England U19s v Australia U19s: The matches that made the men

England and Australia have faced each other seven times in Under 19 World Cup history, with Australia winning four matches to England’s two, with one no-result. On the eve of their quarter-final in this year’s event, we look back on those games.

Match 1 Australia U19s won by 60 runs Renmark, Australia, 1988

The first tussle featured a list of tyros whom would become big names in the world game. Australia won this group match thanks to 89 from their No.3 Stuart Law, who would go on to star in domestic cricket for Queensland and Essex, and appear in 54 ODIs for Australia, making 110 against West Indies in the 1996 ICC World Cup.

Captained by Michael Atherton, England fielded eight players that would go on to play full international cricket, with Mark Ramprakash and Nasser Hussain joining Athers in the top four. For Australia, Alan Mullally opened the bowling, taking 2/20, including the wicket of Atherton; a few years later, he’d be doing the same in Test cricket – but this time for the country of his birth, England.

Match 2 Australia U19s won by seven wickets Adelaide, Australia, 1988

After the group game, Australia would duly claim a second win in the semi-final. Mullally was again economical with the new ball, conceding just 19 runs from his 10 overs; while for England, half-centuries were struck by Hussain and Mark Alleyne. The target of 194 was never challenging, and despite the run-out of Law for 11, Geoff Parker and Lachlan Ferguson knocked off the runs. Australia would go on to beat Pakistan in the final.

Match 3 England U19s won by six wickets Cape Town, South Africa, 1998

A decade later, England get on the board, with a commanding victory in the group stages propelling Owais Shah’s team into the final. With the ball, Graeme Swann (2/23) and Paul Franks (2/20) restrict Australia to 147 despite an unbeaten 62 from Michael Klinger, and a quickfire 41 from Franks – allied to 51 from Stephen Peters – makes light work of the target. In the final, England would go on to beat New Zealand thanks to a century from Peters, who later became captain of Northants.

Match 4 Australia U19s won by 116 runs Christchurch, New Zealand, 2002

A strong Australia side featuring Shaun Marsh, Cameron White and George Bailey in its middle order dominated this clash from the 2002 group stages. Bailey’s unbeaten 69 underpinned their 281/5, before a bowling attack spearheaded by Dan Christian and featuring the left-arm wrist-spinner Beau Casson – both future senior Australia cricketers – restricted England to just 165, with Nicky Peng top-scoring with 57, as three future Test players in Nick Compton, Samit Patel and Tim Bresnan made just 27 runs between them.

Match 5 No result Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2008

A rain-ruined no-result in the fifth-place play-off, as England, chasing 107 in 24 overs, were left stranded on 47/2 in the 11th over. In Australia’s innings, future Ashes winner Steven Finn was the star with the ball, claiming 2/11 in five overs.

Match 6 Australia U19s won by six wickets Townsville, Australia, 2012

A brilliant all-round bowling performance from Australia saw England collapse to 143 all out in this Group A tussle, with Gurinder Sandhu, who would make his full ODI debut three years later, the standout performer with three wickets. Craig Overton, with an 81-ball 35, was the only England batsman to make it past 20.

In reply Australia were initially in trouble, losing four early wickets – two each for Jamie Overton and Reece Topley – before an unbroken 93-run partnership between Travis Head and the skipper Will Bosisto ensured Australia prevailed.

Match 7 England U19s won by one wicket Dubai, 2014

The last match between these teams was a classic, with England sneaking home by one wicket after a brilliant Ben Duckett century. Earlier in the piece, Ben McDermott – son of Craig – had made an unbeaten 56 to help Australia get up to 246/7, while Ed Barnard, now making waves at Worcestershire, was the pick of the bowlers with 3/22 from seven overs.

Despite a significant lower-order collapse after Duckett’s 109-ball century, England’s last pair of Josh Shaw and Matt Fisher put on 34 for the last wicket, creep over the line with just two balls remaining.