AN extraordinary day at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup saw Pakistan captain Qasim Akram produce a display of all-round brilliance to help demolish Sri Lanka in the fifth-place playoff, while Dewald Brevis was the star again as South Africa beat Bangladesh in a thriller. Here are the big talking points from Day 19 of the tournament.

Pakistan’s demolition of Sri Lanka in Antigua was one of the best displays of the tournament and their dominance began right from the start as openers Muhammad Shehzad and Haseebullah Khan put on 134 for the first wicket.
Remarkably, that was far from the best partnership of the day for Pakistan, as Shehzad’s dismissal for 73 off 69 balls brought Qasim Akram to the crease and he proceeded to play, arguably, the knock of the tournament.

The Pakistan captain creamed 135* off just 80 balls in a remarkable innings that included 13 fours and six sixes.
Akram and Khan put on 229 runs for the second wicket in just 25.3 overs, with Khan dismissed for 136 in the final over of the innings.
Not content with scoring one of the most impressive centuries of the tournament, Pakistan’s captain went straight back out and bagged himself a five-wicket haul.

Akram’s five scalps came in super-quick time too, as he dismissed Sri Lanka’s top five inside the first 11 overs of the innings.
The 19-year-old finished with figures of 5-37, becoming the first player in the history of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup to score a hundred and take five wickets in the same match.

Sri Lanka’s captain has enjoyed a terrific tournament with both bat and ball, and he impressed again in North Sound, albeit in a doomed cause.
A clatter of early wickets meant that Wellalage strolled to the crease at number six in just the fifth over, but he stuck around for a classy 40 off 67 balls that helped his side avoid humiliation.

Wellalage has shown plenty in this tournament to suggest he has the potential to make it all the way, with several in the commentary box even tipping him as a future Sri Lankan captain.

South Africa’s young batting sensation has an exceptionally bright future, and he underlined his brilliance with a second century of the tournament to take him well clear as the World Cup’s leading scorer.

Brevis’ brilliant 138 off 130 balls effectively won his side the game, and the way he went about it was extremely impressive, building a foundation before accelerating the scoring to bring the target of 294 within reach, hitting seven maximums along the way.

The 18-year-old has scored two centuries and three half-centuries from six innings in the Caribbean, racking up 491 runs at an average of 98.20.
And not content with being the standout batter, he has also picked up seven wickets with his useful leg-spin. The future is extremely bright for the youngster.

(ICC Media)