ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016: Mehidy And Zakir Carry Bangladesh To Its First-Ever Semi-Final

Host Bangladesh defeated a valiant Nepal by six wickets after a tense run-chase to storm into the semi-finals of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016 on Friday, giving the nation its maiden appearance in the last four of a world event.

Skipper Mehidy Hasan and Zakir Hasan hit unbeaten half-centuries as Bangladesh recovered from early setbacks to surpass Nepal’s 211 for nine with 10 balls to spare in Mirpur. The match was produced by ICC TV and aired around the world by 15 broadcasters.

Bangladesh faces the winner of Monday’s quarter-final between Pakistan and the West Indies in the second semi-final at Mirpur on 11 February. The first semi-final on 9 February in Mirpur will feature the winners of quarter-final matches between India-Namibia and England-Sri Lanka.

Nepal’s captain Raju Rijal hit 72 (80b, 8×4, 1×6) after winning the toss and electing to bat, but four run-outs in the innings, including that of the captain himself, set his team back.

Nepal slipped to 178 for seven in 43 overs but useful contributions in the end from Dipendra Airee and Prem Tamang, who made 22 apiece, lifted it past the 200-run mark.

Right-arm seamer Mohammad Saifuddin was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, giving away just four runs in the final over to return with figures of two for 38.

Bangladesh, mentored by former Australia international Stuart Law, was made to fight hard for runs as Nepal’s bowlers conceded just 21 runs in the first 10 overs.

The home team was reduced to 98 for four in the 29th over when Mehidy joined Zakir to add a match-winning partnership of 117 for the unbroken fifth wicket.

Left-handed Zakir, who scored an unbeaten 75 from 103 balls, ended the match by lofting Airee for a six over long-on. He also hit five fours. Mehidy returned undefeated on 55 from 65 balls which also included three fours.

“It is so exciting to be part of the first Bangladesh team to enter the semi-final of a World Cup,” a jubilant Mehidy said, adding: “I think Nepal played a very good game. They did their best with both bat and ball. They are a very good side that we have beaten today.

“Zakir played so well and kept supporting me. He told me that we should try to take singles and twos because the boundaries were not easy to get. That worked well for us.

“We look forward to the semi-final. Hopefully we will raise our game and do our best to enter the final.”

Nepal’s Rijal rued his side’s inability to put up a bigger total.

“The four run-outs and the loss of five wickets in the middle overs cost us at least 25-30 runs. If we had got those runs we would have fought till the end.

“But I am proud of the way the team has played in the tournament. Our aim is to finish with a good placing.”

In the Plate Championship quarter-finals, Afghanistan trumped Fiji by 226 runs after opener Karim Janat smashed 156 off 132 balls with 12 boundaries and six sixes.

Afghanistan piled up 340 for nine after being sent into bat and Fiji was shot out for 114 in reply. Nijat Masood claimed three wickets for six runs in six overs and Rashid Khan took three for 16.

A fine all-round performance by Jeremy Ives helped Zimbabwe defeat Canada by six wickets in another Plate quarter-final in Cox’s Bazar.

Ives claimed three for 30 as Canada were restricted to 186 for eight after electing to bat. Amish Taploo top-scored with 37.

Ives then returned unbeaten on 43 after Zimbabwe cruised home in the 32nd over, with Shaun Snyder making 56.

BGD U19 vs NEP U19 at SBNCS

Scores in brief:

Super League quarter-final: Bangladesh beat Nepal by six wickets in Mirpur
Nepal 211-9, 50 overs (Raju Rijal 72, Dipendra Airee 22, Prem Tamang 22 not out; Mohammad Saifuddin 2-38)
Bangladesh 215-4, 48.2 overs (Zakir Hasan 75 not out, Mehidy Hasan 55 not out; Sunil Dhamala 2-33)

Plate quarter-final: Afghanistan beat Fiji by 226 runs in Cox’s Bazar
Afghanistan 340-9, 50 overs (Karim Janat 156, Perwez Malakzai 74, Peni Vuniwaqa 3-41)
Fiji 114 all out, 31.2 overs (Nijat Masood 3-6, Rashid Khan 3-16, Zahir Khan 2-45)

Plate quarter-final: Zimbabwe beat Canada by six wickets in Cox’s Bazar
Canada 186-8, 50 overs (Amish Taploo 37, Abraash Khan 32, Arslan Khan 31, Jeremy Ives 3-30)
Zimbabwe 190-4, 31.4 overs (Shaun Snyder 56, Jeremy Ives 43 not out; Bhavindu Adhihetty 2-23, Shlok Patel 2-62)

Saturday’s match (Super League quarter-final)
India v Namibia, Fatullah

Plate Championship (play/offs):
7 Feb – Ireland v Canada, Cox’s Bazar
8 Feb – South Africa v Zimbabwe, Cox’s Bazar; Scotland v Fiji, Cox’s Bazar
9 Feb – New Zealand v Afghanistan, Cox’s Bazar

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016: Top Eight Gear For Super League Quarter-Finals

Undefeated Bangladesh, England, India and Pakistan will start as favourites when the Super League quarter-finals of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016 are played from 5 to 8 February in Mirpur and Fatullah. ICC TV will produce the quarter-finals, which will be aired around the world by 15 broadcasters.

These four teams topped their respective groups in the preliminary league with an all-win record, displaying all-round strengths good enough to take any one of them all the way to the title.

Sri Lanka and the West Indies, the other two Test nations in the last eight, will also fancy their chances even as qualifiers Namibia and Nepal look to make a mark against the bigger teams.

The knock-out round opens with a match between Bangladesh and Nepal, two of the five Asian sides in the fray, in Mirpur on Friday. The winner of this match will take on the winner of the other quarter-final between England and Sri Lanka, who go head to head in Mirpur on Sunday. This semi-final will be played in Mirpur on 9 February.

The other semi-final on 11 February could feature a mouth-watering clash between India and Pakistan if the archrivals come through their respective quarter-finals. India meets Namibia in Fatullah on Saturday and Pakistan faces the West Indies on Monday at the same venue.

Bangladesh U19 cricket team players takes a selfie celebration during the U19 cricket World Cup against South Africa U19 cricket team at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong,Bangladesh photo credit: ICC

Bangladesh, the most experienced side in the tournament with five players taking part in their second under-19 World Cup, has not looked back after knocking out defending champion South Africa in the opening match on 27 January.

Captain Mehidy Hasan’s team played inspiring cricket in home conditions in front of fanatical fans to raise hopes of beating Nepal and going past the quarter-finals for the first time in the history of the tournament.

Nazmul Hossain scored an unbeaten century against Scotland, while seamer Mohammad Saifuddin and spinner Saleh Ahmed are the bowling spearheads with seven wickets apiece.

“The journey has been good so far and if we can get to the semi-finals, there is every chance of something good happening. I can feel it,” said Mehidy.

“We have seen a bit of Nepal, whose players seem to be enjoying their cricket. We may be more experienced than them, but one can’t afford to relax in a knock-out situation.”

Nepal, which last played in the U19 World Cup in 2012 and returned for this edition after winning the qualifying tournament in Malaysia, defeated New Zealand and Ireland to advance to the quarter-finals.

Rahul-Dravid coached India swept past Group D rivals Ireland, New Zealand and Nepal in impressive fashion, but captain Ishan Kishan is not taking Namibia lightly in the quarter-finals.

“We have not seen Namibia play but they must obviously be doing well to get to this stage,” he said. “The idea is to stick to the basics and focus on our plans.

“We have batted and bowled well but we can’t expect one person to perform in every match. Everyone has to contribute. We want to perform as a team.”

Stocky Sarfaraz Khan scored 74 in each of the first two games to shore up a wobbly top-order.

South Africa U19 cricket team player Liam Smith batting action during the U19 cricket World Cup against Bangladesh U19 cricket team at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong,Bangladesh photo credit: ICC

But it was left-handed opener Rishabh Pant who stole the show with a blistering 78 off 24 balls against hapless Nepal, a knock studded with nine boundaries and five sixes.

His 50 off just 18 balls was the fastest recorded half-century in the history of under-19 international cricket.

Unfancied Namibia has progressed beyond its best-ever finish of 11th place in 2008 following a stunning two-wicket win over South Africa and a nine-wicket defeat of Scotland.

Skipper Zane Green, who also played in the 2014 event where Namibia finished 14th, said team spirit had played a big role this time.

