland played previously on and this one. Explains that overall, the ball does a bit early on and then the pitches get better as the game goes deep. The Afghan challenge - Riley wants his batters to take a little bit more responsibility in their next match against Afghanistan. Adds that the bowling needs to be consistent for as long as possible. Ends by saying that the batters need to try and string partnerships for a bit longer.

West Indies Under-19's MICAH MCKENZIE has been adjudged the PLAYER OF THE MATCH, for his wonderful bowling display of 10-0-36-4. How is he feeling? McKenzie says that he is feeling pretty excited as it is not everyday that you get figures like these. Explains that sometimes you bowl better but do not get results, while it might not be your day and you might get wickets. How did he plan for this match? Micah says that he messaged who he regards as one of the best spinners in the world - TABRAIZ SHAMSI - and says that Shamsi gave him vital advice before the start of the tournament which he cheekily adds that he forgot, but is happy that he managed to implement one of them in this match. Explains that this is what cricket is all about. Details that everyday won't be a day where you will take wickets but there will be days where you will not take wickets at all. Ends by saying that he just took advice from the coach and executed his skills.

... THE PRESENTATION ...

Spin to win - West Indies are usually known for their pace attack but in this game, it was their spinners which got them back in the game and eventually, helped them win it. Jakeem Pollard and Shaquan Belle did not bowl badly with the new balls but were just not able to break through with consistent wickets. It was the introduction of spin which changed things. Vitel Lawes and Micah McKenzie literally choked the Irish batters with combined figures of 20-0-77-6 and even though McKenzie got the bulk of the wickets, finishing with 4/36, the contribution of Vitel was vital too. The fielding did let the Windies down a bit and that's something they will look to improve in the next game.

Did rain have a say? Now that Ireland have lost, one might say that the rain did spoil their momentum. It came twice, once in the 29th over, with the Irish at 118/4 and then again the second time, in the 40th over. In that span of roughly 12 overs, Ireland scored 46/3. But the procession had already begun before that. It was the poor technique against spin which cost the Irish batters and not the rain, in our opinion.

Confident start - In reply, Ireland started pretty well. The openers passed the Powerplay 1 phase without being separated, and added 47 for the opening wicket. That was followed by another 35 for the second wicket with James West taking control of the proceedings. However, once he fell, a collapse ensued that saw Ireland slip from 82/1 to 98/4.

Decent bowling performance - Credit has to be given to the Irish bowlers. They stuck at it right from the start, not letting West Indies get away at all. Reuben Wilson set the tone with the new ball but everyone bowled well barring Adam Leckey. They kept picking up wickets and bowled out the Windies with 19 balls unused. Wilson was the highest wicket taker, with 3 scalps.

Look down,not up - There was rain forecast for this clash but West Indies' skipper Joshua Dorne, was not too keen on looking at the heavens. He looked at the surface, got the knowledge that it was a used one and decided to bat. His batters struggled throughout, except for Jewel Andrew, who used his international experience to hold one end. His gritty 66 ensured that the Windies did not collapse, although they did, after he got dismissed. They somehow managed to scrape through to 226, getting bowled out for the third successive time in this tournament.

The inevitable has been confirmed. The rain did relent but with time running out, the umpires have decided to call the game off. WEST INDIES UNDER-19 WIN BY 25 RUNS (DLS METHOD) but looking at the game situation when rain had forced play to stop for the second time, the Windies were always in front. Ireland will believe that this was a game which slipped out of their hand.

Oh dear. The live visuals seem very bad. It is literally pelting down in Windhoek and Ireland will need a miracle to get back on the field. That's the only way Ireland can harbour hopes of a win. They cannot win sitting in the dressing room. Building on the previous paragraph, it is not like West Indies did not bowl well. The spin duo - Vitel Lawes and Micah McKenzie - started the building of pressure. They bowled a series of dots, which put Ireland under self-sustained pressure and as a result, wickets were thrown away. The combined figures of the two spinners read - 20-0-77-6! The captaincy was also excellent from Joshua Dorne, as the moment he realized that the batters were getting used to one kind of pace, he got serious pace back on. They did not take a wicket but clearly instilled fear and hostility in the minds of the batters which resulted in more wickets for the spinners at the other end.

