India open their account in the ICC U-19 World Cup against Sri Lanka at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein before facing Japan and New Zealand.
The Indian U-19 team which won the World Cup in 2018. (Photo: ICC-Cricket.com)
The International Cricket Council, on Thursday, announced the schedule of the upcoming under-19 World Cup to be held next year from January 17 to February 10 in South Africa.
The host nation has been clubbed in Group D and will kickstart the tournament, playing Afghanistan in the opener at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley. United Arab Emirates and Canda are the other two teams in the group.
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India, who have been placed in Group A, open their account against Sri Lanka at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. The Boys in Blue will next face debutante Japan and New Zealand in their next group encounters at the same venue on January 22 and 24 respectively.
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Three other cities, namely Benoni, Potchefstroom and Kimberley will host the 13th edition of the tournament. JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom will be a key venue with two Super League quarterfinals, both the semifinals and the final.
The competition consists of four groups with as many teams. The top two teams from each group would qualify for the Super League while the remaining teams will ply their trades in the Plate championship.
“The U19 Cricket World Cup is a very important event in our calendar as it brings together the world’s most promising young players in a major ICC tournament, giving them the experience of competing on the global stage,” ICC had of Events Chris Tetley was quoted as saying in the official press release of ICC.
Tetley also announced that the entry to the venues will be free. “We have some excellent venues for this tournament, and we are offering free entry to all matches giving cricket fans in South Africa the opportunity to watch the next generation of superstars,” he added.
Here’s how the groups look
Group A: India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Japan.
Group B: Australia, England, West Indies, Nigeria.
Group C: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Scotland.
Group D: Afghanistan, South Africa, UAE, Canada.
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