England have not won the tournament since 1998, coming closest four years ago when they were beaten by Friday\u2019s opponents in the final.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rew\u2019s sparkling century was key to his side\u2019s 27-run victory over Australia in a thrilling semi-final on Tuesday, taking his tournament tally to 299 runs at 74.75. He hailed his top-order colleagues for laying the foundations during England\u2019s unbeaten tournament so far \u2013 Ben Mayes has impressed with 399 runs at a shade under 80 \u2013 and believes his side have what it takes to clear the final hurdle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt means a lot,\u201d he said in the pre-match press conference in Harare on Thursday. \u201cWe came into this tournament with one aspiration, and now there is one more game left. We have all had dreams of lifting the World Cup, but we have to treat it as just another game of cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt helps batting with our top order, every single person puts pressure back on the bowler, and that takes the pressure off you. All the credit has to go to them. The communication has been good among the squad, and I\u2019m just trying to play some strong shots and hope for the best,\u201d the England U19 captain added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England\u2019s bowling attack has been key to their success. Nobody has more wickets in the competition than Manny Lumsden, whose 15 wickets have come at under 12 runs apiece, while Ralphie Albert and Sebastian Morgan have also made valuable contributions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Reflecting on their successful defence of 277 against Australia, Rew added: \u201cIt\u2019s always nice batting first on a wicket that deteriorates.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t as bad as previously, but we used it to our advantage with the ball; we bashed away at hard lengths. Our bowlers have done that all tournament, and that\u2019s why we\u2019ve done really well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India were beaten finalists two years ago, having won the tournament in 2022, and their class of 2026 have made it through to the final unbeaten.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Aaron George\u2019s fantastic 115 led their successful pursuit of 311 against Afghanistan, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set the tone with a 33-ball 68.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Captain Ayush Mhatre, who contributed 62 himself with four sixes, is excited for the occasion and, like his opposite number, is urging his side to keep it simple and not get overawed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEngland are a fabulous team who are also playing really nicely in this tournament,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will play our natural game, play each ball on its merits, and adapt to conditions and the wicket. We will try to play simple cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Captain Ayush Mhatre, who contributed 62 himself with four sixes, is excited for the occasion and, like his opposite number, is urging his side to keep it simple and not get overawed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe had to look for ones and twos and find the boundary from loose balls. Nothing special, we just had to keep it simple. Our bowlers were very good, and Afghanistan batted very well. The bowlers have some pointers to improve, and they will try to do that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n