Players and officials of Bangladesh Under-19 team pose for photographs after a successful home series against their English counterparts at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The youths won the seventh and final limited-overs match here yesterday and clinched the series 5-2. They also won the lone four-day Test. Photo: Courtesy

Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team ended their series against visiting England Under-19s with an eight-run win in the seventh and last one-dayer at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday to take the series 5-2.

This triumph comes on the back of a 2-1 win against the same opponents in their own backyard in July. And this will be considered as a big boost for the young Tigers ahead of the ICC Under-19 World Cup which begins in January next year in New Zealand.

After confirming the series by winning the first four matches, the local boys probably let their feet off the gas a bit as they lost the next two, but came back strongly in the last match to prove their credentials as one of the outside challengers for the World Cup title.

It was an all-out effort in the last game that confirmed their victory. They put on 206 before being all out in the last over against the visitors, thanks to a half-century from opener Saikat Ali and 32 from one-down Amit Majumder. Skipper Mahmudul Hasan then led from the front as he took three wickets to restrict the English youths to 198 all out in 49.1 overs. There was one consolation for the visitors as their opening batsman Joe Root was named man-of-the-series for his consistent form with the bat.

This series was billed as a preparation for the World Cup by both teams. So this comfortable series victory would, if nothing else, work as a confidence-booster for the young Tigers and go in some way to validate the predictions of coach Minhazul Abedin and captain Hasan that they hoped to finish among the top fours in the World Cup.

Spin attack has always been the strength of the Bangladesh side, with two leg-spinners and a couple of all-rounders in the side. It was due to their efficiency that got Bangladesh out of trouble on number of occasions. Bangladesh team management can now ease a bit about the batting as well which has done better than expected this time around, with most of the upper and middle order batsmen getting runs.

Bangladesh Under-19 side will now host Zimbabwe Under-19s later this month as their last preparation for the World Cup.