FAQS
Follow UsWith the 13th edition of the ICC Under-19 World Cup set to get underway soon, here are some of the must-know facts about the tournament.
What is ICC Under-19 World Cup?
The ICC Under-19 World Cup is a 50-over tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which gives an idea platform for cricketers below the age of 19 an opportunity to showcase their talents. A good show in the tournament might give them an opportunity one day to play at the senior level for the countries. A total of 48 matches will be played
When will the 2020 Under-19 World Cup begin?
The tournament will commence from January 17 with the hosts South Africa taking on Afghanistan at Diamond Oval, Kimberley.
Which country will host the 2020 Under-19 World Cup?
South Africa will host the 2020 edition. This is the first time South Africa will host the U-19 World Cup since 1998.
Which venue will host the final?
The final of the 2020 Under-19 World Cup will be played in Senwes Park, Potchefstroom on February 9.
Senwes Park, Potchefstroom
What are the venues for the tournament?
Seven venues have been identified as venues for this edition of the tournament. They are:
Diamond Oval, Kimberley
Senwes Park, Potchefstroom
North-West University No1 Ground, Potchefstroom
Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
Country Club B Field, Kimberley
Witrand Cricket Field, Potchefstroom
North-West University No2 Ground, Potchefstroom
How to the teams progress from group stages to the knockouts
The 16 teams are divided into four groups. Group A will feature India, Japan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Group B will consist of Australia, England, Nigeria, and West Indies. Group C will have Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland and Zimbabwe and finally, Group D will have Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, and UAE.
Each team will play three matches amongst the teams in their respective groups. Two teams with most points will move on to the quarter-final and from that stage, it will be a straight knockout.
How many editions of the Under-19 World have been played so far?
The 2020 edition is the 13th edition of the Under-19 World Cup. The first one was played in 1988 in Australia, which included eight teams. However, the second one was played 10 years later in 1998 after which the tournament has become a biennial event.
Who are the most successful teams in the Under-19 World Cup?
India have won four titles and are also the defending champions, having won the 2018 edition under the leadership of Prithvi Shaw. India have won the tournament in 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018. Australia have won thrice (1988, 2002, 2010), Pakistan twice (2004, 2006). England (1998), South Africa (2014), and West Indies (2016) have won the tournament once.
Which player holds the record for most runs and wickets in the tournament’s history?
The current England captain Eoin Morgan has the most runs in the tournament with 606 runs from 12 innings, but he scored those runs when he represented Ireland, followed by Babar Azam of Pakistan, who scored 585 runs from 12 innings.
Eoin Morgan played two Under-19 World Cups for Ireland - in 2004 and 2006
Among the bowlers, Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques and Ireland leg-spinner Greg Thompson are joint highest wicket-takers with 27 scalps, while India’s Abhishek Sharma with 26 is next in the list
How many teams will be participating in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup?
As many as 16 teams will be participating in this edition, which has been the case since 1998. Nigeria and Japan are the only teams who have not played an Under-19 World Cup before. The other 14 teams are: India, Australia, West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Scotland, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
How are the teams for the tournament decided?
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Windies and Zimbabwe secured an automatic qualification while eight teams Africa (3), Asia (2) and Europe (3) have secured qualification by participating in the qualifier in Division 1 of their respective regions.
Who are some of the famous Under-19 cricketers who made it big at the senior level?
Here are five players who became legends of the game or are on course to becoming one.
Brian Lara led West Indies in the inaugural Under-19 World Cup in 1988, in which his side made it to the semi-finals. Lara went on to have a great career, leading at the international level for years and also holds the record for the highest individual Test score (400*) and is his side’s leading run-scorer in Tests (11,912) and was the first West Indies batsman to score 10,000 ODI runs.
Virat Kohli led India to the Under-19 world title in 2008 with Ravindra Jadeja being his deputy. Kohli, today, is one of the best batsmen in the world, who is on the verge of breaking multiple batting records.
Virat Kohli led India to victory in 2008
Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq too played in the same edition as Lara. Inzamam scored 223 runs at 37.16 and went on to score 8,830 Test and 11,739 ODI runs for his nation in an international career spanning 16 years.
