USA Cricket: England U19 Women beat USA by eight wickets behind Perrins 74

Davina Perrin ruthlessly attacked the USA bowling unit, scoring 74 of England's total of 120 in a breezy chase as England U19 Women defeated the Americans by eight wickets to top Group B at the 2025 ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup.

Photo credit: ICC/Getty Images

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
In a battle to decide who would top Group B at the 2025 ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup, it was England who outwitted the US after a blistering half-century from opener Davina Perrin, as the US posted their first innings total of 119 chased for 5 with 5.4 overs to spare in an eight-wicket defeat at Johor Cricket Academy Oval in Malaysia. Perrin was named Player of the Match for her 74 off 45 balls, which included nine fours and three sixes, making her the highest score in the chase.
In the other Group B match of the day, Ireland defeated Pakistan by 13 runs in a match reduced to nine overs per side. The combination of results means USA finished second in Group B but will take two points from their win over Ireland and a solid net run rate of +0.995 into the Super Six stage. Had Pakistan beaten Ireland, the US would have taken one point and a negative net run percentage into the Super Six stage. Based on the results in Group C, the USA will take on New Zealand, ranked third in Group C, in their first Super Six stage match on Saturday, January 25, before taking on the winner of Group C, South Africa, plays. The US beat both sides in unofficial warm-up matches before the start of the U19 World Cup. If they can beat both sides again, the US would have an excellent chance of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.
The USA opted to play with an unchanged XI after their win over Ireland and were sent to bat first after losing the toss. England opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman and the strategy paid off in her second over when Disha Dhingra fell for 6 in the third, bowling while playing inside the line of a glancing delivery that dipped and turned back to finish stump to be cut. Corteen-Coleman almost had two in the over but a flat drive from Isani Vaghela was smashed down by Jemima Spence at mid-on, eventually resulting in a boundary. Offspinner Prisha Thanawala created another chance in the fifth after replacing Corteen-Coleman, who took the catch at mid-off after a skied heave from Vaghela for 10 to make it 24 for 2.
Thanawala struck again in the seventh, getting Chetna Reddy Padygyala in identical fashion with a skied heave to a Corteen-Coleman full toss at mid-on for 10 to make it 29 for 3. Vice-captain Aditi Chudasama became the third player in the seventh inning. a line to the air a drive to a fielder on the ring, picking out England U19 captain Abi Norgrove for 3 midway through the match to give Trudy Johnson an edge wicket making it 42 for 4 in the 10^e.
Arriving at number 6, Ritu Singh teamed up with US U19 Women's captain Anika Kolan in a 63-run partnership to bring the US innings back to life. Kolan attacked Olivia Brinsden in the box^e over, hitting a half-volley off leg stump over square leg for six before taking another ten runs for a 16-run frame. The pair followed it up with another 11 runs in the 17^e over, to set up a final five-over flourish, in which USA added 46 runs. The only hiccup of the stretch came when Singh fell for 20 and cut off a drive from Johnson to Perrin on backward point in the 18th.^e about. But Pooja Ganesh arrived and scored on all eight balls she faced, going 10 not out as she tried her best to get Kolan back into action. The American captain eventually finished unbeaten with 46 off 42 balls after arriving in the sixth over.
Johnson finished with 2 for 17 in four overs, while Thanawala returned 2 for 20 in four. Corteen-Coleman claimed 1 for 25, while Brinsden, Phoebe Brett and Grace Thompson all finished wicketless in their combined eight overs.
Medium pacer Maahi Madhavan struck on the second ball of the chase for USA, along with Dhingra, who took a great catch from extra cover by diving low to remove Erin Thomas for a golden duck. However, Perrin and Johnson quickly regained the momentum for England as the pair added another 46 at the end of the Powerplay, taking the score to 47 for 1.
USA had opportunities to eliminate both players a short time later, but failed to convert either chance. Perrin offered a life on 36, driving Chudasama's long-range offspin to Pooja Shah, but a diving effort came and went. Johnson survived a much easier chance at 20 in the 10^e over Shah's bowling when a soft drive to Madhavan at extra cover was spilled over her head. Perrin brought up a half-century from 34 balls in the same period before unleashing herself further in the 13th century.^e in which she hit two boundaries as part of a 15-run frame.
Another 19 runs were taken in the 14^e when Perrin offered another half chance off Shah's bowling, but Dhingra misjudged a skied drive at long-on that went over her head as she came in off the rope and landed inches over the boundary for six. Perrin finally fell later in the over with just two needed to win when a lofted drive from Shah was brilliantly taken by Singh who burst in from the cover boundary to take a diving catch that edged forward. England captain Norgrave hit the winning single two balls in the next over into the covers.
Madhavan finished with 1 for 11 in two overs, while Shah claimed 1 for 26 in two overs. Chudasama finished as the US's most economical bowler with 0 for 12 in 2.2 overs. Vaghela, Singh, Chetnaa Prasad and Saanvi Immadi all finished wicketless.
The US now has to travel 300 kilometers from the Singapore border, where they played their Group B matches at the Johor Cricket Academy, to the southern outskirts of Kuala Lumpire, where they will face New Zealand at YSD-UKM Oval in Bangi.