‘Would be surprised if all of them don’t go a very long way’: Australia U-19 captain Hugh Weibgen on pace unit

Australia captain Hugh Weibgen heaped praise on his pace-heavy bowling unit following his team’s clinical 79-run victory over India in the final of the U-19 World Cup in Benoni on Sunday. Seamer Mahli Beardman (3/15) and off-spinner Raf MacMillan (3/43) ran through the Indian batting lineup that had flattened opposition bowlers throughout the group stage as well as the Super Sixes, reducing them to 122/8 after the Aussies set them a challenging 254 to win, and eventually bowling them out for 174 and winning the tournament for a fourth time in the process. **As It Happened: India vs Australia, 2024 U-19 World Cup Final** Weibgen, who chipped in with a valuable 48 to help the Aussies posted a competitive 253/7, additionally said he would be surprised if the pacers did not end up representing the Aussies at the senior level down the road. “With a pace attack like ours there’s a fair bit of confidence when we get 250 on the board. That was our plan to get a few runs and back ourselves to defend it. As a unit, they worked so good together. They know their roles and are happy to bowl either ends. “They are all for the team. I would be surprised if all of them don’t go a very long way in their careers,” Weibgen said during the post-match presentation ceremony before lifting the trophy with his teammates. Read | India fail to deliver when it matters most to get hearts shattered by Australia yet again Besides Beardman and MacMillan, Callum Vidler, who finished as Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, too chipped with a couple of wickets including that of opener Arshin Kulkarni in the third over of the chase while pace colleagues Tom Straker and Charlie Anderson collected a wicket each. Weibgen also heaped praise on Harjas Singh, the Australian batter of Indian origin who had struggled throughout the World Cup but rose to the occasion in the final — top scoring for his side with a sparkling 55. “He is a quality player. Class is permanent, form is temporary. Full credit to the coaches for sticking with him, putting the faith in. All the boys knew he could get the runs. It was awesome to see him score runs today.” Beardman was named the ‘Player of the Final’ for his exceptional bowling performance, in which he got the key wickets of Musheer Khan, skipper Uday Saharan and Adarsh Singh and ended the tournament with an impressive 10 wickets at an average of 10.50 and an economy of 2.77.

Australia have done it again!

They win their third straight final against India, having won the #WTC23 and #CWC23 last year 🏆

Match Highlights 🎥 #U19WorldCup pic.twitter.com/whcSzAEK3G

— ICC (@ICC) February 11, 2024

During the post-match presentation, Beardman opened up on the influence Australian pace legend Dennis Lillee, who also happens to be his coach, has had on his cricketing journey so far. “From DK (Lillee) I learnt a lot of mental stuff and tried to implement that as much as I can this tournament. He got me thinking about my bowling instead of just bowling, thinking about my field setting and then from there working on mental things - little cues like going head, and then going toes next ball. Stupid stuff like that. “(The win) means so much. The amount of work we have put in over the last year and a bit, prior to the England series as well, this has been on the forefront of our minds. Standing alongside Cal [Vidler] and the rest of the cartel is a dream come true. Our strong suit has been how close we are as a group, and it is not just performance-based but off the field as well. We get along really well as mates and that chemistry helps,” Beardman said during the presentation shortly before Australia lifted the U-19 World Cup trophy for a fourth time.