“Our strength has been our team spirit. We play great as a team,” he said. “I am very happy with the performance so far but playing India will obviously be a new experience.

“We have only watched India on TV. They are a great side.”

England, with nine senior county players in its ranks, has shown excellent form with both bat and ball in its three Group C matches to emerge as the team to beat in the competition.

England raked up huge totals each time it took the crease, scoring 371 for three against Fiji and followed that with 282 for seven against the West Indies and 288 for four against Zimbabwe.

Opener Dan Lawrence, who plays for Essex, has notched up 288 runs so far with a century and two half-centuries. Durham’s Jack Burnham too has been in dominant form with two centuries.

Lancashire seamer Saqib Mahmood is the tournament’s leading bowler with 11 wickets, two more than the second-placed duo of Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan and Indian fast bowler Avesh Khan.

England’s captain Brad Taylor said even though his team had emerged unscathed in the group, the quarter-final against Sri Lanka will be a different proposition.

“We played them in Sri Lanka last year and know what to expect,” said Taylor. “They will be a tough opponent in conditions that suit their style of play.”

Pakistan trounced Afghanistan by six wickets and Canada by seven wickets before squeezing past Sri Lanka by 23 runs on Wednesday to top Group B.

The batting has revolved around skipper Zeeshan Malik and all-rounder Hasan Mohsin, whose 86 and two early wickets earned him the man of the match award against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan will take note of the exploits of West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who clocked 147 kmph during one spell against Zimbabwe, and the batting duo of Shamar Springer and Gidron Pope.

West Indies vs Zimbabwe in Chittagong
credit © ICC

West Indies coach Graeme West said the bowlers needed to keep a tight line and length if his wards were to overcome the challenge from Pakistan.

“We have batted really well in the top and bottom of the order,” he said. “I am really pleased with our strike bowler Joseph. But the bowling needs to be tighter and more disciplined.

“Pakistan have a lot of variety and quality in bowling. We will be looking for everybody to contribute, because without that we won’t be able to challenge the likes of Pakistan.”

In the Plate championship for teams which failed to qualify for the Super League, South Africa takes on Ireland and New Zealand faces Scotland in quarter-final matches on Thursday, 4 February.

Afghanistan will meet Fiji and Zimbabwe clashes with Canada the next day. All Plate matches will be played in Cox’s Bazar.

Quarter-finals (Super League)
5 Feb – Bangladesh v Nepal, Mirpur (QF1)
6 Feb – India v Namibia, Fatullah (QF3)
7 Feb – England v Sri Lanka, Mirpur (QF4)
8 Feb – Pakistan v West Indies, Fatullah (QF2)

Semi-finals line-up
9 Feb – winner QF1 v winner QF4, Mirpur
11 Feb – winner QF2 v winner QF3, Mirpur

FOUR ASIAN SIDES ENTER SUPER LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS

Four Asian sides – India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka –advanced to the Super League quarter-finals of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh with their second successive wins on Saturday.

India and Nepal, which took the two top spots in Group D at the expense of New Zealand and Ireland, will clash on Monday in their last league match to decide the group winner. The match will be produced by the ICC TV and will be aired around the world by 15 broadcasters.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka advanced from Group B, which also included Afghanistan and Canada, and will play each other on Wednesday, February 3, to determine who tops the group. This match will be produced by the ICC TV and will be aired around the world by 15 broadcasters.

Nepal rode on a five-wicket haul by leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane – which included the first hat-trick in the tournament – to defeat Ireland by eight wickets and confirm its maiden appearance in the quarter-finals.

Ireland was tied down to 131 for nine after electing to bat and Nepal, which had stunned New Zealand in its opening match, coasted home in the 26th over with Yogendra Karki making 61.

Charith Asalanka celebrates his fifty
credit © ICC

Lamichhane had Lorcan Tucker and Adam Dennison caught off successive balls in his fourth over and then bowled Fiachra Tucker with his next delivery to complete the hat-trick.

“What was more important than the hat-trick was that we won an important game and qualified for the quarter-finals,” said Lamichhane. “I hope we can continue the same way in other matches.”

Nepal’s captain Raju Rijal said qualifying for the quarter-finals meant a lot to his nation.

“I am sure there will be a lot of celebrations back home because cricket is very popular in our country,” said Rijal. “Performances like these will inspire more people to play the game in Nepal.

“The team spirit is very good and we enjoy each other’s success. The target now is to get past the quarter-finals also.”

Ireland captain Jack Tector blamed his team’s low total on the regular fall of wickets. “The hat-trick really did us in and our batsmen could not get enough runs on the board.”

India, sent into bat by New Zealand in Mirpur, piled up 258 for eight with Sarfaraz Khan top-scoring with 74 for the second time in the competition. Rishabh Pant made 57 and Armaan Jaffer scored 46.

But Mahipal Lomror stood out with a fine all-round display as he followed up his 45 with the bat with five for 47, which bundled New Zealand out for 138 in the 32nd over.

Avesh Khan
NZ VS IND AT SBNCS U19 WC Mirpur
credit © ICC

Seamer Avesh Kumar, who took three wickets in his first four overs to reduce the Kiwis to five for three, finished with four for 32. He was later declared player of the match.

“Our first aim to make the quarter-finals has been realised, but we cannot afford to relax,” said India captain Ishan Kishan. “We need to top the group, so the match against Nepal will be very important.

“I am confident because the batsmen are in form and the bowlers too are doing well. It is good that the seamers and spinners have got used to conditions here.”

Sri Lanka survived a tense run-chase by Afghanistan before clinching victory and a place in the quarter-finals.

Skipper Charith Asalanka top-scored with 71 in Sri Lanka’s modest 184 all out, but Afghanistan was itself bowled out for 151 despite opener Karim Janat’s 40 and Waheedullah Shafaq’s 47.

Kamindu Mendis, who possesses a rare talent of bowling both right-arm off-spin and left-arm orthodox spin, claimed three wickets for 36 runs.

Pakistan scored a seven-wicket win over Canada after bowling out the unfancied rival for 178. Hasan Khan took three wickets and Shadab Khan took two.

The Pakistanis surpassed the target in the 41st over with opener Zeeshan Malik scoring an unbeaten 89 and Saif Badar 44. Zeeshan was later declared player of the tournament.

Pakistan captain Gohar Hafeez said he was satisfied with the way the tournament was progressing for his team.

“We are batting and bowling well and that is a good sign,” he said. “We will be well prepared for the Sri Lanka game because we want to win and top the group.”

The 11th edition of the biennial 16-nation tournament features nine Test-playing nations and seven Associate and Affiliate Members – Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Namibia, Nepal, Ireland and Scotland.

Teams have been divided into four groups with the top two in each advancing to the Super League quarter-finals and the other two qualifying for the Plate championships.

IND vs NZ U19 WC at SBNCS Mirpur
credit © ICC

Scores in brief:

Group B: Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 33 runs in Sylhet
Sri Lanka 184 all out, 48.1 overs (Charith Asalanka 71; Shamsurrahman Wali 3-19, Karim Janat 2-37, Zahir Khan 2-36)
Afghanistan 151 all out, 44.5 overs (Waheedullah Shafaq 47, Karim Janat 40; Kamindu Mendis 3-36).

Group B: Pakistan beat Canada by seven wickets in Sylhet
Canada 178 all out, 48.3 overs (Bhavindu Adhihetty 51, Abraash Khan 44; Hasan Khan 3-36, Shadab Khan 2-44)
Pakistan 180-3 in 40.5 overs (Zeeshan Malik 89 not out, Saif Badar 44)

Group D: India beat New Zealand by 120 runs in Mirpur
India 258-8, 50 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 74, Rishabh Pant 57, Armaan Jaffer 46, Mahipal Lomror 45; Zak Gibson 3-50, Nathan Smith 2-39, Rachin Ravindra 2-41)
New Zealand 138 all out, 31.3 overs (Christian Leopard 40; Mahipal Lormor 5-47, Avesh Khan 4-32)

Group D: Nepal beat Ireland by eight wickets in Fatullah
Ireland 131-9, 50 overs (Harry Tector 30 not out; Sandeep Lamichhane 5-27, Dipendra Airee 2-18)
Nepal 132-2, 25.3 overs (Yogendra Karki 61, Aarif Sheikh 31 not out)

Sunday’s matches:

Group A: Bangladesh v Scotland, Cox’s Bazar
Group A: South Africa v Namibia, Cox’s Bazar
Group C: West Indies v Fiji, Chittagong
Group C: England v Zimbabwe, Chittagong

18 players set to take part in their second ICC U19 Cricket World Cup #U19CWC

The 11th edition of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup will be played across four cities in Bangladesh from January 27 to February 14, featuring nine Test-playing nations and seven the Associate and Affiliate members – Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal and Scotland.

