Windies U19s beat Zimbabwe U19s by 39 runs – 1st YODI

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CMC) – West Indies Under-19s defeated Zimbabwe Under-19s by 39 runs in the opening Youth One-Day International of the three-match series at the Harare Sports Club here Sunday.
Scores: WEST INDIES U19s 211 for eight off 50 overs (Bhaskar Yadram 68, Emmanuel Stewart 34, Joshua Bishop 32, Alick Athanaze 31; Tinotenda Jakachira 3-27, Frank Mwaita 2-37);
ZIMBABWE U19s 172 off 44.1 overs (Liam Roche 54, Ryan Murray 40, Jayden Schadendorf 26; Jeavor Royal 3-20, Darren Nedd 2-25).
buoyed by Windies visit
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s cricket officials say the visit by reigning Youth World Cup champions, West Indies, will be a huge boost to their preparation for the showpiece in New Zealand next January.
The two teams are engaged in a three-match Youth One-Day International series that commenced yesterday with the tourists pulling off a 39-run victory.
“The coming in of West Indies for three ODIs is a massive project for Zimbabwe Cricket. We need to look after our youth project and the Under-19 level is the pinnacle of youth cricket,” noted Zimbabwe’s Under-19 coach Stephen Mangongo.
“So having the West Indies, who are the defending champions of the World Cup, touring Zimbabwe gives us goosebumps as coaches,” noted Mangongo, referring to the encounter as a “massive project”.
West Indies arrived for the series full of confidence after beating a strong South Africa side 3-2 in a five-match series in Durban last week.
The second YODI will be played at the Peterhouse School in Marondera on Wednesday. The two teams return to Harare Sports Club for the final game next Saturday.
Zimbabwe beat Namibia Under-19s 4-0 in a five-match series recently but Mangongo said matching talents with the Windies was a challenge to relish.
“It is an exciting challenge for us and the players because it will be an opportunity to judge ourselves against the world champions,” he explained.
“So we couldn’t ask for any better preparations five months before the next World Cup.”
The last time the two teams met during the 2015 Youth World Cup in Bangladesh, the Windies came out victorious in a game marred by the Mankad controvery, when Richard Ngarava was run out by all-rounder Keemo Paul with the African side requiring three runs to win off the final over.