India & Pakistan Placed In Different Groups; ICC Reveals Schedule For U19 World Cup 2024
India & Pakistan are currently playing U19 Asia Cup (x.com)
The International Cricket Council has officially announced that the U19 World Cup 2024 is scheduled to commence on 19th January, featuring an opening match between Ireland and the United States of America at Bloemfontein. The final schedule encompasses matches at five different venues, totaling over 41 games in the 15th edition of the tournament. The tournament will finish on 11th February.
Originally slated to take place in Sri Lanka, the U19 World Cup 2024 faced disruptions due to political interference in the country's cricket administration. As a consequence, Sri Lanka was suspended, leading the ICC to transfer the hosting rights to South Africa.
The five-time champions, India, will kick off their U19 World Cup 2024 campaign against Bangladesh on 20th January at Bloemfontein. In the previous edition, India clinched the title with a victory over England at Antigua, with Raj Bawa delivering an all-round performance that secured a four-wicket win while chasing a modest target of 190.
This time, India finds themselves grouped with Bangladesh, Ireland, and the United States of America. Among all the groups, Group B stands out as the "Group of Death" with heavyweight teams like England, South Africa, and West Indies, alongside the emerging Scotland.
Discussing South Africa hosting the event for the third time, ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley expressed that South Africa stands as one of the best choices for hosting tournaments, having successfully concluded two consecutive events. He emphasized that hosting the tournament in South Africa would provide young players with the opportunity to experience five of the best international venues in the world. He said:
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
Groups for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2024
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
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