ICC Under 19 World Cup Archives

India crush South Africa to win back-to-back U19 Women’s T20 World Cup titles

KUALA LUMPUR: India bagged back-to-back ICC women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup titles after they thrashed South Africa by nine wickets in the finals courtesy of Trisha Gongadi brilliant all-round performance at the Bayuemas Oval on Sunday.

South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first which turned out to be a wrong decision at the end. The Proteas batters struggled throughout the innings in front of Indian bowling.

Parunika Sisodia made early inroad, dismissing opener Simone Lourens for a golden duck, while Shabnam followed with the vital wicket of the dangerous Jemma Botha, leaving South Africa in tatters at 20/2 by the end of the 4th over.

After losing their openers early, South Africa stumbled further when Aayushi Sharma removed Diara Ramlakan leaving South Africa at 29/3 by the end of the powerplay.

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However, a rescue effort from captain Kayla Reyneke and Karabo Meso steadied the innings, but both were dismissed in consecutive overs.

The Indian bowlers took advantage of the early wickets and never let South Africa recover. The whole team was bundled out for just 82 runs.

Gongadi Trisha was the star of the show, taking three wickets. Aayushi Shukla also contributed with bowling figures of 2-9 which included two maidens as well while Vaishnavi Sharma and Shabnam played a vital part with two and one wicket, respectively.

In reply, India started strongly with both openers adding 36 runs in four overs. Kayla Reyneke dismissed G Kamalini (8) courtesy of a brilliant catch from Simone Lourens.

Meanwhile, Trisha Gongadi continued her outstanding batting run, scoring an unbeaten 44 off 33 balls which included eight fours. She along with Sanika Chalke (26) guided India to a comfortable win in 11.2 overs, claiming the ICC Women’s Under-19 World Cup title for the second time.

Gongadi was awarded the Player of the Match and Series for his outstanding all-round performance in the tournament. The young sensation played a vital role in India’s triumph in the tournament by scoring 309 runs in seven matches and bagging seven wickets.

For the unversed, India had won the title in the inaugural edition in 2023 held in South Africa after beating England by seven wickets in the final.

READ: Australia crush England in women’s Test to complete Ashes whitewash

ICC unveils schedule for U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday unveiled the schedule of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024, which will be played in Sri Lanka from 13 January to 4 February.

A total of 16 teams are set to compete for the coveted trophy, featuring the 11 best-placed Full Member teams at the last edition and five teams who earned their World Cup spot through regional qualification pathways – Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland and the USA.

Hosts Sri Lanka will face Zimbabwe in the opening game of the tournament on January 13 at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, while 2022 finalists England will play Scotland at Colombo Cricket Club and New Zealand face off against Nepal at the P. Sara Oval on the same day.

Defending champions India will kick off their campaign against the winners of the U19 World Cup 2020 Bangladesh on January 14 at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.

Meanwhile, Pakistan will face Afghanistan at the P. Sara Oval on January 15.

In a revised format that has been introduced for the upcoming edition, teams progressing from the group stages will enter a new Super Six stage, starting 24 January, where two groups of six teams will clash to determine the Semi-Finalists and the subsequent Finalists.

In the group listings, India are joined by Bangladesh, Ireland and USA in Group A. Group B consists of England, South Africa, West Indies and Scotland. Group C features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Namibia while Group D is made up of Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal.

Speaking on the announcement of the schedule, ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley remarked, “The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has a long-standing history of introducing global audiences to future stars of the sport.

“Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Angelo Mathews are some of the names that made their entrance onto the world stage at this event, and we are certain to see this tradition continue as the drama unfolds across the 41 tournament fixtures.

“We are thrilled to see the competition return to Sri Lanka for the first time since 2006, in what promises to be a festival of cricket with no shortage of entertainment, and we are proud to offer fans the chance to witness the action for free once more.”

Tournament Director, Samantha Dodanwela added, “Sri Lanka Cricket is delighted to be welcoming this prestigious event back to Sri Lanka after 18 years.

“Sri Lanka is renowned for its passionate, cricket-loving fans, and we are looking forward to giving them the opportunity to watch some of the most promising young cricketers in the world over 23 days of competition.

The landmark event has been the springboard for some of the most recognisable stars of the global game. Throughout the history of the event, India are the most decorated with five U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup titles, Australia have won the event three times, Pakistan twice, while England, Bangladesh, South Africa and West Indies have each been crowned once.

READ: Hasan Ali named in Pakistan’s squad for ICC World Cup 2023

Four Zimbabwe U19 players test COVID-19 positive ahead of World Cup

CHAGUARAMAS: Four cricketers of the Zimbabwe Under-19 team have tested positive for the COVID-19, Zimbabwe Cricket confirmed on Monday.

As per reports, as many as four players returned with positive results for the widely spread virus.

The contracted players have isolated themselves and will be tested again ahead of the Warm-up matches.

For the upcoming World Cup, Zimbabwe is placed in Group C, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Papa New Guinea.

The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup will take place from January 14 till February 05 in West Indies.

READ: England’s head coach Chris Silverwood tests COVID-19 positive