ICC/CricketEurope

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Belgium deservedly won the Under-17 Division 2 title at JHQ1 in Moenchengladbach on Friday, beating Italy by seven wickets with just one over to spare.

It was a tense match throughout, as befits a final, and the Belgians showed that they could withstand – and also apply – the pressure more effectively than their opponents. National coach Fazil Mahmood has welded his squad into a disciplined, well-organised outfit, as was obvious both from the way he had them using their rest day to analyse the performances of their likely opponents and from the way he gathered them together to stand and watch the taut final minutes of Friday’s match.

Put into bat after Sebastian Shukla won the toss, Italy made a cautious, perhaps even an excessively cautious, start against a steady but not especially threatening Belgian seam attack.

The score had progressed to 49 in the 17th over when Ali Shakil was trapped leg-before by Akshat Sanghvi, and six overs later had moved to 63 when suddenly the Belgians seized the initiative.

First Roshandra Abeywickrama, in a rare moment of aggression, skied a ball from Shaival Mehta into the covers, where despite a collision with a teammate Edward Still hung on to the catch. Later in the same over Giorgio Scalco fell leg-before, and in Mark Weighill’s next William Rudgard departed the same way.

Italy were now 68 for four, and with Dylan Sarnelli joining Tobia Blefari they really needed a repeat of yesterday’s splendid partnership between these two.

It looked as if it might happen as Sarnelli pulled Weighill for six, but he pushed the next ball to Zertish Ahmad at mid-off and called for the single. It was always a dangerous gamble, and the allrounder failed to beat Zertish’s direct hit.

Blefari and Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan now set about the bowling, adding 57 for the sixth wicket before Blefari hit a high return catch off Sanghvi which the bowler took despite another collision with a teammate.

Bhuiyan played another aggressive innings, hitting 41 from 31 balls and then, with the overs starting to run out, going for one big shot to many off Sanghvi and being well caught by Usman Choudhary, diving forward full-length at long on.

The Italians managed 80 off the final ten overs, their total finishing on 177 for nine. It was probably 20 or so short of what they would have wanted, but large enough to give their bowlers something to work with.

They needed early wickets, however, and the Belgian openers were equally determined to withstand the initial assault from Sarnelli and Abeywickrama. They did so until the score had reached 31, at which point Akarsh Mahta played round a full toss from Sarnelli and was bowled.

Skipper Shukla was intent on playing a solid captain’s innings, and despite losing Mark Weighill, run out off a wide when the total was on 80, he gave a splendid example to his side, taking no risks but punishing the loose ball.

Jamie Farmiloe was fortunate to be dropped in the gully soon after he came to the wicket, but gave his captain great support until Shukla was finally bowled by a fine yorker from Alessandro Merlo.

That made it 118 for three, and with nearly six an over needed from the last ten overs, the match had not yet been absolutely decided.

It was Sanghvi who decided it, striking a splendid 34-ball 35 not out, including three fours from one Sarnelli over.

That swung the game decisively Belgium’s way, and Farmiloe and Sanghvi were now in a position to pick off the remaining runs in ones and twos. This they duly did, the winning runs coming off the final ball of the penultimate over.

It will have surprised nobody that the umpires’ selection of Man of the Match was Akshat Sanghvi.