To be asked to represent your country at a world-level tournament is any budding teenage cricketer’s dream, but to take part in two editions before turning 19 is a remarkable accomplishment reserved for a select band who display talent beyond their years.

Bangladesh’s Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hassan Miraz enjoys the rare distinction of captaining his nation in both the 2014 and 2016 events. Mehidy, who celebrated his 18th birthday in October, had not turned 16 when he led the team in the UAE.

Besides Mehidy, the hosts have four other players with previous experience of having taken part in the sport’s premier age-group tournament. They are Najmul Hossain, Joyraj Sheik, Zakir Hasan and Saeed Sarker.

Mehidy was confident that Bangladesh, which finished ninth in 2014, will be a force to reckon with on home soil.

“The fact that many of us have been in the under-19 team for more than two years means that we are fairly experienced at this level,” the Bangladesh captain said. “We pretty much have the same set of coaches and team management who understand our needs.”

Defending champion South Africa, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will take the field with a fresh set of cricketers, but most of the other teams have players with previous experience in the tournament.

Three-time former champions India has in its ranks Sarfaraz Khan, Ricky Bhui and Avesh Khan, who helped their team finish fifth in the UAE.

Sarfaraz, one of India’s brightest young batsmen who turns out for Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, insisted he had an unfinished business at hand in Bangladesh.

“Our hopes of defending the title in 2014 were dashed when we lost to England in the quarter-finals,” the stocky batsman said. “That really hurts and we are determined to go all the way this time.

“It helps to have played at the senior level in domestic cricket but I can’t be complacent about that. We will be competing against the world’s best junior players in Bangladesh. I just want to do well and help my team win.”

Afghanistan has retained four members of the squad that finished seventh in 2014. They are Ihsanullah Janat, who is now the captain, Muslim Musa, Waheed Shafaq and Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar.

“It is a big plus to have four players from the last World Cup because they can utilise their experience for the benefit of other players,” said Ihsanullah.

Abraash Khan of Canada, Shimron Hetmyer of the West Indies and New Zealand’s Josh Finnie will return as captains of their respective teams hoping to better the 2014 performances where the West Indies finished sixth, New Zealand 10th and Canada 15th.

“The chance for me to go to two World Cups is obviously pretty special,” said Finnie. “The call up for the last one was unexpected and while I didn’t get much game time, the experience of going over to Dubai and being part of the tournament will hopefully help out in this year’s campaign.”

Namibia’s squad includes two members of their 2014 squad that finished 14th with Zane Green taking over as captain and SJ loftie-Eaton a key member of the side.

Nepal v Uganda – ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2015
photo credit: ©ICC

“I think the positives for myself and SJ is that we have experienced the taste of playing in such a big tournament and we know what to expect,” said Green. “We can use that experience to help the younger players in our team perform better in different scenarios.”

Ryan Brown is the only Scotland player making his second appearance in the tournament. He played just one match in 2014 where he took two wickets for 18 runs.

“The 2014 World Cup was an amazing experience,” said Brown. “It was a huge learning curve in terms of increased media attention, more intense rules and regulations and even higher quality of cricket.”

Nepal and Ireland did not qualify in 2014, while Fiji is the only newcomer to the event.

BACK TO THE FUTURE – History of ICC U19 Cricket World Cup

We take a trip down the memory lane to relive the highlights of previous events that featured players who went on to become household names:

1988
Hosts: Australia
Winners: Australia

A brainchild of the then Australian Cricket Board’s General Manager, Graham Halbish, the inaugural ICC U19 Cricket World Cup – then named as the Youth World Cup – was staged across venues in Victoria and South Australia.

The tournament featured seven Test nations – Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies – besides an ICC Associates squad that comprised four players from Zimbabwe and two each from Bangladesh, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Among those who took part in the inaugural event and went on to become international captains were Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain of England, Lee Germon of New Zealand, Inzamam-ul-Haq of Pakistan, Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams, and Ridley Jacobs from the West Indies and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya.

Other star players included Mark Ramprakash of England, Aminul Islam of Bangladesh, India’s Narendra Hirwani, the Pakistani trio of Mushtaq Ahmed, Basit Ali and Aqib Javed, and Romesh Kaluwitharana and Chandika Hathurusinghe from Sri Lanka.

The tournament was played on a single league format with Australia and Pakistan qualifying for the final by topping the league. The host avenged their defeat at Pakistan’s hands in the league to bag the title with a five-wicket win at the Adelaide Oval.

Australia’s Brett Williams was the tournament’s leading scorer with 471 runs, while team-mate Wayne Holdsworth and Pakistan’s Mushtaq Ahmed headed the bowlers’ list with 19 wickets apiece.

1998
Hosts: South Africa
Winners: England

The next edition was held after a gap of 10 years with the ICC deciding to make it a biennial tournament. Hosts South Africa joined eight other Test-playing nations and seven qualifiers –Bangladesh, Denmark, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Scotland – in a 16-nation event.

With an enlarged field, the format was also revised with teams divided into four groups named after former greats Don Bradman, Colin Cowdrey, Sunil Gavaskar and Garfield Sobers. The top two teams from each group qualified for the Super League, while the bottom two contested a separate Plate championships.

England defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in the Super League final while Bangladesh indicated they were ready for Test status by beating the West Indies by six wickets in the Plate final.

Star cricketers to emerge from the tournament included Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh of India, Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq of Pakistan, England’s Graeme Swann, Kyle Mills of New Zealand, Imran Tahir of South Africa (who played for Pakistan), Sri Lanka’s Dilhara Fernando, and Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Darren Ganga from the West Indies.

Tim Anderson, the ICC’s Head of Global Development, captained Australia.

Gayle was the tournament’s leading scorer with 364 runs, while team-mate Ramnaresh Sarwan and Zimbabwe’s Mluleki Nkala were the top bowlers with 16 wickets each.

photo credit: ©ICC

2000
Hosts: Sri Lanka
Winners: India

The tournament was hosted in Asia for the first time and featured seven qualifiers – the Americas Region, Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal, Kenya and the Netherlands – alongside the nine Test nations.

In a fitting climax, two Asian teams contested the Super League final with India defeating hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Nepal became the first non-Test nation to progress to the quarter-finals, but South Africa won the Plate championships with an 80-run win over Bangladesh.

Graeme Smith, who went on to captain South Africa, was the tournament’s leading scorer with 348 runs and Pakistan’s Zahid Saeed topped the bowling charts with 15 wickets. Yuvraj Singh of India was named the man of the tournament.

Other future stars who competed in the tournament were Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson of Australia, New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum, Ian Bell of England, Imran Nazir, Faisal Iqbal and Mohamamd Sami of Pakistan, Albie Morkel of South Africa and Zimbabwe’s Tatenda Taibu.

Jonathan Trott, who made a name for himself in England colours, turned out for his native South Africa in the tournament.

2002
Hosts: New Zealand
Winners: Australia

The Test group, now enlarged to 10 nations after the admission of Bangladesh following the 2000 event, were joined by six qualifiers — Canada, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Scotland for the next edition in New Zealand.

Australia claimed its second ICC U19 Cricket World Cup title with a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the Super League final, while Zimbabwe cantered to a 137-run victory against Nepal in the Plate final.

Cameron White of Australia was the leading scorer with 423 runs and team-mate Xavier Doherty finished as the top bowler with 16 wickets.

The tournament provided international audiences their first sighting of South Africa batting star Hashim Amla. Other notable players who took part were Mohammad Ashraful of Bangladesh, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy of the West Indies, Parthiv Patel and Irfan Pathan of India, Brendon Taylor and Elton Chigumbura of Zimbabwe, Tim Bresnan and Samit Patel of England, New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder, Azhar Ali and Umar Gul of Pakistan, and the Sri Lankan duo of Upul Tharanga and Dammika Prasad.

Nepal v Uganda – ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2015
photo credit: ©ICC

2004
Hosts: Bangladesh
Winners: Pakistan

Pakistan won its first ICC U19 Cricket World Cup title when the tournament was held in Bangladesh in 2004. The event featured six qualifiers – Canada, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Scotland – along with the 10 Test nations.

