Everything you need to know about Under 19 World Cup 2024

On the 19th of January 2024, the Under 19 World Cup is set to start. The tournament will begin with the clash between Ireland and the USA followed by the West Indies vs South Africa. The final of the tournament will take place on the 11th of February. It is the tournament where the future stars are born. Some of them are likely to go on to become the key players of their side.

The tournament will be played in South Africa in the venues of Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom, Kimberley, Benoni, and East London. The semifinal and the final are set to take place at Benoni. The 2024 edition of the U19 WC was set to be hosted by Sri Lanka. But due to the interference of the political figures in the administration of the board, things went wrong.

For the same, the Apex Cricket Council imposed a suspension on Sri Lankan cricket soon after the ODI World Cup 2023. As a result, their hosting rights were transferred to South Africa. It will be the third instance of SA hosting the tournament after 1998 and 2020. There will also be a change in the format this time around compared to that of the previous edition in 2022.

Players to watch out for in the U19 WC 2024

This time around, 16 teams are divided into four groups each. The top three teams from each group would progress to the Super six, where teams would be divided into two groups of six teams each. The top two teams from both groups would qualify for the semifinal. The Under 19 World Cup will feature names who are brothers and relatives of some popular cricketers.

Naseem Shah’s brother, Ubaid Shah, will be playing for Pakistan. Rashid Khan’s nephew and Mohammad Nabi’s son will be representing Afghanistan in the tournament. Dale Benkenstein’s son will be playing for SA. Musheer, the brother of Sarfaraz Khan, will be playing for India. The defending champions, India, have won the greatest number of titles in the history of the Under 19 WC. The Asian side have won it five times.