Steven Smith came into the Australian team for his ability to bowl leg-spin but is already being considered as an all-time great when it comes to batting. He scored 114 runs and took seven wickets in four matches during the Under-19 World Cup in 2008, but today, he is among the best batsmen in the world.
Babar Azam captained his side during the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, in which he scored 287 runs at 57.40. He is one of the brightest batsmen in the world currently and has shown his prowess, shattering a few records already. He is the fastest Asian batsman to score 3,000 ODI runs and also holds the record for scoring the most runs after 25 ODI innings.
Babar Azam scored 287 in the 2012 edition
What are the teams for the Under-19 World Cup?
Here are the squads for each team:
England: George Balderson (c), Kasey Aldridge, Ben Charlesworth, Tom Clark, Jordan Cox, Blake Cullen, Scott Currie, Harry Duke, Joey Evison, Lewis Goldsworthy, Jack Haynes, George Hill, Dan Mousley, Hamidullah Qadri, Sam Young
George Balderstone will hope to lead England to their first title since 1998
Bangladesh: Akbar Ali (c), Tawhid Hridoy, Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Prantik Nawrose Nabil, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shahadat Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Mohammad Mirttunjoy Chowdhury Nipun, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Avishek Das, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Shahin Alom, Rakibul Hasan, Hasan Morad
Scotland: Angus Guy, Tom Mackintosh, Ben Davidson, Callum Grant, Charlie Pee, Daniel Cairns, Lyle Robertson, Euan McBeth, Jamie Cairns, Jasper Davidson, Kess Sajjad, Liam Naylor, Rory Hanley, Sean Fischer-Keogh, Uzzair Shah
Australia: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cooper Connolly, Oliver Davies, Sam Fanning, Mackenzie Harvey, Lachlan Hearne, Corey Kelly, Liam Marshall, Todd Murphy, Patrick Rowe, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Bradley Simpson, Connor Sully, Matthew Willans
New Zealand: Jesse Tashkoff (c), Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Hayden Dickson, Joey Field, David Hancock, Simon Keene, Fergus Lellman, Nicholas Lidstone, Rhys Mariu, William O’Rourke, Ben Pomare, Quinn Sunde, Beckham Wheeler-Greenall, Oliver White
Jesse Tashkoff will hope to end New Zealand's misfortunes at ICC events
Japan: Marcus Thurgate (c), Max Clements, Tushar Chaturvedi, Neel Date (vc), Kento Ota-Dobell, Ishaan Fartyal, Sora Ichiki, Leon Mehlig, Masato Morita, Shu Noguchi, Yugandhar Retharekar, Debashish Sahoo, Reiji Suto, Kazumasa Takahashi, Ashley Thurgate
Zimbabwe: Dion Myers (c), Wesley Madhevere (vc), Emmanuel Bawa, Privilege Chesa, Gareth Chirawu, Ahomed Rameez Ebrahim, Dylan Grant, Sakhumuzi Ndlela, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tadiwanashe Nyangani, Luke Oldknow, Samuel Ruwisi, Dane Schadendorf, Milton Shumba, Taurayi Tugwete
Afghanistan: Farhan Zakhil (c), Sediq Atal, Rahmanullah Zadran, Ibrahim Zadran, Ishaq Mohammadi, Noor Ahmad, Shafiqullah Ghafari, Jamshid Mir Alikhil, Abdul Rahman, Abid Taniwal, Fazal Haq, Imran Mir, Zohaib Zamankhil, Asif Musazai and Abid Mohammadi
Pakistan: Rohail Nazir (c), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Haider Ali, Mohammad Shehzad, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Fahad Munir, Qasim Akram, Amir Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Tahir Hussain
India: Priyam Garg (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Divyaansh Saxena, Dhruv Chand Jurel, Shashwat Rawat, Divyansh Joshi, Shubhang Hegde, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Atharva Ankolekar, Kumar Kushagra, Sushant Mishra, Vidyadhar Patil, CTL Rakshan
Priyam Garg will lead India in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup
West Indies: Kevlon Anderson, Daniel Beckford, Matthew Forde, Joshua James, Nyeem Young, Antonio Morris, Ashmead Nedd, Mbeki Joseph, Leonardo Julian, Avinash Mahabirsingh, Kirk McKenzie, Ramon Simmonds, Matthew Patrick, Jayden Seales
(The other squads will be updated in due course)
