England and Zimbabwe were midway through a warm-up fixture for the Under 19 World Cup at the LC de Villiers Oval in Pretoria when heavy rain and wind swept across the ground. Former England batsman Ian Bell labelled the match as ‘Tornado stops play’.


The news was initally shared by another ex-England player, Jon Lewis. He posted a video from the ground showing the extreme weather. Lewis has been head coach of England’s youth team since the 2018 Under 19 World Cup in New Zealand.

Zimbabwe had earlier been restricted to just 116 all out with all-rounder George Balderson taking 3-16 in four overs at the top of the innings. Things could have been much worse for Zimbabwe had it not been for a battling 53 made by Tadiwanashe Marumani.


More thunderstorms are forecast over the next few days in Pretoria which could impact the preparations of Bangladesh, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa and Nigeria, who are all scheduled to play at the ground before weather improves. The West Indies v Scotland fixture may escape unscathed with the forecast picking up by Wednesday, when the match is scheduled.

Pretoria is not scheduled to host any matches during the tournament proper. The relatively nearby Potchefstroom, though, is set to host a significant portion of the tournament, including the final, across several venues.

Related tags:

England Under-19S