ICC under-19 world cup will be held in New Zealand from 13 January to 3 February 2018. The tournament will be the third to be held in New Zealand, making the country the to stage the event thrice. New Zealand had previously staged the tournament in 2002 and 2010.
ICC under-19 world cup
Sixteen teams will fight it out for the coveted trophy, eleven of which qualified automatically. The ten full members of the ICC, as of 2016, secured direct qualification to the event while Namibia also qualified automatically for being the highest ranked associate member in the last edition of the Under-19 World Cup.
READ MORE – 2019 World Cup – Schedule
The other five teams were determined through series of regional qualifiers, with one place being granted to each International Cricket Council (ICC) development region (Africa, the Americas, Asia, East Asia-Pacific, and Europe).
Qualified Teams:
Teams | Mode of qualification |
Australia | ICC Full Member |
Bangladesh | ICC Full Member |
England | ICC Full Member |
India | ICC Full Member |
New Zealand | ICC Full Member |
Pakistan | ICC Full Member |
South Africa | ICC Full Member |
Sri Lanka | ICC Full Member |
West Indies | ICC Full Member |
Zimbabwe | ICC Full Member |
Namibia | Highest-ranked associate team at 2016 World Cup |
Afghanistan | Winner of ACC Under-19 Premier League |
Kenya | Winner of Africa Under-19 Championship |
Canada | Winner of Americas Under-19 Championship |
Papua New Guinea | Winner of EAP Under-19 Trophy |
Ireland | Winner of Europe Under-19 Championship |
Groups:
The 16 teams have been divided into the group of four.
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
Kenya | Australia | Bangladesh | Afghanistan |
New Zealand | India | Canada | Ireland |
South Africa | Papua New Guinea | England | Pakistan |
West Indies | Zimbabwe | Namibia | Sri Lanka |
Squads:
Kenya |
New Zealand |
South Africa |
West Indies |
Australia |
India |
Papua New Guinea |
Zimbabwe |
Bangladesh |
Canada |
England |
Namibia |
Afghanistan |
Ireland |
Pakistan |
Sri Lanka |
Venues:
The matches will be staged in seven venues, namely Hagley Oval, Rangiora Oval, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln No. 3, John Davies Oval, Bay Oval and Cobham Oval.
Fixtures:
Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in the inaugural game of the tournament on January 13 while defending champions Windies will open their campaign against hosts New Zealand on the same day.
The top two sides of each group will advance to the Super League while the remaining eight teams will figure in the plate championship. The final will be played at Bay Oval on 3 February while both semifinals will be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on 29 and 30 January. The plate tournament will run simultaneously but end with the final at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Christchurch on 28 January. Click here for the full schedule and scores.