Sports
ICC U19’s Men World Cup: 15th edition commences today
Pakistan will kick off their campaign against Afghanistan U19 at East London on 20 January, followed by games against Nepal U19 and New Zealand U19 on 24 and 27 January, respectively at the same venue. After the group stage, top three teams from each group will progress to the Super Six stage.
Lahore: The 15th edition of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa has commenced today. Saad Baig led-Pakistan U19 are slotted in Group D along with Afghanistan, Nepal and New Zealand.
Pakistan will kick off their campaign against Afghanistan U19 at East London on 20 January, followed by games against Nepal U19 and New Zealand U19 on 24 and 27 January, respectively at the same venue. After the group stage, top three teams from each group will progress to the Super Six stage.
Pakistan U19 team boasts a well-rounded squad with some talented batters and bowlers. Pakistan’s fast bowling arsenal includes tearaway pacer, Ubaid Shah, brother of Test fast bowler Naseem Shah while the towering Mohammad Zeeshan is expected to be the trump card in South African conditions. Left-arm pacer Amir Hassan is also considered a formidable bowler with the new ball.
In the spin bowling department, Pakistan U19 will have the services of Arafat Minhas, Ali Asfand and Naveed Ahmed Khan.
Pakistan U19 played two warm-up games in the lead-up to their opening game. The game against South Africa U19 was called off after Pakistan set a target of 212 runs in a 41-over game, while Pakistan lost to England U19 by nine runs as per the DLS method.
Pakistan’s group matches are set to begin at 1300 PKT and all the games will be streamed live on ICC TV.
Pakistan’s record in the previous U19 World Cups:
Since its commencement in 1988, the tournament has witnessed seven distinct champions across its 14 editions. Pakistan U19 have clinched the title twice in 2004 and 2006.
1988 U19 World Cup:
Pakistan U19 secured the runners-up position after competing in the final against Australia U19, in the inaugural U19 World Cup. Basit Ali, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Aaqib Javed emerged as noteworthy players who subsequently went on to represent Pakistan at the international level. Mushtaq Ahmed was the joint leading wicket-taker with 19 wickets in nine games at an average of 16.21.
1998 U19 World Cup:
Notable players such as Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Malik played pivotal roles in the team's journey during the 1998 U19 World Cup. Abdul Razzaq scored 151 runs and took 12 wickets, while Shoaib Malik claimed eight wickets.
2000 U19 World Cup:
The tournament served as a stage for promising talents, affirming Pakistan's prowess in the global arena. Pakistan U19 lost in the semi-final to Sri Lanka U19 by a narrow margin of 10 runs. Faisal Iqbal, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami were the notable players who afterwards represented Pakistan.
2002 U19 World Cup:
Pakistan U19 showcased exceptional skills, delivering standout performances with a well-rounded display of batting and bowling alike. Azhar Ali and Umar Gul were the notable players from that edition.
2004 U19 World Cup
Pakistan U19 won their maiden ICC U19 World Cup title in 2004 under the leadership of Khalid Latif. Pakistan beat West Indies in the final by 25 runs and overcame India in the semi-final. Riaz Afridi, elder brother of Pakistan’s current T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, bagged 19 wickets, ending up as the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament. Wahab Riaz and Fawad Alam went onto have illustrious careers for Pakistan team later. Zulqarnain Haider and Abid Ali were also part of the squad.
2006 U19 World Cup
Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Pakistan U19 successfully defended their title in 2006 after beating India in the final by 38 runs in a low-scoring affair courtesy of Anwar Ali’s brilliant spell. Anwar, returning with 5-35 in the final, was the second leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets in five games. Imad Wasim played his first U19 World Cup.
2008 U19 World Cup
The 2008 batch of Pakistan U19 players was one of the most talented squads with eight players going onto represent the national men’s side in future. Pakistan U19 were led by Imad with Shan Masood serving as his deputy. Pakistan’s journey came to an end when they lost to South Africa in the semi-final. Umar Akmal, Umar Amin and Ahmed Shehzad were quick to graduate to the senior side from that batch.
2010 U19 World Cup
Pakistan U19 finished runners-up in the 2010 edition of the tournament after losing to Australia by 25 runs in the final game. This was Babar Azam’s first appearance at the event and he finished as the third leading run-scorer of the tournament with 298 runs. Ahmed Shehzad, Usman Qadir and Hammad Azam were the other notable names.
2012 U19 World Cup
Babar led Pakistan in the ICC U19 World Cup 2012. The dynamic batter led from front with the bat accumulating 287 runs. Pakistan’s journey finished after losing the quarter-final to India U19. Mohammad Nawaz, Ehsan Adil and Mir Hamza were other noteworthy names. Seven players from this squad earned Test caps for Pakistan.
2014 U19 World Cup
Pakistan U19 team, led by Sami Aslam, lost to South Africa in the final of the tournament. They had beaten England U19 by three wickets to get to the final. Imam-ul-Haq was the second leading run-scorer in the tournament with 382 runs. This squad also had many talented youngsters including Saud Shakeel, Kamran Ghulam and Hussain Talat.
2016 U19 World Cup
Pakistan U19 journeyed to the quarter-final stage in this tournament, where they faced their only loss of the tournament. Shadab Khan was the find of the tournament for Pakistan with 11 wickets in six games.
2018 U19 World Cup
Pakistan U19 finished joint third in this edition when the third-place play-off between the two semi-finalists, Afghanistan and Pakistan was abandoned. This tournament saw the emergence of Pakistan’s ace bowler Shaheen Afridi who returned with 12 wickets and ended up as the third leading wicket-taker of the tournament. Arshad Iqbal and Musa Khan were the other key players for Pakistan.
2020 U19 World Cup
Rohail Nazir-led Pakistan U19 reached the semi-finals in this tournament where they lost India U19. Other notable stars from this squad were Mohammad Haris, Haider Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Qasim Akram and Abbas Afridi. Haris (131) scored the most runs for Pakistan while Abbas took the most wickets (nine).
2022 U19 World Cup
Led by Qasim, Pakistan U19 ended up on the fifth place after beating Sri Lanka by 238 runs. Haseebullah Khan was the second leading run-scorer of the tournament with 380 runs. Ali Asfand, who is part of the current Pakistan U19 squad as well, also played in the tournament.