Summary

Maximum points for Australia and the United Arab Emirates headlined an action-packed opening day of the 2025 Indoor Cricket World Cup in the Under-22 Men’s Division.

Day 1 Results

United Arab Emirates 92 (13 13 37 29) defeated India 39 (10 8 -4 25)

Player of the match: Hammad Ali (UAE) – 22 runs, 2/0.

UAE started well in the field, keeping India to just 14 from their first three pairs. A strong finish from Yogesh Gangarapu and Nuthan Shankar got the Indians up to 39. Afam Muhammed was the pick of the bowlers with 4/-3, including three wickets in an over. Muhammad Hasher Fakhruddin was clinical with six run-outs himself.

India started their defence well, keeping the first two UAE pairs to just 13 each. What seemed like a low-scoring affair was soon blown out by Hammad Ali and Joshua Alex Fernandes, with a huge 37 for the third pair. Adnan Jalil and Mohammed Sheraz Shalal followed suit with 29 to finish off a terrific opening game.

Australia 126 (41 23 30 32) defeated England 59 (17 16 4 22)

Player of the match: Jude Kearney (AUS) – 11 runs, 3/-8.

A statement opening pair from Jay Noorbergen and Ethan Benson kickstarted Australia’s hopes to go one better this World Cup. Confident batting from the Australians saw them lose just three wickets in their innings with each batter scoring over 10 runs, showcasing their all-round dominance.

England showed glimpses of strong and confident batting — led by Connor Wilson with 19 runs, but the fielding performance from the Australians stopped the English in their tracks. Nine run-outs across the innings kept England to just 59, losing all four skins. Noorbergen and Damien Guild were excellent in the field, whilst Coby Fitzgerald and Jude Kearney were faultless with the ball.

South Africa 76 (2 19 31 24) defeated Sri Lanka Development 47 (16 20 7 4)

Player of the match: Dale Karg (RSA) – 24 runs, 2/1.

Sri Lanka’s Development squad got off to a superb start, keeping the South African opening pair to just two runs. Vimukthi Dhananjaya was the pick of the bowlers with an impressive 4/-4. In danger of a sub-par score, experienced duo Dale Karg and Seth Collins got their side back in the game with 31 for the third pair. Nico Steyn and Christopher Elston played nicely for 24, to get the Proteas up to 76.

The Sri Lankans started well, taking the first two skins, a huge win in the context of the Development side. South Africa got on top in the third pair however, taking four wickets and keeping the pair to only seven. South Africa only increased the fielding pressure thereafter, which resulted in a huge three-wicket over for Collins.

New Zealand 92 (29 17 27 19) defeated Sri Lanka 30 (16 23 -8 -1)

Player of the match: Rikesh Patel (NZ) – 9 runs, 4/-10.

New Zealand started their title defence with a clinical win against the hosts. Charlie Pawson and Sam Clode put up 29 in the first four overs of the game, despite losing a wicket in the opening over. Yenula Dewthusa snared two wickets to keep the second pair to 17, whilst Jack Gaskin and Jacob Duker scored a healthy 27 in the third. In a chaotic final pair, Manasa Madubashana took a hat-trick, before Harlin Amaral whacked two back-net shots to neutralise the damage.

Sri Lanka started their chase well and grabbed the second skin with 23 from Dewthusa and Janindu Nandasena. New Zealand however took control of the game when Rikesh Patel also took a hat-trick, the second of the game, keeping the third pair to -8. The wickets then continued to fall, with another negative pair to finish the game. David Kingham took 5/-4, Patel 4/-10, and Duker 3/-1. Run-outs were shared amongst the team in an excellent all-round fielding performance from the Kiwis.

StandingsLinks

Fixtures, Results, Players, Teams and Live Scoring

Live Streaming – YouTube: U-Pro Indoor Cricket

Image: Getty Images for Cricket Australia