U-19 Tri-Nation tourney
Johannesburg, Jan 10: The Uday Saharan-led Indian colts shared the top honours with their South African counterparts in the Tri-Nation Under-19 Tournament after the title clash was called off due to rain here on Wednesday.
The match officials waited for the designated cut-off time to allow the minimum 20 overs for a result to be achieved.But because of the wet playing conditions, the final at the Old Edwardians Cricket Ground Club was abandoned without a ball being bowled.With no reserve day, the prize was shared between both the teams.
Five-time champions India will now shift their focus on the U-19 World Cup beginning on January 19.
The Indian side will face Australia in their U-19 World Cup warm-up fixture at Pretoria on Saturday. They have a second warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka on January 17.In the tournament proper, five-time champions India side play against Bangladesh.
The Indian colts made the Tri-Nation final by winning all their four group league matches.Saharan and Adarsh Singh have struck a century each to form the backbone of their batting.While Saharan had 117 runs in three innings, Adarsh finished as the top run-getter of the series with 230 runs.The Proteas U-19 side on the other hand made the final by virtue of their better net run-rate over Afghanistan.Having lost to Afghans in their opener, South Africa bounced back to defeat them in the last game. The U-19 Tri-Nation tournament plays a significant role in helping develop young cricketing talent, promoting international competition, and fostering the future of the sport. The tournament acts as a scouting ground for national teams to identify promising young players for future. (PTI)