England U19 vs Afghan U19, 1st Semi-Final at North Sound, U19 WC, Feb 01 2022 - Match Result

England captain Tom Prest: "I don't think I really expected it to get that tight at the end the way things were going, but credit to the lads. Josh Boyden at the end was unbelievable under pressure. [After the 20-run over by Sales] It shows how quickly things can change in a game of cricket, but the way then Sales came back and took that catch at deep midwicket is testament to his character as a bloke. It was probably quite a brave call choosing to bat first at the toss. Belly the way he played and then Horts at the back end as well was something special, that partnership to get us to a winning score and the runs at the end were really crucial. [The rain break influencing the game] We thought 200 would be a good score from the position we were in and then to get the score we did targeting their seamers was amazing from Belly and Horts. We feel [Aspinwall] is a bowler who can hit the deck hard. On there, hard length top of the stumps with the odd bouncer was the way to go. He does that really well so that's why we went with him. [On England reaching their first U19 World Cup Final since 1998] I can't really believe it."

Afghanistan captain Suliman Safi: "It's a very difficult time. The momentum was with us and now we lose the match. It's part of the game. We played some great knocks. We have a good team. It's part of cricket to win or lose. Congratulations to England team. They played well. Cricket has ups and downs. The momentum shifted to England when we lost the wickets in the [46th over]. We have played good cricket here. Inshallah we will focus on the next game."

George Bell has been named Player of the Match for his 56 off 67 balls: "I just tried to keep it a bit steady for awhile until we could go big at the back end with Horton coming in at the end. He batted unbelievably well when he came in and we were able to put a score on the board. Obviously it's a good deck and we wanted to put a good score on the board to try to defend it. You just had to try to pick their spinners as best you can and then play to your strengths against them and it seemed to work today. We tried to target their seamers. Obviously their spinners are very good so that was where we tried to target and it worked well. After the big over that they had, I think it was just about staying calm as a team. I was trying to get people to stay calm but I get quite hyper myself so it was hard to do that. The skipper did a great job of keeping everyone calm and everyone just tried not to panic in the end."

Ran : "It's hard to believe that Rehan was not the man of the match. " I'm with you Ran! If not him, then Alex Horton surely had to be the next option. Seems like a case of match official simply running down the scorecard to see who had the most runs without actually using their eyes to factor in what just happened in front of them. But there were many heroes on the day for England that's for sure.

Anyway, that's it for today's coverage. On behalf of Andrew Miller, I'm Peter Della Penna. Will England face Australia or India in the tournament final? Come back tomorrow for coverage of the second semifinal at Coolidge. Until then, take care!

5.17 pm How many times did the pendulum swing in the last 30 minutes?! Afghanistan's last wicket pair drop to their knees after the final ball, utterly devastated. But Rehan Ahmed's 46th over will become the stuff of legend for England. With 23 off 18 to win and four wickets in hand, Afghanistan manage just 7 runs to close out the match.

Ahsan Bhutta: "That's the value of having a good leggie in your time, what an over from Rehan."

max: "It is a game of rotating the strike which is what Afghanistan are missing. Excellent work by the England players."

keran kerai: "England has a future. this was under pressure and bold leg spin calls make the change. prest for England test captain. "

Ali: "Prest decision to go with Rehan reminded me Dhoni's decision to go with Joginder Sharma in WCT20 final. Anyway, what a fight by Afghanistan !!"

Saqib: "Bold call turns into a heroic call.. "

Mark Young: "Great captaincy by Prest!"

From 19 off 12, Afghanistan needed 18 off 3. They bungled this in monumental fashion. But full credit to England for holding their nerve under immense pressure.

Boyden to bowl the final over.

Afghanistan's lack of awareness in that over has cost them badly with Hadi not crossing to get on strike at the fall of the 8th wicket. On the flip side, Prest's gamble to go with Rehan pays off huge dividends.

Here comes the hat-trick ball.

For the second time in this chase, Afghanistan's batting pair commit a huge blunder by not crossing with the ball in the air. There was plenty of time for Hadi to get on strike but instead the new batter is going to face.

After the disastrous 44th over bowled by Sales, Prest is tossing the ball to... Rehan Ahmed! Going with the leggie at the death when his control has been wayward at times throughout today. Bold call! 19 off 12 to win...

Incredibly over from Boyden. Concedes just four singles.

Around the wicket for the final ball.

Jon: "Marginal front foot no ball costs us a fortune! Will take a miracle for England now."

Just 23 off 18 needed now. Afghanistan's bench is beyond fired up. Boyden returns for his last two overs.

20-run over. The pendulum swings Afghanistan's way. 46-run stand off 27 balls. The game could be decided by a matter of inches. Had Sales had his foot behind the line on the first ball of the over, it's a wicket and Afghanistan are seven down. Instead, it opens the door for another no ball and another free hit and absolute chaos.