Pakistan defeated the West Indies by 25 runs in a closely-contested Super League final, while hosts Bangladesh stunned Australia by eight wickets in the Plate final.

Current India star Shikhar Dhawan was the leading scorer with 505 runs and was named the player of the tournament. Bangladesh’s Enamul Haque Junior was the leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets.

Other notable members of the class of 2004 were England’s Alastair Cook, Luke Wright, Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan (representing Ireland), India’s Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik, William Porterfield of Ireland, Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz, New Zealand’s BJ Watling, South Africa’s Vernon Philander, Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews and Denesh Ramdin of the West Indies.

2006
Hosts: Sri Lanka
Winners: Pakistan

Pakistan retained the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup title when the tournament returned to Sri Lanka for the second time with the 10 Test nations joined by qualifiers, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal, Scotland, Uganda and the United States of America.

In two edge-of-the-seat thrillers, Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India by 38 runs to win the Super League final and Nepal pipped New Zealand by one wicket to lift the Plate title.

Pakistan, led by current wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed, was skittled for 109 but then hit back to bundle out India for 71 in just 18.5 overs. Anwar Ali claimed five for 35, Akhrar Ayub took three for nine and Jamshed Ahmed chipped in with two for 24.

Cheteshwar Pujara of India, who was the leading scorer with 349 runs, was named player of the tournament. Australia’s Moises Henriques was the leading bowler with 16 wickets.

Other notable players who took part were Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqar Rahim of Bangladesh, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja of India, Australia’s David Warner, New Zealand’s Martin Guptill and Tim Southee and England’s Moeen Ali.

2008
Hosts: Malaysia
Winners: India

The tournament was hosted for the first time by a non-Test playing nation when Malaysia organised the 2008 event. This time the qualifiers were Bermuda, Ireland, Malaysia, Namibia, Nepal and Papua New Guinea.

India’s current Test captain Virat Kohli led his team to victory by beating South Africa by 12 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method after a rain-affected final at the Kinrara Academy Oval ground on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur.

The West Indies defeated Nepal by seven wickets to win the Plate final.

India’s Tanmay Srivastava was the leading scorer with 262 runs, while South Africa’s Wayne Parnell took the bowling honours with 18 wickets. New Zealand’s Tim Southee was the player of the tournament which featured, among others, the late Phillip Hughes, Steven Smith and Josh Hazlewood of Australia, New Zealand’s star batsman Kane Williamson alongwith team-mates Trent Boult and Corey Anderson, and Dinesh Chandimal of Sri Lanka.

Also taking part were Steven Finn of England, Junaid Khan and Umar Akmal of Pakistan, and Thisara Perera of Sri Lanka.

2010
Host: New Zealand
Winner: Australia

Afghanistan, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the USA were the qualifiers in the next edition in New Zealand which was won by Trans-Tasman rivals Australia. Australia beat Pakistan in a repeat of the 1988 final, this time by 25 runs, to grab its third U19 title.

Bangladesh whipped Ireland by 195 runs to win the Plate final.

South Africa’s Dominic Hendricks was the leading scorer with 391 runs and was also named the player of the tournament. Papua New Guinea’s Raymond Haoda surpassed expectations to emerge the leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps.

The class of 2010 included such notable names as Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes of England, South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, Jason Holder of the West Indies, India’s Lokesh Rahul, Mitchell Marsh of Australia and Doug Bracewell of New Zealand.

Ireland’s Isobel Joyce strikes the ball as Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Chipo Mugeri looks on. Credit: @ICC

2012
Host: Australia
Winner: India

India joined Australia as a three-time winner of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup with a commendable six-wicket victory over the hosts at the Tony Ireland stadium in Townsville.

Sri Lanka won the Plate championships after beating fast-improving Afghanistan by seven wickets.

The tournament was competed by the 10 Test-playing nations and six qualifiers — Scotland, Nepal, Ireland, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Namibia.

Australia was restricted to 225 for eight in its 50 overs with Will Bosisto, later named the player of the tournament, top-scoring with an unbeaten 87. Seamer Sandeeep Sharma claimed four wickets.

India captain Unmukt Chand anchored his team to victory with 111 not out that included six sixes and seven boundaries. Opening the batting, Chand stayed till the end as India coasted home with 14 balls to spare.

Bangladesh’s Anamul Haque was the tournament’s leading scorer with 365 runs, while England’s Reece Topley was the top bowler with 19 wickets. Among others who took part were Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed, Australia’s Ashton Agar and Afghanistan’s Najibullah Zadran.

2014
Host: United Arab Emirates
Winner: South Africa

South Africa dominated from start to finish as it emerged unbeaten through the tournament before beating crowd favourites Pakistan by six wickets in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Bangladesh won the Plate final with a 77-run win over New Zealand.

Having lost two finals – to Australia in 2002 and to India in 2008 – South Africa was desperate to end on the winning side in its third attempt. It bowled Pakistan out for 131 with seamer Corbin Bosch taking four wickets for 15 runs in 73 overs. It was only a defiant unbeaten 37 from Amad Butt that prolonged the Pakistan innings till the 45th over after it was reduced to 72 for seven by the 30th over.

South Africa rode on an unbeaten 66 from skipper and opening batsman Aiden Markram, and 40 by Greg Oldfield, to romp to victory in 42.1 overs after being 28 for two at one stage. Markram was named player of the tournament, in which Shadman Islam of Bangladesh was the leading scorer with 406 runs and Anuk Fernando of Sri Lanka was the leading bowler with 15 wickets.

Players who made an immediate impression at the senior level after the 2014 tournament were Kagiso Rabada of South Africa and Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh.

All 16 Squads Confirmed For ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that all 16 sides for this month’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016 have now been confirmed.

The 11th edition of the tournament will be held across eight venues in four Bangladesh cities from 27 January to 14 February 2016, and will feature nine Test playing countries as well as seven Associate and Affiliate Members, namely Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal and Scotland.

The warm-up matches will be played from 22 to 25 January.

The tournament will open with the match between defending champion South Africa and host- nation Bangladesh at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chittagong and will culminate with the final at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

All matches will be day fixtures and will start at 0900 local time. The Super League semi-finals and final will have reserve days.

The squad-list reveals that as many as 18 cricketers will take part in their second successive ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.

The host country Bangladesh has named five players who played in the previous event in the United Arab Emirates, where the side finished ninth. These players are Mehidy Hassan Miraz, who has been retained as captain, Najmul Hossain Chanto, Joyraj Sheik Imon, Zakir Hasan and Saeed Sarker.

Afghanistan has retained four players from the 2014 tournament where the Asian side finished seventh. The four players are Ihsanullah Janat, captain for this month’s event, Muslim Musa, Waheed Shafaq and Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar.

India, which has won the tournament thrice, has named three players who were part of the squad that finished fifth in the last edition in the UAE. These players are Sarfraz Khan, Ricky Bhui and Avesh Khan.

Canada, New Zealand and West Indies have retained one player each from their 2014 campaigns. Abraash Khan of Canada, Shimron Hetmyer of the West Indies and New Zealand’s Josh Finnie will be returning to Bangladesh as captains of their sides. Canada achieved 15th position, the West Indies claimed sixth position and New Zealand finished 10th in 2014.

Namibia has retained two players from the side which finished 14th. Zane Green will return as captain, while SJ loftie-Eaton is the other survivor from the UAE event.

Ryan Brown is the only Scotland player who will be appearing in his second successive ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. Brown played just one match last time and bagged two wickets for 18 runs.

Defending champion South Africa, like England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, will be appearing with a completely fresh set of players, though Dayyaan Galiem who will appear in this edition, was named in South Africa’s original squad for the 2014 event but was later withdrawn.

Nepal v Uganda – ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2015
photo credit: ©ICC

Both Ireland and Nepal are returning to the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup after missing out on the 2014 event. It will be their seventh appearances, respectively. Coincidentally, both the sides have retained 12 players each from the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which was won by Nepal with Ireland finishing second.

Fiji will be making its maiden appearance in Bangladesh after winning the East Asia-Pacific U19 Cricket Trophy in Blenheim, New Zealand, from 24-28 February. It has retained 13 players from that successful campaign.

For the first time in the history of this competition, ICC will produce live broadcast coverage of an unprecedented 20 matches. The matches which will be shown around the world by ICC broadcast partner, Star Sports and its licensees. These include four from Chittagong, nine from Mirpur and seven from Fatullah. In the 2014 event in the UAE, Star Sports and its licensees had broadcast 11 matches, while 10 matches each were televised from the 2008, 2010 and 2012 events in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia respectively.

