BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — West Indies Under-19s have been hailed for their character and self-belief, following their win over England on Saturday that catapulted them into the semi-final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand.

Playing in the rain-affected quarter-final that was reduced to 36 overs aside, West Indies successfully defended their 166 all out off 34.4 overs, restricting England to 148 all out off 33.1 overs at the Mainpower Oval.

“It is a fantastic achievement. Reaching the semi-final of an international tournament… is a great boost for West Indies cricket and I’m sure everybody in the West Indies will be proud of the performance of these guys,” an elated team manager Omar Khan told CMC Sports in an telephone interview on Saturday.

“They’ve really done West Indies cricket proud and they’ve really demonstrated that true fighting spirit and that never-say-die attitude and it augurs well for the future of West Indies cricket.”

West Indies got 69 from prolific opener Kraigg Brathwaite and 52 from captain Andre Creary as they recovered from a shaky position of 32 for two in the eighth over.

The duo put on 103 for the third wicket but a dramatic batting collapse saw them lose their last eight wickets for just 31 runs.

Tall Barbadian fast bowler Jason Holder then produced a terrific spell of bowling, capturing five for 19 to propel West Indies to a sensational victory.

“First of all the conditions were very difficult. We played in 12 degrees Celsius conditions that were very cold and windy,” Khan explained.

West Indies will now face Pakistan in their semi-final clash today (Sunday night Caribbean time).