South Africa to host India and Afghanistan in Men’s U19 Tri-Series ahead of World Cup

Johannesburg, Dec 21 (IANS) South Africa will be hosting India and Afghanistan in a men’s U19 tri-series ahead of next month’s World Cup in the country, said Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Thursday.

The series will be serving as the final preparation for all three sides ahead of the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024. All seven matches of the tri-series will be played at Old Edwardians Cricket Club in Johannesburg from December 29 to January 10.

“CSA would like to extend our gratitude to the cricket boards of India and Afghanistan for their cooperation and commitment to ensuring the tri-series goes ahead. These games are a crucial component of our preparation for the World Cup.”

“They provide our young cricketers with the perfect platform to test their skills against competitive opponents in India and Afghanistan. The series will also serve as a final opportunity for our players to fine-tune their game ahead of the World Cup on home soil,” said Grant van Velden, CSA Head of High Performance.

India will open their tri-series campaign against Afghanistan on December 29, followed by their second game against South Africa on January 2. They will again meet Afghanistan on January 4, before facing South Africa for the second time on January 6, with the final to be held on January 10.

“The series presents a good opportunity for our Future Stars and the other two participating teams to effectively gear up for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024,” said Naseeb Khan, CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

For the U19 World Cup, hosts South Africa, captained by David Teeger, are drawn in Group B alongside England, Scotland, and West Indies. They will get their World Cup campaign underway on January 19 against the West Indies at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom.

On the other hand, defending champions India, skippered by Uday Saharan, are in Group A of the World Cup alongside Bangladesh, Ireland and USA. They play their first match against Bangladesh on January 20 in Bloemfontein, before playing Ireland and USA on January 25 and 28 respectively.

South Africa squad: David Teeger (captain), Esosa Aihevba, Juan James, Martin Khumalo, Kwena Maphaka, Dewan Marias, Riley Norton, Nqobani Mokoena, Romashan Pillay, Sipho Potsane, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Richard Seletswane, Oliver Whitehead, Steve Stolk and Ntando Zuma.

India squad: Arshin Kulkarni, Adarsh Singh, Rudra Mayur Patel, Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan (captain), Aravelly Avanish Rao (wk), Saumy Kumar Pandey (vice-captain), Murugan Abhishek, Innesh Mahajan (wk), Dhanush Gowda, Aaradhya Shukla, Raj Limbani and Naman Tiwari

India reserve players for tri-series: Prem Devkar Ansh Gosai and Mohammed Aman

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