PAK Vs AUS, U-19 WC Semi-Final: Australia Win By One Wicket In Benoni Thriller, Move Into Final - As It Happened

Feb 11 - India vs Australia - Who will emerge victorious? See you then!

Never in doubt, had full faith in Vids and Raf to get the job done. Lot of emotions in the dressing room. I still don't know what happened. Tough to leave out Anderson, but Tom Straker bowled unbelievably today. We felt like we were well prepared coming into this fixture. We fought so hard. Everytime we thought we were on top, we lost a wicket. 17-year-old Peake, such composure and maturity in the middle. India are a class team. We'll love that challenge.

Difficult to be the losing team, but we were short by 20-30 runs. We put in 100 percent effort. They played well. Boys fought really well. The way Ali Raza bowled was brilliant. Throughout the tournament, our bowling was good in the tournament. One team has to win, one has to lose, that's the game.

We got it closer than we would have wanted. After I got out, no one was moving, everyone was sitting on their seats and it was pretty intense out there. (On his bowling) Pretty proud, especially those last two wickets, I could finish it off early. Credit to us the bowlers to bowl them out for under 180, it was a pretty good effort today. (On bettering Rabada's best bowling figures in U-19 WC final/semifinal) I didn't know that, I'll take that one. (Extra belief because of this win?) Probably not, we had pretty good confidence throughout the whole tournament and leading up to it. So, pretty similar.

Australia have won the match by the barest of the margins. An inner edge and it went for four, Ubaid Shah went for it but couldn't stop. Australia will meet India in the finals.

Mohammad Zeeshan is to bowl the final over of the innings. It's a huge responsibility for the young bowler. Australia need 3 runs of the final over.

Peake is perplexed when the finger goes up. Pakistan is overjoyed, and there is yet hope in this game. Full delivery slanted down leg; he attempts to flick it away, but it gets through to the keeper. It's hard to judge if there was an edge or not. Peake obviously did not think so.

Campbell is beaten in pace, and the partnership is broken. Flat on off, skids through from the rear of a length, and Campbell is just late on it, attempting to smash down the ground. The ball is through before his bat swings down, crashing into the off stump. Australia are six down. Pakistan need 4 more wickets here.

Oliver Peake and Tom Campbell have rebuilt the Australian innings and have taken the innings near to the target. Australia now need just 35 runs in 72 balls. Both batters have stopped the wicket's flow and kept the Pakistani bowlers at bay.

Minhas disposes of the well-set Dixon! Pakistan has finally made the much-needed breakthrough. Length ball sent in outside off, Dixon stays back expecting to punch down the ground, but it twists in rapidly, getting a small inside edge on the off stump.

Hicks rises on his toes to smash a low-bouncing back of the length ball. The ball does not rise as much as he expected, and he pulls it onto his sticks from the toe end of the bat. Australia, four down.

Harry Dixon pushes off the front foot, beats extra cover to the left, and continues sprinting as his companion remains immobile at the opposite end. They both watch the ball and end up at the same end. Minhas fumbles to his left but recovers in time to toss it to the keeper. Harjas Singh sacrifices his wicket.

Australia have lost two early wickets inside the 15 overs of play. Harry Dixon is there with Harjas Singh. Pakistan's Ali Raza and Naveed Ahmed got the wickets of Sam Konstas and Hugh Weibgen respectively.

Australian opening pair Harry Dixon and Sam Konstas opened the batting with Ubaid Shah opening the bowling for Pakistan. Four runs from the first over.

Australia have restricted Pakistan for 179 all out and to meet defending champions India in the final, they just need 180 runs. Tom Straker was the player who shone with the ball and now they need to face the lethal Pakistani bowlers and reach the target.

Tom Straker demolished the Pakistani batting line up and removed six batters to finish the first innings for 179 runs all out. Arafat Minhas and Azan Awais made crucial fifties. Straker bowled the last two batters Mohammad Zeeshan and Ali Raza to bundle out the Pakistan team.

Short of length across off, Awais attempts to play it towards deep third, but the ball climbs and lands high on him. It takes an edge and straight to the keeper. The third umpire is performing a no-ball check. Oh, it's quite tight, but there appears to be something behind the line. Awais is gone after fifty!

Azan Awais has shown grit and determination in his half-century. He, along with Arafat Minhas have added 53 runs for the sixth wicket to put Pakistan back on track. Awais has hit three boundaries in his stable inning and now has take the Pakistan innings deep in the death overs. Some fireworks are expected from the set batters.

