Men’s Under 19 World Cup 2026: Malajczuks Ton Led Aus To Win

Japan vs Australia – Malajczuk Stars in Historic Chase

Australia put up a dominating display at the Men’s Under 19 World Cup 2026 and scored a convincing win over Japan in Windhoek, with a breathtaking knock from Will Malajczuk.

While chasing a target of 202, Malajczuk played an innings for the ages, scoring 102 runs off just 55 balls, thus becoming the fastest centurion in the ICC U19 World Cup history. Malajczuk opened the innings along with Nitesh Samuel, and the pair added a vital 135-run partnership that more or less sealed the match for them.

The left-handed Malajczuk was in destructive mode, smashing 12 fours and five sixes, and reaching his hundred in just 51 deliveries. Samuel played the perfect second fiddle, remaining unbeaten on 60 off 73 balls as Australia cruised to victory with eight wickets in hand and 20.5 overs left.

Australian Bowlers Keep Japan in Check

Earlier in the day, Australia’s bowlers established themselves by limiting Japan to 201 runs from their 50 overs. The main wicket-taker was leg-spinner Naden Cooray, who took three wickets for just 31 runs, while medium-fast bowler Will Byrom also contributed with two wickets.

Men’s Under 19 World Cup 2026: Rain Halts New Zealand vs Bangladesh Clash

New Zealand vs Bangladesh – No Result Due to Persistent Rain

New Zealand’s second match at the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2026 was unfortunate with the abandonment of the fixture against Bangladesh due to continuous rain.

The start of the match was delayed by morning rain and when play began, Bangladesh won the toss and chose to field first. Rain returned after 10 overs, with New Zealand at 51/1. The two New Zealand openers, Aryan Mann and captain Tom Jones, had settled in well when bad weather caused further disruption.

The New Zealand team was forced to wait for over three and a half hours for the weather to clear, however when it became clear that the weather was not improving and the pitch was unplayable, match officials had no choice but to abandon the match.