Promising Taieri all-rounder Beckham Wheeler-Greenall played an impressive knock but was not able to drag New Zealand through to a win in the ICC Under-19 World Cup semifinal against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom yesterday.
Wheeler-Greenall struck an unbeaten 75 from 83 deliveries.
But New Zealand could only manage 211 for eight. Bangladesh overhauled the target with more than five overs to spare and six wickets in hand.
Cricinfo’s Sreshth Shah wrote it ‘‘seemed like Wheeler-Greenall was batting on a different surface than the rest of his team-mates’’.
‘‘While the rest of the New Zealand top order struggled to find the gaps against Bangladesh's varied and effective bowling attack, Wheeler-Greenall continued to drag New Zealand out of the quicksand they were apparently sinking in.
‘‘The way he paced his innings is what makes him one to watch out for in the future.’’
New Zealand got off to a very slow start and struggled in the initial 10 overs. The side lost a wicket in the second over and could not get any quick runs when the field was up at the start of the innings.
Wheeler-Greenall joined Nicholas Lidstone at the wicket with his side 75 for four. The pair added 65 to help give the innings some more stuffing.
It was not Wheeler-Greenall’s first instrumental innings. He made a 111-ball 80 against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament to help his side overhaul a testing target of 243.
A year 13 pupil at King’s High School, Beckham-Greenall first hit the headlines in early 2016 when at the South Island primary schools tournament in Dunedin, he took a hat trick and scored a century in the same game — the first time that had been achieved in the history of the tournament.
New Zealand will play Pakistan in the playoff for third in Benoni this weekend. India and Bangladesh will contest the final.
