Earlier in the tournament, the Samoans made history against Fiji by winning their first ever match at international under 19 level
Samoa have pulled off another stunning upset against Fiji to finish the 2018 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup – East Asia Pacific Qualifier 2017 in Samoa with two wins.
Earlier in the tournament, the Samoans made history against Fiji by winning their first ever match at international under 19 level, and yesterday’s second win showed it was not a fluke.
After heavy rain delayed the start in Apia, the match was reduced to 25 overs a side.
Samoa chose to bat first and seemed to be still batting like it was a 50 over match going at just three runs an over for the first ten overs.
But they picked up the run chase in the second half of the innings posting a competitive 91 off their 25 overs.
Number eight and eventual player of the match Lester Evile helped boost their total with a handy 14 off just 5 balls.
The Fijians would have been hoping to finish the tournament with a win after not being able to defend their title but it was not their day.
The Samoans came out fired up and ready to play in front of some very vocal home supporters and quickly had Fiji reeling at three wickets for just five runs in the fourth over.
A 31-run partnership between Jack Charters (14 off 19 balls) and Petero Cabebula (16 off 23 balls) brought them back into contention.
Enter hero of the day Lester Evile (5/17 off 4.2), who added to his efforts with the bat with a superb five wicket haul including Cabebula and Charters.
Those wickets saw the end of Fiji’s chances of winning the match as they collapsed to be all out for just 58.
The loss was a disappointing end to the tournament for the previous EAP champions and will give them plenty of food for thought when they return home.
Today’s other match between PNG and Vanuatu was rained out and will be replayed tomorrow.
The 2018 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup – East Asia-Pacific Qualifier 2017 is taking place in Samoa from August 8th to 16th and will feature teams from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu.
As a result of their five wins already in the tournament, PNG have now qualified for the 2018 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup to be held in New Zealand in January 2018.
Summary Scores
Samoa 91 (25) Falo 16, Evile 14, Charters 3/10 (4), Waqakibau 3/15 (5) defeated Fiji 58 (17.2) Cabebula 16, Charters 14, Evile 5/17 (4.2) by 33 runs