In one of the shortest matches imaginable, Canada’s under-19s defeated Argentina’s under-19 side in only five deliveries during the Americas regional qualifiers for the Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
The extraordinary game took place on 10 August at the Param Veer Sports Complex in Georgia, USA. Winning the toss, Argentina opted to bat first but were skittled out for just 23 in 19.4 overs. Not a single batter reached double figures, with seven dismissed for golden ducks. Extras contributed 7 of the runs. Canada’s leg-spinner Jagmaandeep Pal was the chief destroyer, taking 6 wickets for 7 runs from 5 overs, including 3 maidens.
Chasing the meagre target, Canadian captain Yuvraj Samra who also features for the senior national team finished the match almost single-handedly. Off the first four balls he faced, Samra struck two fours and two sixes to reach 20, while opening partner Dharm Patel remained unbeaten on 1. The remaining 3 runs came from wides, leaving Canada victorious with 295 balls to spare.
Despite the remarkable nature of the result, it will not enter the official record books as the match did not carry Under-19 ODI status. If it had, Argentina’s 23 would have ranked as the second-lowest score in youth ODI history, and Canada’s chase would have been the fastest ever, surpassing Australia’s 3.5-over pursuit against Scotland in 2004.
The win leaves Canada second in the qualifying table with one victory from two matches. The USA lead with two wins from two, Bermuda sit third on run rate with one win and one defeat, while Argentina remain bottom after two losses.