3.02 pm GMT - It has started to drizzle again. And in fact, the umpires have called for the covers. Off go the players again. Isobel Joyce on air informs us that the current DLS par score for Ireland is 192. They are a long way back, not only on the DLS but in the chase as well. Out of nowhere, the Irish panicked and got West Indies back into the game and could never dictate terms again.

Game stopped due to Rain StoppageGame stopped due to : Rain Stoppage

Vitel Lawes to Reuben Wilson, 2 runs.Landed outside off, punched through cover for a couple.

Vitel Lawes to Reuben Wilson, No run.Landed outside off, another googly, Wilson gets down on a knee to sweep but misses.

Vitel Lawes to Reuben Wilson, No run.Too good! Landed around middle, Reuben Wilson looks to defend but the ball pitches and goes over the off stump!

Vitel Lawes to Bruce Whaley, 1 run.Too leg sidish, Whaley works it through square leg for a single.

Vitel Lawes to Bruce Whaley, No run.A beauty first up. Floated, around middle, Bruce Whaley lunges to defend but the ball pitches and whizzes past the outside edge!

Onto 9, 10 and jack. Bruce Whaley walks in next, at number 9, replacing Olly Riley.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, OUT! c Joshua Dorne b Vitel Lawes.OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Lawes strikes in his final over. Classic wrist spinner's dismissal. Tossed up, around off, Olly Riley plays for the ball spinning in. But the ball is a googly, hence, it spins away. Takes the outside edge and goes to first slip, where Joshua Dorne takes it cleanly to his right. Riley departs for 7 (17) and from 136/4, Ireland Under-19 are now 161/7! Equation - 66 runs, 65 balls.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, 2 runs.Full and straight, Wilson flicks it stylishly through mid-wicket for another brace.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, 2 runs.And now, a TOP EDGE LANDS SAFELY. Banged in short, around middle and leg, Reuben Wilson goes for the pull but the ball gets big on him. He miscues it, but luckily for him, it evades the man running back from short mid-wicket. Two runs taken. 68 more needed from 67 balls.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, No run.JUST SHORT! Full and outside off, Reuben drives this uppishly towards cover, where the fielder dives forward but the ball lands just in front.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, No run.Full and outside off, Wilson looks to drive through the off side but misses.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, No run.Full and straight, Reuben Wilson lunges to drive but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads.

The sun is back shining now, with the dark clouds having disappeared.

Shaquan Belle to Olly Riley, 1 run.On a good length, around off, Olly Riley hops and pushes it through cover for a single.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, 1 run.A long hop to end, spinning in from middle, Olly goes back and punches it towards wide long on for a run.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, No run.Landed short, outside off, spinning in, Riley defends it back to the bowler.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, No run.The googly again, on middle, Olly Riley drives it back to the bowler.

Vitel Lawes to Reuben Wilson, 1 run.Dropped short, around middle, Reuben whips it through square leg for a single.

Vitel Lawes to Reuben Wilson, Four!FOUR! BOOM! Welcome boundary for the Irish. Full, around off, Wilson gets under the ball and swings it flat, just past the bowler towards long on. There is a fielder stationed but he is a bit too wide and cannot get there!

Vitel Lawes to Reuben Wilson, No run.Tossed up, around middle, Reuben Wilson drives it back to the bowler.

Shaquan Belle to Olly Riley, No run.Very full, outside off, Riley goes on his back knee and drives it towards point.

