International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the schedule for the upcoming edition of the U19 World Cup that is set to commence on January 19. Sri Lanka were awarded the hosting rights previously for the competition but ICC suspended SLC due to political inteference last month and that led to the U19 World Cup moving to South Africa.
South Africa will face the West Indies in the opening game as a total of 16 teams will fight it out to win the trophy. As many as five venues - Willowmoore Park in Benoni, Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Kimberley Oval in Kimberley, JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom and Buffalo Park in East London - will host all the matches of the World Cup. 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four each.
India, Bangladesh, Ireland and the USA are in Group A while Group B comprises of England, South Africa, West Indies and Scotland. Group C features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Namibia while Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal are part of Group D.
"In the past 12 months we have seen South Africa successfully deliver two milestone events for the sport - the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup last year, and the groundbreaking ICC Women’s T20 World Cup that immediately followed. The relocation of the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 to South Africa allows us the opportunity to build on this momentum and welcome the best young cricketers on the planet to five notable international venues," ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley said. All teams will also play two warm-up matches each from January 13 to 17.
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Groups:
Group A: India, Bangladesh, Ireland, USA
Group B: England, South Africa, West Indies, Scotland
Group C: Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Namibia
Group D: Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand, Nepal
