Dial and the boys are world champions
“Four! It's over. “Dial has finished it off! “Plays a lovely back foot drive straight down the ground and South Africa win!”
This is an extract from the International Cricket Council’s commentary transcript, when Benoni’s own Bradley Dial was at the crease and hit the winning boundary to give South Africa a maiden ICC u-19 Cricket World Cup win, when the team defeated two times champions Pakistan, in Dubai, on Saturday, March 1.
South Africa rolled the Pakistan team for 131 runs, in the 45th over, with a wonderful display from their bowlers.
It was the u-19 Proteas’ skipper and eventual player of the series, Aiden Markram, who led the way with the willow.
His top score of 66 not out helped to steer the ship home safely for his country, but the win would not have been possible had it not been for number six batsman Dial, who joined Markram in the 34th over of the South African innings.
The Benoni cricketer’s 14 runs not out, including the winning stroke in the 43rd over, was enough to take the team to a spectacular six-wicket victory.
Speaking to the City Times from Cape Town on Monday, March 3, Dial said: “It is an awesome feeling to be a world champion and to be honest it feels a little bit surreal.”
He added that the winning feeling only really kicked in about 45 minutes after the final ball was bowled, when the lights had gone off at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
When asked what made this team so successful as a unit, Dial said: “We did not have any superstars or permanent fixtures in first-class or franchise cricket.
“Each player put in the effort.”
The former St Dunstan’s Preparatory School pupil added that when he walked in to bat all that was going through his head was not to lose his wicket.
“It’s actually easier to be out in the middle than on the sidelines at a time like that,” he said.
“It is definitely the proudest moment in my cricket career.”
He thanked everybody who has supported him, including his parents, family, friends and former coaches.
Dial’s mother, Jill, said she was emotionally drained from the excitement of the win.
“I just could not believe it,” she said.
“It was just excited chaos here at home when Bradley scored the winning runs.”
