Harare: Faisal Shinozada’s mammoth century grabbed the attention as Afghanistan cruised to a 191-run win over Ireland in the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026 Super Six at the Harare Sports Club on Friday.
The win helped Afghanistan join Australia in qualifying for the semi-finals from Group 1, guaranteeing them second place with six points from four matches, while the defending champions topped the table with eight points.
As the Asian team posted a mammoth total of 315/7 in 50 overs, Afghanistan captain Mahbub Khan opted to bat first in the high-stakes match.
Atalans, however, had a mixed start to their innings as they lost both their openers Osman Sadat (14) and Khalid Ahmadzai (one) for just 27 runs in eight overs.
Following an early stumble, Shinozada and Usairullah Niazhai (26) staged a decent recovery by adding 75 runs for the third wicket before Oliver Riley was dismissed in the second ball of the 22nd over.
His dismissal did not trouble Afghanistan as Shinozada joined skipper Mahboob in the middle and the duo dominated and put on 188 for the fourth wicket at a brisk rate.
The match-defining partnership eventually culminated in the 48th over as Shinozada fell to Riley after scoring a top-notch 163 off 142 balls with 18 fours and a six. As a result, he was adjudged Man of the Match for his sensational performance.
Mahmood followed suit an over later and was out again after scoring 89 off 79 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes.
For Ireland, Reuben Wilson and Riley took three wickets and Thomas Ford took one.
Chasing a target of 315 runs, Ireland were bowled out for 124 runs in 40.4 overs.
Middle-order batsman Marco Bates cautiously led the way with 34 off 81 balls, followed by Wilson’s 31. Apart from them, only Rob O’Brien (16) and James West (15) managed to score double figures.
Abdul Aziz and Akil Khan combined for three wickets each in Afghanistan’s bowling, while Nooristani Omarzai and Ruhullah Arab claimed a scalp each.