Shaquan Belle to Olly Riley, No run.Full and straight, Olly Riley defends.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, 1 run.Pulled without control. Banged in short, around off, RW goes for the pull but with his eyes closed. He somehow manages to get it away and the ball goes in the air, but lands short of deep square leg. A run after 5 straight dot balls. 150 UP FOR IRELAND as well. 77 more needed from 80 balls.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, No run.Beautifully bowled. On a good length, outside off, Reuben stays away from the line of the ball and pushes meekly, only to miss.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, No run.EDGED, SHORT! The pace is working for West Indies. On a good length, around off, Wilson plays away from his stumps, just pushing his bat out. The ball takes the outside edge but does not carry to the keeper.

Shaquan Belle to Reuben Wilson, No run.Full and outside off, Reuben Wilson looks to drive but without moving his feet. Misses.

We will have a bowling change from this end, with McKenzie bowled out. Shaquan Belle is back on. 5-0-18-0 so far.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, No run.Landed outside leg again, this one too spins a mile away. This time Riley keeps his bat well inside the line.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, No run.The googly, short and outside leg, spinning away, Olly Riley pushes but misses.

Vitel Lawes to Reuben Wilson, 1 run.Full and around off, Wilson works it through mid-wicket for a run.

Vitel Lawes to Reuben Wilson, No run.Around off, Reuben Wilson lunges and drives it back to the bowler.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, Bye.Landed outside off, Riley pushes at it but misses. The keeper misses it too and the batters get a bye. 79 more needed from 88 balls.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, No run.Full and around off, pushed back to the bowler.

Micah McKenzie to Olly Riley, 1 run.A touch short, outside off, Olly Riley punches it through point for a run. What a bowling performance from Micah McKenzie - 10-0-36-4!

Micah McKenzie to Reuben Wilson, 1 run.Floated again, outside off, Wilson leans and with his big reach, drives it through the covers for a single.

Micah McKenzie to Reuben Wilson, 2 runs.Landed outside off, Reuben Wilson looks to push it away but gets a thick outside edge, just past slip, towards deep third. Two runs taken.

Are Ireland playing for the rain? Because even without the pond, they are starting to swim. Reuben Wilson walks in next, at number 8, replacing Robert O’Brien.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, OUT! c Jonathan Van Lange b Micah McKenzie.’Brien, OUT! CAUGHT! Second wicket in as many overs for McKenzie as he gets his fourth! Harakiri from Ireland now. Both set batters have been dismissed. Tossed up, a bit wider outside off, sensing O'Brin's charge, the batter reaches out to go over the top but miscues this high in the air. It goes only as far as mid off where Jonathan Van Lange takes yet another catch. The batter is made to wait as the umpires want to check for the overstepping. The replay shows that McKenzie is close to the line but has something behind it. The ball is legal and O'Brien has continue his march back. He departs for 26 (50) and from 136/4, Ireland Under-19 are now 143/6! Equation - 84 runs, 93 balls.

Gone? Robert O’Brien has been caught, but has McKenzie overstepped? Just behind the line!

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, Full and around middle, Robert O’Brien pushes it back to the bowler.

Micah McKenzie to Olly Riley, 1 run.Full and outside off, Olly Riley pushes this through mid off for a single.

Vitel Lawes to Robert O’Brien, 2 runs.’Brien, A touch short, punched away for a couple.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, 1 run.Outside off, pushed away for a single.

Vitel Lawes to Olly Riley, 2 runs.Landed outside off, dabbed past the keeper through short third for a couple.

Vitel Lawes to Robert O’Brien, 1 run.’Brien, A touch short, down the leg side, O'Brien nudges it towards short fine leg for a single.

Vitel Lawes to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, On middle and off, defended back to the bowler.

Vitel Lawes to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, Full and straight, Robert O’Brien defends.

Vitel Lawes returns. 6-0-25-1 so far.

Micah McKenzie to Olly Riley, No run.Full and around middle, Riley flicks it towards square leg.

Micah McKenzie to Olly Riley, No run.Around off, watchfully defended.

