New Zealand is all set to host the Under 19 Cricket World Cup in January 2018. The pools have been announced for the grand event for the young cricketers from around the world and Pakistan has been placed with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Ireland.
16 teams will be participating in the next year’s big cricketing event including the five qualifiers; Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Afghanistan, and Ireland. Namibia, on the other hand, won an automatic qualification after finishing as the Best Under 19 Associate Team in 2016.
Groupings
Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in the first match of the U-19 World Cup 2018. The defending Champions, West Indies, will kick off their campaign against the hosts New Zealand on January 13, at Tauranga.
Sixteen teams have been divided into four groups of four. The pools are as follows:
Picture via ESPNCricinfo
Australia, who pulled out of the last World Cup due to security reasons, will be making a comeback to compete with members of Group A.
The Schedule & Format
Schedule for the event has also been announced:
Top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super League. The remaining eight teams will compete for the Plate competition. The matches will be played in four cities at seven venues. The cities which will host the 22-day event will be Whangarei, Tauranga, Christchurch, and Queenstown.
The final will be played at the Bay Oval in Tauranga. Super League will be split into quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. A total of 22 matches will be televised for the viewers around the globe.
India has won the title three times while Pakistan has managed to bring the cup home twice, including a victory under Sarfraz Ahmed, the current captain of Pakistan team. The event promises to be a breath-taking spectacle for cricket lovers showcasing exciting young talent which makes the international circuit like Sarfraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Virat Kohli. We will surely get to see some exciting cricket.
INSHAH ALLAH Pakistan Will Win !