Young Lions win World Cup opener in Harare

England opened their 2026 ICC Men’s U19s World Cup campaign with a 37-run win against Pakistan in Harare.

Caleb Falconer was named Player of the Match after the Middlesex batter top-scored with 66 as the Young Lions were dismissed for 210 on a two-paced wicket.

The England bowlers then got to work in an impressive all-round display to bowl out Pakistan for 174 and take an important early step towards reaching the Super 6 stage.

Leicestershire seamer Alex Green struck twice early to catches behind the wicket to set the tone for a restrictive performance with the ball as Pakistan slipped to 85 for six.

Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf threatened to steal the game away with a composed 65, that included four sixes, to leave his team needing 67 from the final 10 overs.

But Durham left-armer James Minto returned to the attack and immediately had him caught at third man by Manny Lumsden. Victory was then secured thanks to captain Thomas Rew’s quick reactions, removing the bails to run out last man Ali Raza, who had left his crease to avoid a throw from the deep.

Falconer had earlier reached a run-a-ball half-century to glue together the England innings on a tricky pitch and slow outfield after the recent rain in Harare, which had washed out the Group B opener between Zimbabwe and Scotland yesterday.

“A lot of credit goes to the batters around me. It was not easy and I had to dig in and wait for my opportunity,” Falconer said at the post-match presentation.

“It was quite a challenge but once you dug in, we tried to push the fielders and run hard and wait for our boundary opportunities.

“There was a bit of variable bounce so I thought if we bowled stump to stump we would have a really good chance and the fielders were there to back it up. I’m really glad with the result.”

England can secure their place in the Super 6 stage when they play tournament co-hosts Zimbabwe in Harare on Sunday. The top three from each group progress to the next phase.

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