South Africa U19s target semifinal berth in final Super Six match

The South African junior side will be targeting a place in the semifinals of the U19 Cricket World Cup when they take on Sri Lanka in their final match of the Super Six phase at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Friday morning (start 10am).

With two Super Six groups the top two teams from each will progress to the semifinals, and the hosts currently occupy second position in Super Six group two on four points, behind Australia on six.

The SA U19s are level on points with the West Indies, but with the Caribbean side up against the Aussies in their final Super Six match, a win for SA should see them into the knockouts.

However, a loss against Sri Lanka could lead to a hugely congested log with four teams, including England who face Zimbabwe in their last Super Six match, locked on four points and needing net run-rate to decide who makes it into the semis.

Group one

Super Six group one is currently topped by India on net run-rate, with Pakistan lying second. Both sides are on six points, and with India up against Nepal and Pakistan taking on Bangladesh, both should cruise into the semifinals.

The SA side head into the clash against Sri Lanka in good form, coming off two powerful wins against Scotland and Zimbabwe.

They chased down a tricky score of 270 against Scotland in just 27 overs for a big seven-wicket win, and then bowled Zimbabwe out for 102 runs and chased that down within 14 overs for the loss of just one wicket.

Kwena Maphaka, who is ranked joint top of the wicket-taking charts, and Steve Stolk, ninth on the batting log, were the stars of those games and they will likely be called upon to produce against Sri Lanka if the hosts want to walk away with the win.

The final round of Super Six games take place on Saturday, while the semifinals will be battled out next week Tuesday and Thursday.