The normal match equation reads 91 runs, 104 balls. But because half the side is back in the dressing room, those 91 runs needed seem like a mountain. Olly Riley walks in next, at number 7, replacing Marko Bates.

Micah McKenzie to Marko Bates, OUT! c Jonathan Van Lange b Micah McKenzie.OUT! CAUGHT! Bates has blinked and West Indies have their fifth. How crucial could this be? Just before this ball, the DLS par score read 132. Now, in the span of a ball, it has rocketed to 145! Tossed up, outside off, Marko Bates goes for the big hit down the ground. But he is not to the pitch of the ball. Miscues it and gets a massive top edge. Jonathan Van Lange gets across to his left from mid on and takes it calmly. Bates departs for 22 (28) and the 38-run stand has been broken. Ireland are 136/5 and need another 91 runs from 104 balls!

Micah McKenzie to Marko Bates, No run.Short and outside off, Marko Bates cuts it through point where the fielder does well, sliding to his right to stop it.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, 1 run.’Brien, Fuller, around middle, O'Brien pushes it down to long on for a single.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, Short and outside off, spinning away, the googly, Robert O’Brien slaps it straight to cover.

Jakeem Pollard to Robert O’Brien, 1 run.’Brien, On middle and leg, nudged through square leg for one.

Jakeem Pollard to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, Another ripper. Short and outside off, Robert O’Brien looks to defend but the ball keeps on rising and whizzes past his nose.

Jakeem Pollard to Marko Bates, Leg bye.Down the leg side, Marko looks to flick but misses. The ball goes off his pads through square leg and a leg bye is taken.

Jakeem Pollard to Marko Bates, Four!EDGED, FOUR! A boundary after 85 balls! A brute of a delivery though. Banged in short, outside off, Marko Bates looks to defend but the ball keeps on rising. He is in no position to play that and ends up fending at it. The ball goes off the outside edge, from the sticker, but luckily for the batter, goes well above first slip and down to the deep third fence! This is also the highest score for Bates in this tournament.

Jakeem Pollard to Marko Bates, No run.On a length, outside off, Bates feels for the angle and gets beaten.

Jakeem Pollard to Marko Bates, 2 runs.From around the wicket, short in length, outside off, Marko Bates goes for the pull but is cramped for room. MIscues it over mid on and gets a couple of runs. 98 more needed from 113 balls.

'Flashes of lightning,' says Ian Bishop on air. It has gotten overcast again. But that is not the problem. The lightning was somewhere in the vicinity and if it strikes again, the players will be taken off the ground for safety reasons.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, Full and around off, ROB drives it back to the bowler who throws it back.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, 2 runs.’Brien, Very full, outside off, Robert leans and drives it through the covers for a couple.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, Landed outside off, spinning in, O'Brien defends.

Micah McKenzie to Marko Bates, 1 run.A bit too full, around off, Marko Bates gets down and sweeps it through square leg for a run.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, 1 run.’Brien, On middle and leg, Robert O’Brien punches it through mid off for a single.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, Full and around off, watchfully defended.

Jakeem Pollard to Marko Bates, No run.On a length, outside off, left alone.

Jakeem Pollard to Robert O’Brien, 1 run.’Brien, Landed down the leg side, pulled towards long leg for a single.

Jakeem Pollard to Robert O’Brien, 2 runs.’Brien, MISSED RUN OUT OF MARCO BATES! Oh dear... comedy of errors. Short and wide outside off, extra bounce, Robert O’Brien leaps and plays the upper cut. He gets it to the left of deep third and takes the single. The fielder gets to the ball and Bates wants the second but O'Brien is blinded a touch, as the bowler comes in his way for a while. He takes a start though, but then pauses. Seeing that, Bates also pauses midway. Both batters are staring at each other, gone for all money. But the keeper, Jewel Andrew, in his excitement to cause the run out, collects the ball and throws it almost instantaneously at the striker's end. Misses. Had he taken a couple of seconds, might have found his target. Chaos everywhere. Eventually, the second is taken.

