ICC U19 WC: Skipper did great job of keeping everyone calm, says George Bell
Feb 02, 2022
St John's [Antigua], February 2 : England all-rounder Geroge Bell expressed gratitude towards his skipper Tom Prest, after they defeated Afghanistan in the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup semi-final.
England kept their nerve to become the first team to reach the ICC Under 19 Men's Cricket World Cup final after edging a thriller with Afghanistan by 15 runs.
"I just tried to keep it steady for a while, so that we could capitalise at the back end. Horton played exceptionally well. It was very challenging (to play the Afghanistan spinners). When you know they play the Big Bash, you know they are very good," said Bell after the game.
"We targeted their seamers, we knew it would be tough against their spinners, so that was the plan. After that big over (from Sales), it was about staying calm. Skipper did a great job of keeping everyone calm," he added.
Spinner Rehan Ahmed became the hero for the Young Lions, taking three wickets in the penultimate over at a crucial point when their opponents needed just 18 runs from the last 10 balls.
England will now face the winner of the other semi between Australia and India on Saturday in the final - a remarkable turnaround from the previous tournament just two years ago in South Africa when they finished ninth.
As for Afghanistan, they will head to the Coolidge Cricket Ground for the third-place playoff.