Just when it looked like Pakistan were beginning to rebuild a wee bit, the Aussies have pegged them back again. Pacer Mahli Beardman cleans up Haroon Arshad with a special delivery that nipped back in at pace to disturb the furniture. Pakistan are now five down and in deep trouble.

The Australia colts are all over Pakistan. They have choked the flow of runs and prised out four key wickets to take charge of proceedings. Azan Awais, who is at the crease currently, is the only Pak batter to cross the 20-mark so far and he needs to kick on, if the Boys In Green are to mount a challenge in Benoni.

After a sedate start, Pakistan's openers have both departed, succumbing to the stranglehold enforced by the Aussie seamers. Tom Straker first had Shamyl Hussain miscuing a pull to square leg, and Callum Vidler then accounted for Shahzaib Khan to leave the Boys In Green in a spot of bother.

Mahli Beardman has the ball in hand for Australia. Shamyl Hussain is on strike first up against the right-arm seamer, with the in-form Shahzaib Khan at the other end. Beardman bowls a tidy first over, sticking to the corridor outside off and giving nothing away. Getting some good carry as well. Three runs off the first over.

Pakistan U-19: Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Azan Awais, Saad Baig (C/WK), Ahmad Hassan, Haroon Arshad, Arafat Minhas, Ubaid Shah, Mohammad Zeeshan, Ali Raza, Naveed Khan.

Australia U-19: Sam Konstas, Harry Dixon, Hugh Weibgen (C), Harjas Singh, Ryan Hicks (WK), Ollie Peake, Tom Campbell, Rafael Macmillan, Tom Straker, Mahli Beardman, Callum Vidler.

Australia have won the toss and elected to field first. Pakistan skipper Saad Baig says he would have batted first anyway.

From the Pakistan camp, medium-pacer Ubaid Shah is in red-hot form. He has scalped 17 wickets in the World Cup and 28 in his last 10 games at a strike rate of 19.5. Their opener Shahzaib Khan was the leading run-getter in the group stage, and earned the Player Of The Match honour twice - for his hundred against Afghanistan and an undefeated 86-ball 80 against New Zealand.

As for the Australians, Callum Vidler has been their leading wicket-taker in the tournament. The teenager hurries batters with his nippy pace, and said in an interview with the ICC: "My job is to bowl fast and if anyone ever tells me to slow down, I don't listen to that." Also, their captain Hugh Weibgen has truly led from the front and played a bunch of crucial knocks for his side, including a century against England.

Both Pakistan and Australia are yet to face defeat in the tournament so far. While the Aussies have wins against England, Sri Lanka, Namibia and Zimbabwe, and a no result against the West Indies to their name, the Boys In Green have vanquished Bangladesh, Ireland, New Zealand, Nepal and Afghanistan en route.

Pakistan made it to the last-four stage by the skin of their teeth, with a narrow five-run victory over a spirited Bangladesh in the Super Sixes pulling them through. The Boys In Green defended a modest total of 155 to get here, which could prime them for the battle at hand against the buoyant Kangaroos.

Pakistan U-19: Saad Baig (c), Ali Asfand, Ali Raza, Ahmad Hassan, Amir Hassan, Arfat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haroon Arshad, Khubaib Khalil, Mohammad Zeeshan, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Muhammad Riazullah, Ubaid Shah.

Australia U-19: Hugh Weibgen (c), Lachlan Aitken, Charlie Anderson, Harkirat Bajwa, Mahli Beardman, Tom Campbell, Harry Dixon, Ryan Hicks, Sam Konstas, Rafael MacMillan, Aidan O’Connor, Harjas Singh, Tom Straker, Callum Vidler, Ollie Peake.

Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of the second semi-final of ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2024, featuring two teams who are unbeaten in the tournament so far - Pakistan and Australia. Saad Baig and Co have set 180-run target for the Australian team. Azan Awais and Arafat Minhas made crucial fifties. Tom Straker took six wickets to restrict them before 200-run mark. Now, Australia need to make 180 runs to win this match and meet India in the summit clash. Pakistan have not conceded 200 runs against any team in this tournament. Australia have a good batting line up and Pakistan have the best bowling attack in the tournament. Can they defend 179? Lets see... Follow all the live updates of the PAK vs AUS match in Benoni here. (Streaming | Key Battles)