Potchefstroom, Jan 31 (IANS): South Africa's Under-19 team cruised to a nine-wicket victory against Zimbabwe in the Super Sixes of the Under-19 World Cup. Left-arm quick Kwena Maphaka emerged as the star performer, claiming a sensational 5-wicket haul, including three of the top four batters, as Zimbabwe crumbled to a mere 102 runs. Maphaka's fiery spell set the stage for a swift and efficient chase by the South African team.

?Zimbabwe found themselves reeling at 16 for 4 within the first five overs, with Maphaka striking early to remove both Brandon Sunguro and Campbell Macmillan without a single run on the board. Despite a brief recovery effort by Ronak Patel and Ryan Kamwemba, the introduction of right-arm quick Tristan Luus disrupted their partnership. Luus dismissed Ronak Patel for a well-paced 32 in the 16th over, triggering another collapse as Zimbabwe lost 6 wickets for 33 runs in the middle and lower order.

Maphaka returned to add two more wickets to his tally, combining with Luus to clean up the Zimbabwean tail. The visitors were eventually bundled out for 102, setting a modest target for South Africa.

In response, South Africa's opening pair of Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Steve Stolk launched a relentless assault on the Zimbabwean bowlers. Boundaries flowed regularly, with the first four overs yielding an impressive 42 runs. The powerplay concluded with South Africa comfortably at 86 for no loss. Although Stolk fell for a well-made 37, Pretorius continued the onslaught, reaching his fifty off just 38 balls in the 12th over.

The winning runs were struck by David Teeger in the fourteenth over, sealing a comprehensive victory for South Africa with plenty of overs to spare. This triumph propelled South Africa to the second spot in Group 2, with the substantial margin of victory significantly boosting their net run rate.