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BRIDGETOWN: The ICC Under 19 World Cup is all set to kick off tomorrow with hosts West Indies facing off against Australia in the tournament opener.
The 14th edition of the tournament will feature the rising stars of 16 countries battling it out in 48 matches, with Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago hosting the matches across 10 venues.
Ahead of the tournament, here’s everything you need to know about the World Cup:
THE GROUPS
Group A – Bangladesh, England, Canada, United Arab Emirates
Group B – India, Ireland, South Africa, Uganda
Group C – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe
Group D – Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies
FORMAT
The tournament will see the top two teams from each of the four groups go through to the Super League stage while the remaining teams will battle it out in the Plate competition.
KEY DATES
Group D commences on 14 January with the host West Indies facing Australia. Competition in Group A, Group B and Group C will begin on 15 January with games between Canada and UAE, India and South Africa, and Pakistan and PNG respectively.
Trinidad and Tobago will host the Plate competition between 25 and 31 January while the Super League action will commence on 26 January in Antigua and Barbuda.
The two semi-finals will be played on 1 and 2 February at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Coolidge Cricket Ground respectively. The final will be played on 5 February at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
PAKISTAN
Squad
Qasim Akram (c), Abdul Faseeh, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Ahmed Khan,Ali Asfand, Arham Nawab, Awais Ali, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Irfan Khan Niazi, Maaz Sadaqat, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Shehzad, Rizwan Mehmood, Zeeshan Zameer.
Travelling Reserves: Ghazi Ghori (wk), Mohammad Zeeshan.
Key Player
Zeeshan Zameer – The Pakistan quick was the top wicket-taker in the recent Under-19 Asia Cup, picking up 11 wickets at an average of 9.45, including a best of 5/60 against India. Excellent with his yorkers and bouncers, the young quick clocks over 140 kph consistently. Having already garnered eyes in T20 franchise cricket, Zameer will be one to watch out for in the U19 World Cup in West Indies.
