Steven Taylor cracked his second century in as many games to lead USA to a 46-run win over Namibia U-19 at North County CC on Sunday at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Dublin, Ireland. Taylor was named Man of the Match for his 102 in 74 balls which included 14 fours and four sixes.

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By Peter Della Penna in Dublin, Ireland

Comments I Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

Steven Taylor cracked his second century in as many games to lead USA to a 46-run win over Namibia U-19 at North County CC on Sunday at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Dublin, Ireland. Taylor was named Man of the Match for his 102 in 74 balls which included 14 fours and four sixes.

USA U-19 won the toss and elected to bat first on a day which featured persistent drizzly rain and overcast conditions. Taylor was not deterred however and put on a 122-run opening stand with Cameron Mirza in which the wicketkeeper-batsman scored 87 of the runs. He brought up his 50 in 33 balls with eight fours and two sixes, the first of which was lost in the brush beyond the midwicket boundary in the fifth over of the match. The stand ended when Mirza played back to a full delivery from medium pacer Christopher Coombe and was given LBW for 14.

Taylor motored along, bruising the boundary boards with his heavy hitting at the small ground. He brought up his century in 68 balls with a single on the last ball of the 18th over. He was caught a short time later in the 20th over driving the off-spin of Justin Baard straight to his brother, Namibia U-19 captain Stephen Baard, at cover to make it 151 for 2.

Image (right) - Steven Taylor acknowledges his teammates cheering from the North County CC pavilion balcony after reaching his second century of the tournament. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Wickets started falling quickly afterward as it appeared USA was heading for another middle order free fall. USA U-19 captain Greg Sewdial was caught at mid on for 24 off Stephen Baard’s medium pace in the 25th over to make it 173 for 3. Abhijit Joshi played over the top of a full delivery from Justin Baard to be LBW for 6 and Jodhbir Singh lofted Justin Baard straight to long on for 2 as USA fell to 188 for 5 after 28 overs.

Number five batsman Amarnauth Persaud was then joined by all-rounder Pranay Suri and the two stabilized USA’s innings with a 68-run stand for the sixth wicket. The two did a much better job of placing the ball into gaps for singles than USA had done as a whole during their first two matches. Persaud finally got out for 40 when he flicked a full toss on his legs straight to Stephen Baard in the circle at midwicket off the bowling of medium pacer Zhivago Groenewald.

Suri carried on for the last eight overs with Salman Ahmad and in the batting power play from the 44th to the 48th over the pair added 32 runs. Another 22 were added in the last 12 balls as USA finished on 312 for 6 in 50 overs. Suri brought up his half-century with a four in the final over and finished 55 not out in 70 balls with five fours and a six. Ahmad remained unbeaten on 21 off 20 balls. Justin Baard bowled a clever eight-over spell varying his flight and pace to finish with 3 for 28 in eight overs.

After a maiden by Ahmad started Namibia’s chase, the opening pair of Wian van Vuuren and Justin Baard showed positive intent by blitzing Ahmad and Mital Patel for 31 off the next three overs. Baard fell in the fifth when he was caught off the bowling of Ahmad at mid off by Hammad Shahid for 13. Pelham Myburgh joined van Vuuren and the two continued to pressure the USA bowling attack. Leg-spinner Gurpreet Sandhu was brought on in the 12th and conceded 17 runs but was able to dislodge van Vuuren for a run-a-ball 43 on the final delivery of the over as an LBW appeal was upheld after hitting the batsman halfway up the pads defending on the front foot to make it 82 for 2.

Three overs later, the rain at the ground intensified enough for the players to be forced off the field with the score at 92 for 2 in 15. An hour delay ensued and when play finally resumed, USA took control of the match with three quick wickets. Myburgh was bowled by a Shahid yorker for 18 in the 17th over before Justin Davidson chipped Suri’s off-spin to Persaud at midwicket for 2. Shahid followed that up by knocking back Stephen Baard’s off stump with a gem for 19 to make it 107 for 5 in the 21st.

Namibia refused to give up though as Gert Lotter and Merwe Erasmus built a 90-run sixth wicket partnership to keep their team’s hopes alive. It was only when Suri returned for his final two overs that Erasmus was pried from the crease when he drove a full delivery straight to Sewdial at cover for 55.

Lotter continued to fight on with Groenewald as they produced a 54-run stand but Lotter finally perished in the batting power play, trying to slog Ahmad down the ground but was caught by Shahid at long on for 67 to make it 251 for 7. Ahmad took his third wicket two balls later when Groenewald was caught by sub fielder Prashanth Nair at point for 25 and it was only a matter of time before Namibia was bowled out.

Patel dismissed Coombe for the ninth wicket and Ahmad finished off the match when Andre Engelbrecht top edged a pull to Taylor behind the stumps and Namibia was bowled out for 266 in 46.4 overs. Ahmad had the best return for USA with 4 for 60 while Suri bowled a crucial spell in miserable conditions to finish with 2 for 37 in 10.

In the day’s other matches, Canada defeated Vanuatu by nine wickets, Nepal cruised past Kenya by six wickets, Scotland beat Ireland by two wickets on Duckworth Lewis Method in another rain-affected match and Afghanistan defeated Papua New Guinea by six wickets. After three days, Namibia, Canada, Nepal, Scotland, Kenya and Ireland are all 2-1. USA is tied for seventh with Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea at 1-2 but ahead of both on net run rate. Vanuatu is the only winless team having lost all three of their games.

USA U-19 returns to action in what is sure to be an emotionally charged contest against Afghanistan U-19 on Monday morning at The Hills CC north of Dublin. DreamCricket.com’s live coverage, made possible in part by New Inning Foundation, will begin at 10 a.m. in Dublin, 5 a.m. EST in the USA with first ball scheduled to be bowled at 10:45 a.m.