Jakeem Pollard to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, A quick short ball, outside off, spits through. Robert rocks back for the pull but the ball just skids through after pitching. Cramps him for room and he gets it off the toe end to the off side.

Jakeem Pollard to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, On a good length, around off again, coming in once more, O'Brien is watchful in defense.

Jakeem Pollard to Robert O’Brien, No run.’Brien, On a good length, around off, angling in, Robert O’Brien pushes it towards cover.

Micah McKenzie to Marko Bates, 2 runs.Down the leg side, Bates nudges this through fine leg and gets things started post the rain break. Two runs taken.

Micah McKenzie to Marko Bates, No run.Tossed up, around off, spinning away, Marko Bates defends it to the covers.

Just like that, we are back! We have lost 25 minutes of play and hence, no overs have been lost. So the match resumes at exactly the same place where it was paused. The bigger question now is - who would have benefitted from this break?

Match recap - Let's recap the match a little bit. West Indies elected to bat first, as this is a used deck, but strangely, totally contrary to their normal batting approach, they were very defensive. They were focussing on keeping wickets in hand, with the score literally going nowhere before Jewel Andrew turned things on. He focussed on batting deep, but got out in the 33rd over, while the others around him huffed and puffed to take the score to 226. As many as 6 players apart from Andrew made scores between 11 to 28 in the top 8, but none could carry on. Crucially, the last-wicket pair added 20 runs which might prove to be decisive in the outcome. Ireland bowled with discipline, not giving anything away and apart from Adam Leckey, everyone who bowled got a wicket at least. Reuben Wilson was the pick of the bowlers, with 3/50. For the third straight game, the Windies got bowled out in their innings. In reply, the Irish started pretty positively, not playing too many flashy strokes, but not going into a shell either. They focussed on getting partnerships, and were 82/1 at one stage. However, the two spinners - Vitel Lawes and Micah McKenzie - just turned the tables around, picking up 3/16 in the span of 31 balls. Ireland were in big trouble at 98/4 but this 19-run stand has steadied things a little bit. Going by the actual match equation - 110 runs, 128 balls - it should not be too difficult for the Irish, if they play normal cricket. But they need the game to resume. Because if the game stops here, they will end up losing the match, owing to being behind on the DLS par score. Also, there are no floodlights at this venue, so there are high chances of overs being reduced, in case of a long delay. If this game is shortened, then Ireland would believe that their chances go higher.

Oh dear. We now see flashes of lightning across the ground. The good thing is that the rain has reduced to a drizzle and one side behind the ground is bathed in sunshine. But because of this latest development, we will have to wait for a while. Fingers crossed though, that we get a resumption soon.

Game stopped due to Rain StoppageGame stopped due to : Rain Stoppage

1.47 PM GMT - The rain has gotten heavier and the players go off the field. It was drizzling for quite a while but the umpires were happy for the game to carry on. However, in the last couple of minutes or so, the intensity picked up, so the umpires thought it better to call for the covers. Ian Bishop on air informs that the DLS target for Ireland is 124 for the loss of 4 wickets, so if play does not resume, West Indies will win by 5 runs. However, Bishop quickly adds, in his own immicable style, 'I believe in the higher powers that the rain will stop and the game will resume.' Amen.

Micah McKenzie to Robert O’Brien, 1 run.’Brien, Dropped short, outside off, Robert O’Brien rocks back and punches it through point, where there is an excellent diving stop, but the single cannot be stopped. 109 runs more needed from 128 balls.

Micah McKenzie to Marko Bates, 1 run.Thrown up outside off, Marco leans and drives it through the covers for a single.

Micah McKenzie to Marko Bates, No run.A mild LBW appeal, but not entertained. Tossed up, around middle, Bates looked to defend but got a thick inside edge onto his pads.

Micah McKenzie to Marko Bates, No run.Full, around off, Marko Bates defends.

Will we see a double change? Nope. McKenzie continues.