Squads:

GROUP A
South Africa – Tony de Zorzi (capt.), Ziyaad Abrahams, Dean Foxcroft, Dayyaan Galiem, Willie Ludick, Wandile Makwethu, Conner McKerr, Rivaldo Moonsamy, Wiaan Mulder, Luke Philander, Farhaan Sayanvala, Lutho Sipamla, Liam Smith, Kyle Verreynne and Sean Whitehead.
Coach – Laurence Mahatlane

Bangladesh – Mehidy Hassan Miraz (capt.), Jaker Ali Anik,, Saleh Ahmed Shawon Gazi, Mohammed Saif Hassan, Zakir Hasan, Shafiul Hayet, Mehede Hasan, Mohammad Abdul Halim, Joyraj Sheik Imon, Ariful Islam Jony, Sanjit Saha, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Saeed Sarker, Shaif Uddin,
Coach – Mohammad Mizanur Rahman

Scotland – Neil Flack (capt.), Haris Aslam, Ryan Brown, Scott Cameron, Harris Carnegie, Mohammad Azeem Dar, Mohammad Ghaffar, Rory Johnston, Ihtisham Malik, Finlay McCreath, Mitchell Rao, Owais Shah, Simon Whait, Jack Waller, Ben Wilkinson.
Coach – Gordon Drummond and Cedric English

Namibia – Zane Green (capt.), Petrus Burger, Charl Brits, Fritz Coetzee, Niko Davin, Sj Loftie-Eaton, Mushi Honga, Burton Jacobs, Lohan Louwrens, Jurgen Linde, Michael Van Lingen, Chrischen Oliver, Francios Rautenbach, Warren Van Wyk, Eben Van Wyk,
Coach – Rangarirai Manyande

Nepal v Ireland – ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2015
photo credit: ©ICC

GROUP B
Pakistan – Gohar Hafeez (capt.), Muhammad Asad, Saif Ali, Saif Badar, Sameen Gul, Salman Fayyaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Khan, Irfan Liaqat, Hasan Mohsin, Umair Masood, Zeeshan Malik, Arsal Sheikh, Ahmad Shafiq. Mohammad Umar,
Coach – Muhammad Masroor

Sri Lanka – Charith Asalanka (capt.), Sammu Ashan, Kaveen Bandara, Jehan Daniel, Avishka Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Wanidu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Kamindu Mendis, Charana Nanayakkara, Thilan Nimesh,
Vishard Randika, Lahiru Samarakoon, Damitha Silva,
Coach – Roger Wijesuriya

Afghanistan – Ihsanullah Janat (capt.), Zia-ur-Rehman Akbar, Zahir Ahmadzai, Qais Hassan, Karim Janat, Ikram Ali Khail, Shamsurrahman Wali Khail, Zahir Khan, Muslim Musa, Nijat Masood, Parwiz Malikzai, Nasir Omar, Naveed Obaid, Waheed Shafaq, Tariq Stanikzai,
Coach – Dawlat Ahmadzai

Canada – Abraash Khan (capt.), Bhavindu Adhihetty, Thursaanth Anantharajah, Akash Gill, Abdul Haseeb, Wijayaraj, Suliman Khan, Arslan Khan, Mamik Luthra, Miraj Patel, Shlok Patel, Kurt Ramdath, Sarbot Sivia, Harsh Thaker, Amish Taploo, Prushoth
Coach – Errol Barro

GROUP C
England – Brad Taylor (capt.), George Bartlett, Jack Burnham, Mason Crane, Sam Curran, Ryan Davies, Aneurin Donald, George Garton, Ben Green, Max Holden, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Moores, Callum Taylor, Jared Warner
Coach – Andy Hurry

West Indies – Shimron Hetmyer (capt.), Shahid Crooks, Keacy Carty, Michael Frew, Jyd Goolie, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Ryan John, Kirstan Kallicharan, Obed McCoy, Gidron Pope, Keemo Paul, Odean Smith, Shamar Springer, Emmanuel Stewart,
Coach – Graeme West

Zimbabwe – Brandon Mavuta (capt.), Trevvor Chibvongodze, Jeremy Ives, Adam Keefe, Kundai Matigimu, William Mashinge, Wessly Madhevere, Rugare Magarira, Sydney Murombo, Ryan Murray, Richard Ngarava, Akshay Patel, Brendan Sly, Shaun Snyder, Milton Shumba,
Coach – Stephen Mangongo

Fiji – Saimoni Tuitoga (capt.), Josaia Baleicikoibia, Malakai Cokovaki, Petero Cabebula, Jack Charters, Jordan Dunham, Vaibhav Kapadia, Delaimatuku Maraiwai, Ledua Qionivoka, Samuel Saunokonoko, Cakacaka Tikoisuva, Peni Vuniwaqa, Sosiceni Weleilakeba, Tuwai Yabaki,
Coach – Shane Jurgensen

photo credit: ©ICC

GROUP D
India – Ishan Kishan (capt.), , Rishabh Pant (vice-capt), Khaleel Ahmed, Zeeshan Ansari, Rahul Batham, Ricky Bhui, Mayank Dagar, Armaan Jaffer, Sarfaraz Khan, Amandeep Khare, Avesh Khan, Mahipal Lomror, Shubham Mavi, Anmolpreet Singh, Washington Sundar,
Coach – Rahul Dravid

New Zealand – Josh Finnie (capt.), Finnley Allen, Josh Clarkson, Zak Gibson, Christian Leopard, Felix Murray, Aniket Parikh, Dale Phillips, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Talor Scott, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Daniel Stanley, Ross ter Braak
Coach – Bob Carter

Nepal – Raju Rijal (capt.), Dipendra Airee, MD Sunil Dhamala, Himanshu Dutta, Saurabh Khanal, Sushil Kandel, Yogendra Karki, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ishan Pandey, Shankar Rana, Prem Tamang, Arif Sheikh, Sandeep Sunar, Dipesh Shrestha, Rajbir Singh,
Coach – Jagat Tamatta

Ireland – Jack Tector (capt.), Rory Anders, Andrew Austin, Varun Chopra, Adam Dennison, Stephen Doheny, Aaron Gillespie, Josh Little, Gary McClintock, William McClintock, Tom Stanton, Harry Tector, Fiachra Tucker, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White.
Coach – Ryan Eagleson

Top two sides from each group will progress to the Super League stage, while the bottom two sides will feature in the Plate Championship.

FINA “TARGETING RIO 2016 – SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAMME” PARTICIPANTS’ INTERVIEWS

Following the initial feedback gathered from the ‘FINA Targeting Rio 2016 – Scholarships Programme’ participants post-FINA World Championships in Kazan, FINA established contact again with the young athletes training at the Thanyapura Centre in Phuket (THA) and asked them a few questions about their experience and the benefit of their intensive immersion into the road to Rio 2016 preparation programme.

While the participants all recognise having dramatically improved since the beginning of the programme in May 2015, the young talents often share a dream- to one day reach the a-standard qualifying times and swim on the lanes of their favourite champions.

FINA interviewed all swimmers taking part in the programme and decided to share Nepal’s Sofia Shah sincere and valuable insight about the “FINA Targeting Rio 2016 – Scholarships Programme’:

“My progress over the last five months has been significant. I’ve consistently swam faster times at each event since Kazan and broken a number of national records. I also feel that I achieve greater fitness week after week. I have changed the food I eat to a healthier diet plan and I’ve never felt better in the water.”

She added: “The main difference between my current training routine in Thanyapura and my programme back at home is the actual opportunity to train throughout the all year. My training routine was very inconsistent in Nepal due to the lack of facilities, which lead to a limited training period of 6 months a year. Another difference is the ability to focus solely on swimming. I used to have to balance swimming with academics and this programme allows me to focus on becoming the swimmer I need to be to represent my country well.”

“My ultimate goal as an athlete is to achieve the greatest fitness level possible and to achieve the fastest times possible. My expectations from this one- year programme are not only achieving great athletic ability, but to keep connections with the team mates and friends I have made. This programme allows us to be exposed to swimming in the regions around our homes and now we have connections to help promote swimming in our South Asian region. My expectation is that this programme makes an impact on future generations.”

