The USA U19 Women recorded their first ever win at an ICC Women's U19 World Cup, and did so in ruthless fashion with a near flawless performance by bowling out the opposition for 75 before chasing the target inside 10 overs. 

Photo credit: ICC/Getty Images

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
The USA U19 Women proved their hot streak in warmup matches leading into the tournament was no fluke as a disciplined bowling and fielding performance resulted in Ireland U19 Women being bowled out for 75 before the Americans rampaged toward the target in just 9.4 overs to record a thumping nine-wicket win on Monday morning at Johor Cricket Academy on the second day of Group B action at the 2025 ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup in Malaysia. 
 
Isani Vaghela was named Player of the Match for USA after taking 3 for 10 in three overs, which included two catches off her own bowling, as well as putting the icing on the cake for USA’s victory by hitting the match-clinching boundary with scores level. England’s win over Pakistan by six wickets later in the day officially clinched a spot in the Super Six stage for both USA and England. 
 
Both USA and England are on three points after Monday’s results while Ireland and Pakistan remain on one point. USA will play England on Wednesday to determine the winner of Group B. Ireland play Pakistan in the final match of Group B and since both teams sit on one point, the loser of that match will finish on one point and cannot overtake USA with the top three teams in each group advancing to the Super Six stage. A washout in the Ireland v Pakistan match would also have the same impact as it would mean both teams end on two points and cannot overtake the loser of the USA v England match. 
 
It means USA has two more guaranteed matches in Malaysia, which will be crossover fixtures with two teams in Group C, dependent on results. As the table currently stands, it would mean USA winds up playing against either South Africa, Nigeria or Samoa, who are currently the top three teams in Group C. New Zealand, who USA beat in a tournament warmup match, are currently last in Group C and would fall short of the Super Six stage after they lost by two runs to Nigeria on Monday in a match that was reduced to 13 overs by rain. 
 
Ireland won the toss and chose to bat first, initially racing out to a confident start of 17 for 0 in the first two overs behind the aggressive batting of Alice Walsh. After a boundary on the second ball of play against Maahi Madhavan, Walsh was caught off a rib height full toss no ball on the boundary in the second over, then hit the free hit for another boundary. However, Aditi Chudasama got her revenge by the end of the over as Walsh’s audacious approach backfired when she walked too far across her stumps trying to scoop Chudasama’s offspin over fine leg and was bowled for 16. 
 
Vaghela replaced Madhavan in the attack for the third over and struck with her second ball as a tentative poke by Rebecca Lowe to a ball heading down the leg side resulted in a chip back to Vaghela’s right and the bowler adjusted her follow through route to reach across to her right at shoulder height to hold onto a solid catch making it 18 for 2. 
 
USA could have had another wicket in the fourth over as Freya Sargent didn’t get enough elevation behind a lofted drive off Ritu Singh that headed straight to Pooja Shah on the ring at mid-off, but chest height chance was put down. Ireland continued to charge ahead as Annabel Squires, who appeared to survive a fortunate not out decision on what looked like an edge behind off Vaghela in the third over, wound up going in similar fashion to Walsh as she walked all the way across her stumps to Vaghela and wound up dragging a scoop shot onto her stumps for 3 in the fifth over to make it 28 for 3. 
 
Sargent could not carry on after surviving the earlier dropped chance and fell in the eighth over for 10 as Singh created a second chance off the same batter when Sargent slogged a full delivery toward deep midwicket where this time a chance was well taken by Chetna Reddy Pagydyala, who claimed a waist height catch in stride while roving to her left to make it 36 for 4. Chetnaa Prasad got into the act in the 12^th over as her offspin resulted in the demise of Abbi Harrison for 13 when the Irish wicketkeeper pulled a good length ball flat and low to Disha Dhingra who took a sharp catch lunging forward in the ring at short midwicket to make it 55 for 5 after 12 overs. 
 
With the Ireland tail exposed, USA’s bowlers never let up and neither did their fielding. Singh came back into the attack for her third over in the 13^th and bowled Ellie McGee for a second ball duck with a beautifully flighted offbreak that turned back sharply through the gate to expose McGee’s flat-footed poke. Vaghela took her second return catch of the day with a sensational athletic effort to dismiss Lara McBride for 13. McBride checked her drive on a a fullish length ball that floated back low toward Vaghela, who dove forward and claimed a tumbling catch just inches from the ground to make it 60 for 7 in the 14^th. 
 
Prasad took her second in the 16^th, bowling Lucy Neely for 4 on a failed slog sweep to make it 69 for 8. New ball medium pacer Madhavan returned to the attack late and began what would be a wicket maiden by dismissing Ireland captain Niamh MacNulty off the first ball of the 17^th for 6 when a full delivery was driven toward long-off where Pagydyala took a comfortable catch 10 yards inside the rope at head height to make it 72 for 9. Chudasama closed out the innings four balls into the 18^th over when she had left-hander Jennifer Jackson playing inside the line of a drive to a ball that turned away and clipped off stump for 1. 
 
Aside from Vaghela’s figures, Singh took 2 for 8 in three overs while fellow offspinners Prasad and Chudasama took 2 for 12 and 2 for 16 respectively. Immadi returned 0 for 15 in three overs while Madhavan returned 1 for 11 in three overs. 
 
The opening combo of Dhingra and Pagydyala played cautiously at the start of the chase, advancing to 4 for 0 after two overs, before Dhingra scored USA’s first boundary with a cut behind point off Jackson’s left-arm medium in the third over. Dhingra was dropped on 6 on a difficult chance by Kia McCartney reaching left across her body at mid-off on the first ball of the fifth over bowled by Jackson. 
 
The miss proved extremely costly for Ireland as Dhingra edged the next ball wide of the keeper for four, then slashed the next ball over short third for another boundary before following it off the next legal delivery with a beautifully lofted drive over extra cover for six. McCartney arrived with her spin in the sixth over and Dhingra treated her little differently, pulling a short ball over wide mid-on for another six. Padygyala joined in the fun against McCartney in the eighth, pulling a chest height full toss no ball over the midwicket rope for another USA six. 
 
A misfield resulted in a two taken by Dhingra off the second ball of the 10^th over to level the scores and move her to 46 off 32 balls. The opener tried to charge down the wicket for an attempted lofted drive over mid-on which would have given her a half-century and clinched a win for USA at once, but Dhingra was defeated by McBride’s turn and bowled to prevent what would have been a 10-wicket win. Vaghela came to the crease and drove the next delivery by McBride over mid-off for a boundary to end the match. Pagydyala ended with 23 not out off 25 balls including two fours and a six while Dhingra’s knock featured five fours and two sixes. 
 
All teams in Group B have a rest day on Tuesday before USA resumes action on Wednesday against England with a 10:30 am local time start, which is at 9:30 pm Tuesday night on the east coast of the USA and 6:30 pm Pacific Time. A win would strengthen USA’s chances of advancing to the semifinals as the Group B winner would play the second and third placed teams in Group C for their two Super Six stage matches, which would be Nigeria and Samoa as the table currently stands.