Windies upset India to win U19 World Cup

15 Feb 2016 Reuters

Keacy Carty leads Windies to victory to capture title in Dhaka

West Indies have stunned overwhelming favourites India to clinch their maiden ICC Under-19 World Cup title after Keacy Carty's unbeaten half-century helped them chase down a tricky target for a five-wicket victory in a tense final on Sunday.

At a time when their seniors are engaged in a protracted contractual dispute with their board ahead of next month's Twenty20 World Cup, Shimron Hetmyer's team chased down a 146-run victory target with three balls to spare.

It was their sharp bowling unit which laid the foundation for victory after dismissing the Indian team, coached by batting great Rahul Dravid, for 145 runs in 45.1 overs.

Image Id: ~/media/CBA7201EFDB0406BA8D3F36A2F897722 Image Caption: The jubilant Windies celebrate the win // Getty Images

None of India's top four batsmen could manage a double digit score and it was only Sarfaraz Khan's 51, his fifth half-century in six matches, that gave some respectability to their innings after they were asked to bat first.

West Indies' Alzarri Joseph and Ryan John claimed three wickets each in a dominant pace bowling display by their team.

India made a spirited effort to defend their modest total and injected some excitement into the contest by reducing West Indies to 77-5 in the 29th over.

Carty, however, was unperturbed and the right-hander added 69 runs with Keemo Paul (40 not out) to end India's 15-match winning streak since losing to England in the quarter-final of the previous edition in the United Arab Emirates two years ago.

Image Id: ~/media/1FBFDF903F81465196D59D01765374D5 Image Caption: Carty was named player of the match // Getty Images Carty, who was 52 not out, was adjudged man-of-the-match while Bangladesh captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz, whose team finished third ahead of Sri Lanka, won the man-of-the-tournament prize. "We weren't supposed to be champions but we came up to top," Hetmyer said. "The pacers used the pitch to their advantage, they stood out for us."