Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in their final group game of the 2026 Under 19World Cup in Harare, but did so in a manner that also endured Zimbabwe’s qualification to the Super Six, taking advantage of the tournament rules to give themselves the best net run rate possible in the next stage of the competition.

Zimbabwe’s qualification on net run rate, along with Pakistan in Group C, came at the expense of Scotland, who looked poised to qualify at the midway point of Pakistan’s chase of the target of 129. However, Pakistan slowed down significantly from the end of the 14th over onwards and ultimately got to the target in 26.2 overs: had they won before 25.2 overs, Scotland, not Zimbabwe, would have qualified for the Super Sixes.

Pakistan gained a significant net run rate advantage with Zimbabwe qualifying ahead of Scotland owing to the format of the Under-19 World Cup. The tournament rules stipulate that points and net run rate are carried forward from the group stage to the Super Sixes, but only from the matches between the sides that qualify from the group. Pakistan progressed with a better net run rate because they had beaten Zimbabwe by a bigger margin than they beat Scotland.

Former international Andy Flower, who was commentating on the game, defended Pakistan’s “cunning tactics” in the way they paced their run chase against Zimbabwe.

“I thought it was a justifiable tactic on their part,” Flower told ESPNcricinfo. “When they go through to the Super Sixes, they will take their net run rate, which will include the Zimbabwe game but doesn’t include the Scotland game. That means their net run rate is better than if Scotland went through.

“They needed to first establish they weren’t going to lose the game, and then they just slowed down to make sure Zimbabwe got through. Some people may question the ethics of that, but I personally don’t.”

Pakistan had beaten Scotland with 6.5 overs to spare. However, they were poised to get a much larger win against Zimbabwe, one that would not have benefitted them in the Super Six stage if Zimbabwe were eliminated from the group. With Pakistan taking the game to the 27th over, they took the advantage of carrying their net run rate forward for a win achieved with 23.4 overs remaining, rather than one with 6.5 overs to spare. Moreover, they also deprived England, who topped group C, of the net run rate boost they got by beating Scotland by 252 runs in the group stage.

If Pakistan’s attempt to pace their chase in that manner was deemed as deliberate, that could conceivably constitute a breach of the ICC laws. Law 2.11 states that “any attempt to manipulate an international match for inappropriate strategic or tactical reasons” is a Level 2 Code of Conduct offence. However, proving that the slowdown was deliberate could be extremely difficult.

By the end of the 14th over against Zimbabwe, Pakistan had sped along to 84 in pursuit of 129, needing just 45 in 11.2 overs. However, from that point onwards, Sameer Minhas and Ahmed Hussain slowed down, their attacking intent visibly disappearing. They scored only 36 in the next 12 overs, with 89 balls going by without a boundary.

Flower, who was on commentary during the latter stages of Pakistan’s chase, suggested they were aware of the net run rate calculations. “The last ten overs or so, Pakistan have played a cunning game,” he said. “The way Pakistan are going about business, they are probably aware of the fact that if they qualify for the super six along with Zimbabwe, they carry through a better net run rate as opposed to with Scotland.

Pakistan’s attacking intent returned as soon as Zimbabwe’s place in the Super Sixes was secured. With nine required to win, Minhas, the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 74, clobbered Michael Blignaut for two successive sixes over long-on to finish off the game.

As qualification slipped out of Scotland’s grasp, Flower said on air that it “must be hard for Scotland to be watching this”.

However, he defended Pakistan’s strategy of giving themselves the biggest advantage in the next round. “I think it was a fair tactic and didn’t bring the game into disrepute,” he told ESPNcricinfo.

During the 1999 ODI World Cup, Steve Waugh had attempted a similar strategy during Australia’s chase against West Indies at Old Trafford, to gain the advantage of carrying forward points into the Super Six round.

[Cricinfo]

Kusal Mendis’ 93 not out off 117 balls provided the backbone, Janith Liyanage punched out a 46, and DunithWellalage produced late burst, as Sri Lanka strode to 271 for 6. On a track that offers turn, and at a venue at which chasing has historically been difficult, Sri Lanka’s is a solid – if not imposing – score, even if the hosts are resting some key bowlers.

Adil Rashid added to his excellent Sri Lanka record with 3 for 44, and was unsurprisingly England’s primary weapon, given the conditions. Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, and Rehan Ahmed claimed a wicket each, as England found frequent-enough breakthroughs to cut partnerships short before they grew truly worrying. Although Sri Lanka will be pleased with their score, England will believe it is within their reach.

Mendis was cautious early on. Arriving in the 11th over, he faced out 12 scoreless deliveries – 10 of those from England’s legspinners – before he nurdled himself onto the scoreboard. He was awake to scoring opportunities, particularly in his favoured zones square of the wicket, such as when he struck Rehan for successive boundaries behind point in the 15th over.

But as England continued to bowl tightly to him, and the spinners extracted turn from a dry surface, Mendis chose to proceed in a middling gear, pushing for singles and twos instead of dusting off his more aggressive sweeps. He got to 50 off 62 balls, but slowed down a little after that, particularly after he lost Liyanage, with whom he had put on 88 for the fifth wicket.

Although Mendis hit only a single four after the 41st over, Sri Lanka had Wellalage to crash the finishing boundaries. He hit three fours and a six in his 12-ball 25 not out. Mendis was in the 90s in the last two overs, but Wellalage claimed the majority of the strike, taking a particular shine to Jamie Overton in the final over, which went for 23.

Rashid was masterful with the ball almost from the outset. He slipped a googly past the defences of Kamil Mishara 10 balls into his first spell, then later trapped Dhananjaya de Silva in front, having beaten the batter in the flight. Then in the 43rd over, he cramped Liyanage up and took a simple catch off his own bowling, just as Liyanage was preparing to press the pedal to the floor.

Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 271 for 6 in 50 overs (Pathum Nissanka 21, Kamil Mishara 27, Kusal Mendis 93*, Janith Liyanage 46, Dunith Welalage 25*; Adil Rashid 3-44) vs England

[Cricinfo]