6.48pm The streamers begin coming up as Akbar Ali lifts the trophy. A topsy-turvy rollercoaster ride of a final, and Bangladesh emerged the less giddy of the two teams. Akbar Ali plays the starring role, and he was superb first as captain and wicketkeeper, and later with a fabulous effort with the bat to help chase down a low total. Phew! This has been quite the ride. Lots more coming from Sreshth at Potch. For the moment, on behalf of Ranjith and Deivarayan Muthu, this is Debayan Sen saying goodbye and thanks for your company right through this event.
Akbar Ali is back: "It's a dream come true. It's all about the hard work we have done over the last two years. The coaching staff...I just cannot thank them enough for how much support they have given us on and off the field. Some of our bowlers were getting emotional. What happened should not have happened. I would like to congratulate the Indian players. They have been brilliant throughout this tournament. I would like to thank our coach, assistant coaches, trainers, analyst, selectors, everybody who has helped us. We've had a very good experience, and this is just the beginning for us. Hopefully, this will be the starting stone for us. Those who have supported us here have been our 12th man here. We really appreciate it."
Jerk Chicken : "Would love to see the curators get recognized in these presentations. Congrats Tigers!!" --- For the moment, it's the winners' medals for Bangladesh!
6.39pm The Indian team comes up to collect their runners-up medals now. Priyam Garg says :"It's a bad day, but our boys fought really well. Even with such a low total, we made it difficult for them, and I would like to thank my team for that. (On batting) The biggest factor was the toss, because the wicket was a bit damp. We had a good start, and we should have got to at least 210-220. That would have been a much better score. (On bowling) I don't think we could have done much different. For 178, we responded really well, and we lost this because we didn't bat well enough. That's about it. We enjoyed the World Cup. We played a series here too, and this was enjoyable too."
Manga: "Came here at Mirpur to buy fiancés Wedding Saree and now strucked in celebrations here around home of cricket. Crazzy"
The Player of the Tournament is Yashasvi Jaiswal. Finishes with a round figure of 400 runs, the most of any batsman. Tells Bishop: "I really enjoyed the tournament, I had a good experience here in South Africa, how to play on these wickets. I really enjoyed it. I needed to play my game, that was it. I keep thinking about what I need to play next, and I just worry about my process. I will do what I did last time, and I want to stick to that."
6.35pm The player of the match goes to Akbar Ali! Tells Ian Bishop: "When I went into the middle, we just needed a partnership. I told my partners that we cannot afford to lose a wicket. The plan was simple. We knew India won't make it easy. They are a challenging side, and we knew it will be a difficult chase. I am a person who wants to keep things simple, In the first half of the tournament, I hardly got any chances to get in the middle, and I wanted to make it count today." 6.28pm What a day, what a game. Bangladesh become just the seventh nation to have won an Under-19 World Cup, and deny India the satisfaction of back-to-back titles in the process. In fact, the first defeat for India since the 2016 final. The match and tournament presentation in just a bit now...
Arup: "I am from KUET, Khulna, Bangladesh. Peoples are gathering here and going for a procession. Its really emotional here." --- That's wonderful to hear. I am sure the celebrations will go long and far. Especially when your little heroes come back home.
Shahid: "Congrats to Bangladesh here from Pakistan. And yes total praise for Jaiswal, a great player in the making."
Asim: "What a day. First Naseem Shah becoming the youngest bowler to get a hat trick and now Bangladesh winning their first world championship" --- Cricket, bloody hell. My colleagues Deivarayan Muthu and Anuj Vignesh are both so emotional, they can barely string the right words...
Parvez Hossain Emon: "It was a great experience. We are world champions now. I am feeling really good. It was a tough chase, and we had to work really hard. [This feels] just so good."
Meanwhile, guess what difference can a watch make in chess? Ask B Adhiban, who yesterday became the first Indian Grandmaster to be penalized for wearing a watch to a game in the country.
Richard Stonier, the S&C coach: "These guys have formed a great family with me. This is about the boys, for all the hard work, the sacrifices they have made over the last 12 months. They deserve this. We just work on two things - I just bring energy and show the boys how the best they can be. If they get to 50 percent, that's good enough."
Rakibul has the flag wrapped around him as he speaks: "It's an unbelievable experience. We came here with plans and it worked out really well. Whichever team executes their plans better on the day wins, and that happened for us today."
