DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday, unveiled the schedule for the upcoming U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, scheduled to commence on January 19 in South Africa.

“Five-time champions India will commence their 2024 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign against 2020 winners Bangladesh in Bloemfontein, while hosts South Africa take on the West Indies in the tournament opener on January 19,” said ICC in a release.

Five venues across South Africa will host a total of 41 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup matches from January 19 till early February 11.

 The 15th edition of the showpiece event will feature 16 teams, divided into four groups.

Group A features defending champions India alongside Bangladesh, Ireland and the United States of America (USA), while Group B consists of England, South Africa, West Indies, and Scotland.

Two-time champions Pakistan are placed in Group D alongside Afghanistan, New Zealand and Nepal while Australia, Sri Lanka, Namibia and Zimbabwe were placed in Group C.

The top three sides from each group progress to the Super Six phase of the event.

The top four teams at the conclusion of the Super Six stage will then advance to the semi-finals, scheduled on February 6 and 8.

Meanwhile, the final of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup will take place on February 11 in Benoni.

South Africa will host the U19 World Cup for the third time, having previously hosted the 1998 and 2020 editions.

Notably, the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded the hosting rights of the mega event to South Africa as a consequence of the apex cricket body’s provisional ban on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

For the unversed, the ICC suspended SLC’s membership after the latter had failed to ensure there was no government interference in its affairs.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 12 2023

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.