In a bizarre incident in the ongoing U19 World Cup, England batter Hamza Sheikh was given out for obstructing the field during their match against Zimbabwe in Senwes Park at Potchefstroom. In the 17th over of the match, the middle order batter defended the ball, which fell right in front of his foot. After the ball became stationary, he decided to pick it up and pass it to the bowler. However, Zimbabwe keeper Ryan Kamwemba decided to appeal and interestingly, Hamza was given out.
Former England cricketer Stuart Broad was surprised by the call as he noted that Hamza handed the ball only when it became stationary. He added that it can’t be out as he was ‘doing a favour’ to the bowler.
“Oh get a grip. He’s passing a stationary ball back to the fielder? Doing him a favour! Can’t give that out,” Broad wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Meanwhile, England international Sam Billings retweeted the video with a simple ‘wow’ comment.
England defeated Zimbabwe by 146 runs
Opener Theo Wylie played a brilliant knock of 61 runs off 70 deliveries against Zimbabwe in the U19 World Cup. He set the platform for the Young Lions, but the middle order batters failed to capitalise. However, towards the end, Charlie Allison and stumper Haydon Mustard batted well to help England post 237 runs on the board in the first innings. Allison made 76 while Mustard hit 41, which brought back the momentum in England’s favour.
When it came to the chase, Zimbabwe suffered right from the start as the England bowlers were all over them. Only two players managed to score in double digits. They were bundled out for just 91 runs as the Ben McKinney-led side won by 146 runs.
Meanwhile, despite the win, England failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition. With two wins in four matches in Group B of the Super Six, England finished fourth. Australia and South Africa qualified from their group while India and Pakistan qualified from Group A.
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