Sampath: "Congrats Bangladesh you deserved the cup more than India just based on your performance in this final. Your bowling and feilding were way better and justice is done."
Arun B: "33 Extras!! Thats 20%. Bangladesh has to chase only 80% of what India scored. Diff between win and lose for India. "
6.13pm Bangladesh have done what has looked unthinkable for at least the last three years at U-19 level. They have beaten India in an absolute humdinger, and won their first World Cup at any level! They bowled superbly in the morning session, and then started in a frenetic manner with the bat, before Ravi Bishnoi pulled them back wth some sensational leg-spin bowling. However, captain Akbar Ali kept his cool, and has seen this target home with some phlegmatic batting. The Indians, who sank to their knees as the winning runs were struck, can only watch, as the Bangladesh team and support staff takes off on a celebratory run around the ground. Their supporters greet them with gusto. The Bangladesh flag flutters proudly, both on the playing surface, and in the stands!
If I recall correctly, the ICC Trophy final was also rain-affected. And featured a Bangladesh chase
END OF OVER:42 | 6 Runs | BD19: 169/7 (1 run required from 24 balls, RR: 4.02, RRR: 0.25)
- Rakibul Hasan8 (24b)
- Akbar Ali43 (77b)
- Sushant Mishra7-0-25-2
- Atharva Ankolekar4-0-21-0
Scores are tied, and the squad is ready for a pitch invasion for the ages!
TWO AWAY!
END OF OVER:41 | 1 Run | BD19: 163/7 (15 runs required from 54 balls, RR: 3.97, RRR: 1.66)
- Rakibul Hasan3 (19b)
- Akbar Ali42 (76b)
- Atharva Ankolekar4-0-21-0
- Yashasvi Jaiswal3-0-15-1
6pm The covers are being peeled off, the rain has stopped. Revised target is 170 - Bangladesh need seven from 30 balls!
Tabish Qureshi: "What if Bangladesh score 169 who will win? What is the no of over now remaining bowlers have to bowl?" ---- We get a Super Over. And to the second part of that query, since two bowlers have already bowled out, the most that anybody else can bowl now is nine overs
"Oh no no no! Rain stopped?? Why? For breaking our dream again??? Not again please" peeps DK. Have faith, my friend. Akbar Ali has batted really well. He just needs to see this through!
5.52pm They are going off, and the covers are coming on to the ground. It';s gone from a drizzle to steadier rain, and Bangladesh are ahead of the DLS score at this stage, which would have been 145, if there were to be no further play!
Looks like my movie might be missed (most of it anyway), but what a final this has already been. The rain coming down has just added another layer of mystery to it all. Bangladesh deservedly with their noses ahead at this stage, and largely thanks to a magnificent rearguard from captain Akbar Ali. This, after Ravi Bishnoi, had yanked this game back from the clutches of the Bangladesh openers, who had put in a very good opening stand.
Just 15 to win now. Slip in for Rakibul
Final Powerplay, but that is only of academic interest. India need a blitz of wickets here
END OF OVER:40 | 5 Runs | BD19: 162/7 (16 runs required from 60 balls, RR: 4.05, RRR: 1.60)
- Akbar Ali41 (72b)
- Rakibul Hasan3 (17b)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal3-0-15-1
- Atharva Ankolekar3-0-20-0
The strength and conditioning coach, a non-Bangla speaker, shouts, "Shesh kore aasho (Finish this before you return)"
Meanwhile, there's a slight drizzle that has begun
Junaid: "This young Indian Team reminds me Era of Australian Team under Steven Waugh and Ricky Ponting. Who never gave up. Keep going young Lads, you can win it."
Mohammad Aftab: "During my college days, me and my friend Rahul use to invoke a popular phrase from Lagaan movie whenever India was in a precarious situation and it seemed to always work. Let me try that again after all these years, 'Maar kachra Maar'" --- I use it in office TT all the time. Often with my friend Anuj Vignesh
Jaiswal is brought back
The DLS par score at this stage is 144. It will go up to 156 if India can prize out a wicket
END OF OVER:39 | 3 Runs | BD19: 157/7 (21 runs required from 11 overs, RR: 4.02, RRR: 1.90)
- Akbar Ali37 (67b)
- Rakibul Hasan2 (16b)
- Atharva Ankolekar3-0-20-0
- Akash Singh8-1-33-0
Kushal Mehta: "Get a slip in...wickets are going to win you this!!"