FINA “TARGETING RIO 2016 – SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAMME” PARTICIPANTS’ INTERVIEWS

“My biggest swimming inspiration is all the swimmers back home in Nepal. They go through such a struggle just to train but they are still so passionate and work as hard as they possibly can with what they are given. I am proud to represent a country that has bounced back from an earthquake and still swimming strong even with so many obstacles in their path.”

FINA.ORG

ICC Looks Forward To Exciting Month Of Cricket In UAE

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has today announced an exciting month of multi-format fixtures across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this November as part of the ICC’s ongoing commitment to developing international cricket at all levels.

Supported by the ICC’s Development department, the teams will compete in a range of different formats, including T20, 50-over, two, three and four-day matches, as teams bid to progress in the ICC Intercontinental Cup (I-Cup) and the World Cricket League Championship (WCLC).

Some countries will also be preparing for the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, while others will play some “friendlies” against Pakistan and England who will be stepping up their preparations in the shorter formats of the game following the completion of the three-Test series in Sharjah (1-5 November).

David Richardson, photo credit icc.cricket.com

Looking ahead to the series of matches, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “November promises to be an exciting month for cricket followers across the UAE. The matches to be played involving our top Associate Members are part of ICC’s commitment to developing more competitive teams at the highest level. The Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League Championship are the pathways for Associate Members to Test cricket and the ICC Cricket World Cup respectively,” Mr Richardson said.

“In addition the T20 matches will provide important preparation for the teams who have qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016. With Pakistan and England competing in a keenly-contested series, we are delighted that Pakistan will face Nepal and Hong Kong, while Hong Kong and UAE will play against England, in some warm-up games.”

UAE Coach Aqib Javed is excited with the prospect of competing across multi-formats this month. The former Pakistan bowler, who was part of the squad which lifted ICC Cricket World Cup 1992, believes that the squad is in good shape ahead of the month’s games.

“November presents a great opportunity for UAE cricket,”, Aqib reflected ahead of the month’s fixtures. “After a tough few weeks in the UK and Ireland in the last round of the I-Cup and WCLC, we feel as though we’re moving in the right direction. We have full-time contracts in place for the first time and a full-time selection panel. And the chance to play a two-day match against Pakistan is a brilliant opportunity.

“There’s Hong Kong in the I-Cup, then the two WCLC games before a big one against England. We have mixed up the squad and there are four or five new guys, including a 16-year-old fast bowler called Yodhin Punja who is very promising. We know that we have to support our youngsters and we can experiment a bit and hopefully get some wins along the way. It’s a great time for UAE cricket and there’s a lot to be excited about.”

zayed cricket stadium: credit icc

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis, whose side will face Nepal in a 50-over clash in Abu Dhabi on 8 November and Hong Kong in a 20-over tie at the ICC Academy on 23 November, believes these are an important couple of games.

“It is clear to see the great strides that are being made among the emerging teams in world cricket,” the Pakistan coach said.

“We are excited to face Nepal and Hong Kong as they are relatively new opponents, but we know that they have a lot of quality individually and collectively. Both games will also present us with opportunities to adapt to the shorter formats of the game coming off the back of a challenging Test series against England. We are also mindful that the Hong Kong game especially will provide great opportunities to our players with the ICC World Twenty20 2016 now just a few short months away.

“Pakistan understands and embraces its responsibility to assist developing nations and we are excited by the opportunity to do so in the UAE this month.”

Live Streaming:

There will be live streaming from the ICC World Cricket League Championship matches between Nepal v PNG from Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi on http://www.icc-cricket.com

Live Scoring:

Live scoring will be available for all matches on http://www.icc-cricket.com and there will also be match reports from each of the ICC Intercontinental Cup / World Cricket League Championship matches.

Fixtures:

Thursday 5 November
Day 1 of 2: Hong Kong v Nepal (Abu Dhabi Oval 1)

Friday 6 November
Day 2 of 2: Hong Kong v Nepal (Abu Dhabi Oval 1)

Saturday 7 November
Day 1 of 2: UAE v Oman (Ajman)

Sunday 8 November
Day 2 of 2: UAE v Oman (Ajman)
50 Over: England XI v Hong Kong (Abu Dhabi Oval 1), Pakistanis v Nepal (Abu Dhabi Oval 2)

Wednesday 11 November
1st ODI: Pakistan v England (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, d/n)
Intercontinental Cup (Day 1 of 4): UAE v Hong Kong (ICC Academy 1)
50 Over: Nepal v Danube CC (ICC Academy 2)

Thursday 12 November
Intercontinental Cup (Day 2 of 4): UAE v Hong Kong (ICC Academy 1)
50 Over: PNG v Oman (ICC Academy 2)

Friday 13 November
2nd ODI: Pakistan v England (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, d/n)
Intercontinental Cup (Day 3 of 4): UAE v Hong Kong (ICC Academy 1)

Saturday 14 November
Intercontinental Cup (Day 4 of 4): UAE v Hong Kong (ICC Academy 1)
50 Over: Nepal v Oman (Abu Dhabi Oval 1), PNG v Danube CC (Abu Dhabi Oval 2)

Monday 16 November
Day 1 of 3: Afghanistan v Oman (Ajman)
World Cricket League Championship: Nepal v PNG (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi), UAE v Hong Kong (ICC Academy 1)

Tuesday 17 November
3rd ODI: Pakistan v England (Sharjah, d/n)
Day 2 of 3: Afghanistan v Oman (Ajman)

Wednesday 18 November
Day 3 of 3: Afghanistan v Oman (Ajman)
World Cricket League Championship: UAE v Hong Kong (ICC Academy 1), Nepal v PNG (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)

Friday 20 November
4th ODI: Pakistan v England (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, d/n)

Saturday 21 November
Intercontinental Cup (Day 1 of 4): Afghanistan v PNG (Sharjah)
T20I: Hong Kong v Oman (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)

Sunday 22 November
Intercontinental Cup (Day 2 of 4): Afghanistan v PNG (Sharjah)
T20I: UAE v Oman (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)

Monday 23 November
Intercontinental Cup (Day 3 of 4): Afghanistan v PNG (Sharjah)
T20: England XI v UAE (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, d/n), Pakistanis v Hong Kong (ICC Academy 1)

Tuesday 24 November
Intercontinental Cup (Day 4 of 4): Afghanistan v PNG (Sharjah)

Wednesday 25 November
T20I: Hong Kong v Oman (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)

Thursday 26 November
T20I: England v Pakistan (Dubai International Cricket Stadium), Hong Kong v Oman (Zayed Cricket Stadium)

Friday 27 November
T20I: England v Pakistan (Dubai International Cricket Stadium)

Saturday 28 November
T20I: Afghanistan v Hong Kong (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)

Sunday 29 November
T20I: Afghanistan v Oman (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)

Monday 30 November
T20I: England v Pakistan (Dubai International Cricket Stadium), Afghanistan v Oman (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi)

Aspiring teams gear up for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier

Tournament to be held from 15 to 22 October in Malaysia

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the squads and schedule for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier which will take place from 15 to 22 October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The five teams competing in the event are regional runners-up Ireland (Europe), Nepal (Asia), Papua New Guinea (East-Asia Pacific), Uganda (Africa) and USA (Americas) and they will be bidding to win the tournament and book the final remaining place in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup which takes place from 22 January to 14 February 2016.

Uganda Head Coach Henry Okecho believes that it is important to start well as the side bids to qualify for its third U19 Cricket World Cup, having previously qualified for the 2004 (Bangladesh) and 2006 (Sri Lanka) tournaments.

Jagat Tamata Coach of Nepal, whose side faces Papua New Guinea in the opening round in Kinrara Oval on Friday, said: “We feel now the Nepalese team is mentally strong as well as physically fit and over the last two months our team has been very hard working in preparation.

Dipak Patel, the former New Zealand international and current Head Coach of Papua New Guinea hopes that his side can book its passage to India. “The PNG Garramuts are looking forward to the challenge in Kuala Lumpur. They have worked very hard in PNG with very limited resources and game-time.

One of the many players keen to make a positive mark and help his nation qualify for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup is Ireland captain Jack Tector who is hopeful of a successful tournament in what he admits will be challenging conditions. “As a group we are massively excited for the tournament. It gives us the opportunity to improve even further on the good things we did in Jersey.

