A five-wicket haul by Muzamil Sherzad propelled Ireland to an eight-wicket win against Zimbabwe and a place in the Under 19 World Cup Plate final.

The North Kildare speedster took 5 for 20 as Zimbabwe were dismissed for 166, with his extra pace and bounce troubling the African side.

Sherzad ensured there would be no late recovery as Ireland capitalized on the excellent start, benefitting from the run out without scoring of Zimbabwe opener Matthew Welch.

There were three more wickets for Lisburn left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys (3-32), who has been the pick of the Irish attack on their tour.

The Bennett brothers – Brian and David – top scored with 37 and 35 respectively, but the Irish bowlers never let the African side to get too much momentum at any stage.

The Irish run chase began nervously losing Nathan McGuire (6) and Josh Cox (0) early, but Jack Dickson and captain Tim Tector soon wrested control of the match with a superb unbroken third wicket stand of 159.

Man of the Match Tector struck 8 fours and a six in his unbeaten 76 from 94 balls, while Instonians opener Dickson also hit eight fours, while clearing the ropes three times in his 78 from 88 deliveries.

There was an added bonus for Ireland with the victory ensuring automatic qualification for the next Under-19s World Cup in 2024.

“It was a brilliant day for us today - both the batting and bowling performance, and hopefully we can continue this into the Final.

"It was my first five-fer – but, I am just happy to take the wickets for my team. The way we played today was great, and if we can repeat that then we can beat UAE in the Final.”

Ireland’s next match – the Plate Final - will be against UAE on Monday, where a victory would ensure their best finish at an U19 World Cup.