International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule for the Under-19 World Cup 2022. The 14th edition of the marquee event will begin on January 14 and go on till February 5. This is the first time Under-19 World Cup will be played on Caribbean soil. The event will include 16 countries going up against each other in 48 matches.
India have been played in Group B alongside Ireland, South Africa and Uganda. While Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announced the Under-19 squad for World Cup, their campaign will begin on January 15 against South Africa followed by Ireland on January 19 and Uganda on January 22.
The ‘group of death’ of the tournament can be termed as Group D which includes Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka and West Indies. In Group C, Pakistan have been placed with Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. On the other hand, Group A constitutes of Bangladesh, Canada, England and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Bangladesh are the defending champions of the tournament. Under the leadership of Akbar Ali, Bangladesh beat Priyam Garg-led side in a low-scoring encounter. On the other hand, New Zealand will not be participating in the mega event.
“CWI is looking forward to hosting this important global U19 cricket event, which is just around the corner, in January,” Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt said in a statement. “In partnership with host territorial boards, cricket clubs, and Ministries of Sports, we have been hard at work preparing for this event over the past several months. However, amid so many Covid-related challenges, it has not been easy to finalise the venues and to work out all the related logistics.
“At the same time, our U19 head coach, Floyd Reifer, and his coaching staff have been busy preparing our team for competition, using innovative methods to keep them active even while they were restricted from travel.
“West Indies has a proud under-19 cricket history, with several bright talents blossoming into international stars over the years. We, therefore, expect our current team of under-19 players to do us proud in the 2022 tournament.
“I am also confident that our visitors will experience the best of our world-famous Caribbean culture and hospitality in Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago.”