Tournament Schedule:

15 October – Nepal v Papua New Guinea (Kinrara Oval), Uganda v USA (Royal Selengor Club)
16 October – Papua New Guinea v Ireland (Kinrara Oval), Nepal v Uganda (Royal Selengor Club)
17 October – Reserve/Rest Day
18 October – Papua New Guinea v Uganda (Kinrara Oval), USA v Ireland (Royal Selengor Club)
19 October – Nepal v USA (Kinrara Oval), Uganda v Ireland (Royal Selengor Club)
20 October – Reserve/Rest Day
21 October – Nepal v Ireland (Kinrara Oval), Papua New Guinea v USA (Royal Selengor Club)
22 October – Final (Kinrara Oval), 3rd & 4th Place Play-Off (Royal Selengor Club)

Match Officials: Graeme La Brooy (Match Referee), Tabarak Dar, Vinay Kumar Jha, Sarika Prasad (Mentor Umpire), Ahmad Shah Pakteen, Ian Thomson, Kalidas Viswanadan

Squads

IRELAND: Jack Tector (captain), Rory Anders, Andrew Austin, Varun Chopra, Sonny Cott, Adam Dennison, Aaron Gillespie, Joshua Little, Gary McClintock, William McClintock, James Mitchell, Tom Stanton, Lorcan Tucker, Benjamin White

NEPAL: Raju Rijal (captain), Kushal Bhurtel, Sunil Dhamala, Sushil Kandel, Yogendra Singh Karki, Saurabh Khanal, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, Shankar Rana, MD Arif Sheikh, Dipesh Shrestha, Rajbir Singh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Sunar, Prem Tamang

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Sinaka Harry Arua, Ovia Boge, Jack Dairi, Arua Gau, Doura Iruna Gavera, Harry Christopher Gavera, Lohia Guba, Vagi Guba, Vagi Miria John, Vagi Karoho, Vagi Boko Kora, Sere Sam, Lou Vagi Toua, Nou Mavara Ako Toua

UGANDA: Derrick Bakunzi (captain), Brian Adriko, Frank Akankwasa, Zephania Arinaitwe, Trevor Bukenya, Joseph Byaruhanga, John Gabula, Abdalah Lubega, Simon Okecho, Collines Okwalinga, Ashiraf Senkubuge, David Wabwire, Steven Wabwose, Kenneth Waiswa

USA: Alexander Shoff (captain), Mohak Buch, Srihari Dasarathy, Kushal Ganji, Tohidul Islam, Vivek Narayan, Gaurav Patanker, Arjun Patel, Sagar Patel, Sahil Patel, Keifer Phill, Anup Rao, Gauranshu Sharma, Anirudh Srinivas

ICC’s Digital Initiatives Continue To Scale New Heights

ICC announces ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier digital statistics with record numbers for an ICC qualifying event and global interest expanding to millions around the world

Giles Clarke: “The continued growth of the ICC’s digital properties is part of an ongoing effort to expand the reach of the sport around the world”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced strong growth in digital consumption following the successful ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 held in July across Ireland and Scotland.

There was unparalleled coverage for the event on ICC digital and social media channels, with overall traffic numbers making it the second largest ICC digital event in recent years, surpassing both the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. The dedicated event website attracted 3.75 million unique users, more than double that figure for the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh. These visitors created nearly 20 million page views, which is more than treble the figure of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014.

Sharad Vesawkar, Nepal, in action against Ed Farley, Jersey. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, Nepal v Jersey. Malahide, Dublin. Picture credit: Sam Barnes / ICC / SPORTSFILE

The digital coverage was particularly well received in many of the competing nations with fans from Afghanistan, Kenya, Nepal, Netherlands and USA combining to make up over 20 per cent of all website traffic.

For the first time at an ICC qualifying event, 20 matches were broadcast globally and short form match clips were hugely popular right across the world on ICC’s digital channels. The video content reached fans in over 200 countries, with over 13 million video views and over 12 million minutes of online video content consumed.

Another first was the launch of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 App, which aimed to build on the success of the record-breaking ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 App. The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 App was available for free on both Android and iOS, it had over 2.2 million users from more than 200 countries. The App was very well picked up in the participating countries, and it topped the charts as the Number 1 downloaded sports App in 6 countries whilst reaching the Top 10 list in the same category in 22 other countries.

On ICC social media channels, there was also huge interest in the tournament as fans were given their opportunity to get involved with the global broadcast and interact with the players and commentators in Ireland and Scotland. The reach of ICC’s posts on Facebook topped over 129 million people in July, whilst there was 35 million impressions of ICC tweets during the tournament.

Fans also got their chance to vote for both the Play of the Day video and the Play of the Tournament video, which attracted over two million votes. One video alone attracted over 750,000 views. The eventual winner of the inaugural Play of the Tournament at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 was Nepal’s Siddhant Lohani for his remarkable helicopter shot.

Ben Kynman, Jersey, bowls. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, Hong Kong v Jersey, Bready, Co. Tyrone. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / ICC / SPORTSFILE
Saturday 11

The Chairman of the ICC’s Financial and Commercial Affairs Committee, Mr Giles Clarke, said: “The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 digital statistics show the ever-growing interest in Associate cricket across the globe. The acceleration in growth is such that the numbers of fans engaged from the Associate sides competing in the event this July matched the number of fans engaged from Full Member nations at the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, 2014. I was hugely impressed with the quality of the cricket from all the competing nations I saw in Ireland and Scotland, and cricket fans worldwide have made their voices heard with the sheer scale of numbers that interacted with the tournament online.

“The continued growth of the ICC’s digital properties is part of an ongoing effort to expand the reach of the sport around the world and the ICC intend to be at the forefront of innovation as we enter a new ICC Digital Strategy from 2016 onwards. The ICC will continue to try and grow the game into new markets by using the ICC’s substantial digital presence at both of the important upcoming ICC events, the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup 2016, and the ICC World Twenty20 2016.”

ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers: Dutch Reflect On Victories Past To Visualise Next Success #wt20q

The Netherlands will seek to draw inspiration from the World Cricket League Division 2 final earlier this year in its bid to beat Namibia on Tuesday and so qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 2016.

The Dutchmen believe they are the better team and memories of that comfortable victory last January in the Namibian capital, Windhoek, remain prominent in their minds and, they hope, in the minds of their vanquished opponents. Meanwhile, a highly motivated Afghanistan will face one of the surprise packages of the tournament, Hong Kong, in the other play-off of the day.

The winners of those two games in Malahide on Tuesday will join Ireland and Scotland in qualifying for India while the losers must then play off against the fourth-placed teams from the group stage, Papua New Guinea and Oman, for the final two qualification spots.

Netherlands captain Peter Borren scored 60 not out in that 50-over World Cricket League final as his team successfully chased Namibia’s 212 with eight wickets and nine overs to spare. And despite knowing that Twenty20 cricket is a different proposition, Borren feels the momentum is with him.

Sharad Vesawkar, Nepal, in action against Ed Farley, Jersey. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, Nepal v Jersey. Malahide, Dublin. Picture credit: Sam Barnes / ICC / SPORTSFILE

“We have beaten them before so we know we can do it,” said the 31-year-old all-rounder. “It makes it easier to prepare for the game knowing we beat them recently. That definitely gives us confidence. We know Namibia is a dangerous batting side. Craig Williams is a very good player and so is Stephen Baard and of course Gerrie Snyman so they’re not a team to be taken lightly. But we know them from playing in that World Cricket League final earlier this year so we feel we can beat them again.”

For most observers, Group B was by far the tougher pool at this qualifier so while he would have preferred to take top spot, Borren is relieved just to be in the competition still.

“We knew coming into this competition that we were in a tough group. It was so competitive. We are a little disappointed not to have won our group, losing out to Scotland on net run-rate, but that’s the tournament. We are still happy to have made it through the group and we still have a good chance of qualification. We are confident of progressing and it’s still our goal to win the tournament so that is the focus.”

There is a completeness about the Netherlands team. On the bowling front, the pacey Mudassar Bukhari and Timm van der Gugten have been a handful while in Michael Rippon (who took five wickets in that WCL final), Peter Seelar and former South Africa ODI player Roelof van der Merwe, they have plenty of spin options. Throw in the skipper’s nagging line and length and there aren’t many weak links for opposition batsmen to target.

And with bat in hand, Wesley Barresi, Stephan Myburgh, Ben Cooper and Borren himself have been in good form.

Irfan Ahmed, Hong Kong, hits a one of his fours. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015,…

“We have good balance in our side, lots of variation in our bowling. We have spin options and our pace bowlers also vary their attack a lot, which I think is important in this format. Roelof has been a great addition to the team. In many ways, our team spirit is our main asset and he adds to that hugely. His energy and his competitive nature has been great for us. He is a very good bowler and a fantastic fielder. We haven’t seen much of his batting so far in the tournament but we know how good he is and hopefully we’ll see some of that from him soon.”

As for the Namibians, the way Group A ended, they will rue a missed chance to finish top but a fantastic innings of 98 by Hong Kong’s Irfan Ahmed proved to be the difference on the day.

Captain Nicolaas Scholtz is ready for the next challenge. He said: “We are disappointed not to have topped the group. We really wanted to beat Hong Kong, which would have given us qualification for India but it wasn’t to be. That’s Twenty20 cricket – one guy batted really well for them and took the game away from us. It’s important now that we put it behind us and we go again.

“We are in a good space as a team. We know the Dutch guys quite well. We know all their players and how good they can be on their day. They will come hard at us. We know exactly what they are going to do and they usually do it very well so we will have to be at our best to beat them. We have a game plan for them and we will do our best to execute it.

“Most of us are in pretty good form. We have guys scoring runs, taking wickets and we have a great team spirit. We like to play with freedom and in a way Twenty20 allows you to do that but it’s a fine line between going hard all the way and being irresponsible so we know when we need to bat sensibly, for example, and when we go all out.”

With a warm and friendly attitude, the Nambians have endeared themselves to their hosts since being in Europe and it seems the feeling is mutual.

“We have been in Scotland and Ireland now for a few weeks and the hospitality we have been shown has been amazing. We have been treated so well. This is a beautiful part of the world and all the guys have said how impressed they have been with the facilities and the way in which the people have been so kind. It is really an honour and a privilege to be here and to be playing in this competition,” said Scholtz.

It’s worth noting that three of the top four high-scoring batsmen from the tournament will be playing in this match so no target will be seen as out of range.

In the other play-off Afghanistan, which has played some of the most entertaining cricket in the tournament so far, will feel that it deserves a little luck. The Afghans’ game against Canada was abandoned in Stirling without a ball being bowled and had they beaten the Canucks as expected (Canada’s only point in the competition came from that no-result) it would have put them over the top of Scotland in the group.

But those are the vagaries of cricket, where the weather is often a factor and Afghanistan will need to focus on what it can control as it heads into a big game against Hong Kong.

For HK, Irfan has been in fine form with bat and ball and he has been well supported by the likes of batsmen Nizakat Khan and Mark Chapman and bowlers Haseeb Amjad and Nadeem Ahmed. Having taken the scalp of defending champion Ireland at Malahide earlier in the tournament, the Hong Kong players will believe they can beat anyone.

19 July 2015; Sarel Burger, Namibia, bowls to Babar Hayat, Hong Kong. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, Hong Kong v Namibia. Clontarf, Dublin. Picture credit: Cody Glenn / ICC / SPORTSFILE

Tomorrow’s fixtures:

Tue, 21 July – Qualifying Play-Off 1 (Hong Kong v Afghanistan), Malahide, Dublin (1000-1310);

Qualifying Play-Off 2 (Namibia v Netherlands), Malahide, Dublin (1415-1725)

Ireland to join Scotland in ICC World Twenty20 2016 #wt20q

Defending champion Ireland has benefited from an unlikely set of results to finish on top of Group A, becoming the second side to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 2016 after Scotland had sealed its place yesterday.

Once they had beaten Jersey at Malahide in the morning, captain William Porterfield and his side needed the high-flying Papua New Guinea to lose to the USA at the same venue and Namibia to fall to Hong Kong in Clontarf, in order to top the group. But given the form guide, no one in the Ireland camp really thought that was going to happen and they were already mentally preparing for the play-offs.

And when USA posted 147-6 in 20 overs, the feeling around the ground was that it was slightly below par. But the Americans bowled well up front taking the key wickets of Tony Ura and Lega Siaka for only eight runs. That below-par target suddenly seemed a whole lot more formidable.

After that, PNG lost wickets at regular intervals and, despite a late surge from Mahuru Dai, never regained the initiative, eventually falling short by 18 runs.

Meanwhile, over in Clontarf, Irfan Ahmed smashed Namibia’s bowlers with a brutal display of power hitting, rocketing to 98 off just 55 balls, including nine fours and four sixes, as Hong Kong put up a massive 197-8. Namibia’s openers, Gerrie Snyman and Stephen Baard, are no strangers to a boundary or two themselves so when both fell with only 23 runs on the board, it didn’t look good for the Africans. And so it proved as they were all out for just 114.

13 July 2015; Paul Stirling, Ireland, attempts to run out Paras Khadka, Nepal. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, Ireland v Nepal, Stormont, Belfast, Co. Antrim. Picture credit: David Maher / ICC / SPORTSFILE

All that played into Ireland’s hands and a delighted, if a little surprised, Porterfield said: “It was always our goal to top the group coming into the competition but this was not the way we wanted to go about it because we lost two games along the way. But we’re top of the group and we’re in the semi-final.

“Some of our performances have not been what we wanted them to be. We talked about that in the build-up to today and we certainly played better against Jersey. It’s not the way we thought we would top the group but nonetheless we’ll take it. Our performance today, particularly with the bat, was pretty good and we just have to keep building on that towards the weekend.”

So, as well as knowing the first two qualifiers, Tuesday’s crucial play-off fixtures have also been finalised. Hong Kong’s comprehensive victory over Namibia means it finished second in Group A on net run-rate and will play Group B’s third-placed team, Afghanistan, while Namibia will take on Netherlands with both games taking place at Malahide.

PNG finished fourth in the group and will proceed to a last-chance play-off on Thursday along with its Group B counterpart, Oman. The teams to lose out in Group A are USA, Jersey and Nepal, joining Group B’s UAE, Kenya and Canada on their respective planes home.

Earlier, a little bit of history was made in the final over of Jersey’s innings as Ireland medium-pacer John Mooney took his country’s first Twenty20 hat-trick and only the fourth for Ireland in all matches since 1855. After what had been a solid start from Jersey’s top three Peter Gough, Edward Farley and Jonty Jenner, with the score on 88-1 there followed a stunning collapse as Ireland’s bowlers turned up the heat and the Channel Islanders lost their remaining nine wickets for 34 runs in less than seven overs.

A half-century from Paul Stirling ensured Ireland chased down the 123-run target with a minimum of fuss, losing just three wickets along the way.

Afterwards, Jersey captain Peter Gough was clearly disappointed with how the game went but was still proud of his team’s performance. He said: “We will take loads of positives from this tournament – we have learned a huge amount as a side. We’ve gained experience in how to play different types of bowlers, different wickets, how to structure a Twenty20 innings. Every player has gone through a real journey here. It doesn’t always come easy every day. We’ve had to work really hard and the players have done a huge amount when we haven’t been playing, which is fantastic.

“It has been the best cricketing experience of our lives so far, unbelievable. It has been great to have quite a few spectators here cheering us on. We’re so happy they came. To have 50-odd people here cheering us on has been great. We hope we did them proud… We will go away and put a lot of what we’ve learned here into practice. We will refocus and look to keep pushing forward, always trying to improve.”

Sharad Vesawkar, Nepal, in action against Ed Farley, Jersey. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, Nepal v Jersey. Malahide, Dublin. Picture credit: Sam Barnes / ICC / SPORTSFILE

Today’s scores:
At Malahide: Jersey 122 all out, 19.5 overs (Peter Gough 42, Jonty Jenner 26; Paul Stirling 3-16, John Mooney 3-20, Alex Cusack 3-26)
Ireland 123-3, 16.4 overs (Paul Stirling 55, Andrew Balbirnie 32 not out; Ben Stevens 2-20)
Ireland won by seven wickets

At Malahide: USA 147-6, 20 overs (Nicholas Standford 38 not out, Akeem Dodson 38, Fahad Babar 30; Charles Amini 2-20)
PNG 129-9, 20 overs (Sese Bau 26; Muhammad Ghous 2-27, Timil Patel 2-32)
USA won by 18 runs

At Castle Avenue: Hong Kong 197-8, 20 overs (Irfan Ahmed 98, Jamie Atkinson 28; Gerrie Snyman 4-31)
Namibia 114 all out, 15.1 overs (Sarel Burger 28; Nadeem Ahmed 5-12, Haseeb Amjad 2-22)
Hong Kong won by 83 runs

Tomorrow’s fixtures:
Practice day. Play-offs take place on Tuesday.