The young Bangladesh U-19 side conquered yet another milestone in their promising cricketing history this Sunday by beating the tournament favorites India U-19 by 59 runs. The young Tigers prevailed in a low-scoring thriller which had all the viewers on the edge of their seats. 

This is also Bangladesh U-19's second U-19 Asia Cup title win and the young side would be mighty proud of achieving such a monumental feat against a quality India U-19 side. It was a horror show for India this Sunday as not only their young team but also their men's and women's team suffered horrific defeats at the hands of Australians down under.

Bangladesh's road to glory in the Asia Cup Final

After winning the toss, the Indian U-19 skipper inserted Bangladesh U-19 to have a bat first. The India U-19 bowlers made early inroads with the ball as Yudhajit Guha cleaned up Bangladesh opener Kalam Siddiki relatively early for 1. Zawad Abrar offered some resistance with the bat and chipped in with a useful 20 before being removed by Chetan Sharma. 

Further on, Guha's resilience with the ball helped India to assert their authority further as the Bangladeshi skipper Azizul Hakim was removed in the 19th over causing Bangladesh to slip to 66-3. 

Mohammad Shihab James and Rizan Hossan then stitched a 62-run stand for the fourth wicket to add life to the Bangladesh innings, but wickets in quick succession pegged back their hard-earned momentum. The Indian bowlers made a strong comeback during the middle overs which triggered a collapse as Bangladesh went from 128-3 to 167-8 and subsequently got bowled out for 198 thanks to a gutsy 30-run stand between Farid Hasan and Maruf Mridha.

The winning moment for the young Tigers

Bangladesh U19 players bring the dressing room alive after clinching the ACC Men’s Asia Cup trophy | #BCB #Cricket #ACC #ACCMensU19AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/06Phg5gsya

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) December 8, 2024

In response to Bangladesh 198, India U-19 failed to get going in the run chase. Mhatre and the 13-year-old overhyped Vaibhav Suryavanshi perished in the first five overs of the run chase. And soon enough Andre Siddharth became the next Indian victim as India U-19 found themselves precariously placed at 44-3 within 12 overs. 

But it all came down to some destructive bowling from Iqbal Hossain Emon and Azizul Hakim who snapped three wickets each to derail India U-19 off course in this run chase. The duo unleashed their terror on the Indian batters and breached the Indian middle order in no time. Despite facing some resistance from Hardik and Chetan down the order, the game was firmly in their grasp.

Azizul applied the finishing touches by picking up the last Indian wicket to power Bangladesh U-19 to a euphoric 59-run win in Dubai. Emon registered figures of 3-24 in his 7 overs while Azizul recorded 3-8 in just 2.2 overs. 

Despite their men's team not being at their prime best, Bangladesh's youth have a lot of untapped potential. Time and again, their youngsters have shown tremendous promise and grit to excel in major ICC and ACC tournaments. 

Bangladesh U-19 side are the proud title winner of the 2020 U-19 World Cup as well as the 2023 and 2024 Asia Cup editions. With so much talent at their disposal, the senior management in BCB need to have a robust plan in place to nurture such talent and make them battle-ready to compete at the highest level. 

See also: Bangladesh create history in Sabina Park, Register their maiden Test win in the Caribbean since 2009

Opening batter Vaibhav Suryawanshi starred with a consecutive half-century to help his team into the U-19 Asia Cup Final as they beat Sri Lanka U19 by seven wickets in Sharjah.

The 13-year-old batter became the youngest cricketer ever to be brought in the IPL Auction. He smashed 67 off 36, including six fours and five sixes helping his team chase the target with 170 balls to spare.

India will lock horns with Bangladesh in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Bangladesh U-19 also defeated Pakistan U-19 by seven wickets as they chased the target of 117 in 22.1 overs quite comfortably. The surprising thing is that both the sides Pakistan U-19 and Sri Lanka U-19 won all their league games but they won't be playing the Final now. India U-19 started their campaign with a defeat against Pakistan U-19 by 43 runs but bounced back in style to storm into the Finals. 

Sri Lanka U-19 opted to bat first but managed to score 173 in 46.2 overs even after contributions from Lakvin Abeysinghe (69 off 110) and Sharujan Shanmuganathan (42 off 78). Indian bowlers were in full control as Chetan Sharma 3 for 34, Kiran Chormale 2 for 32 and Ayush Mhatre (2 for 37) restricted Sri Lanka U-19 to 176.

Ayush Mhatre shined with the bat as well as he scored 34 off 28 and added 91 runs for the opening stand with Vaibhav Suryawanshi. Vaibhav went berserk behind the Sri Lankan bowlers as he started with back-to-back sixes and a boundary off Sigera who gave away 31 runs in his opening over.

 Vihas Thewmika gave Sri Lanka the first breakthrough as he dismissed Ayush Mhatre for 34. But Vaibhav Suryawanshi kept batting with C Andre Siddharth who scored 22 off 27. Vaibhav was dismissed by Praveen Maneesha for 67 off 36 balls.

Skipper Mohamed Amaan 25*(26) and KP Karthikeya 11*(14) completed the chase in 21.4 overs.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially disclosed the lineup for the India U19 team set to compete in the upcoming ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2023. Consisting of a robust 15-player squad, the governing body has also designated three standby players for the journey.

Uday Saharan will lead the team, supported by Saumy Kumar Pandey as vice-captain. The squad includes wicketkeepers Aravelly Avanish Rao and Innesh Mahajan, providing a platform for emerging talents to showcase their skills and solidify their presence in the U19 Asia Cup.

See Also:Sri Lanka Cricket Provides Clarification on Hasaranga and Chameera’s World Cup Squad Controversy

Defending champions India, with a remarkable eight-time title record, aspire to clinch their ninth victory. In addition to the primary squad and standby players, BCCI has identified four reserve players who will not join the touring contingent.

These young players, having demonstrated their prowess in domestic cricket, now have a significant opportunity to make a name for themselves. The tournament is scheduled to commence on December 8th, with India commencing their campaign against Afghanistan at the ICC Academy Oval – 1.

India U19 squad:Arshin Kulkarni, Adarsh Singh, Rudra Mayur Patel, Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan (C), Aravelly Avanish Rao (WK), Saumy Kumar Pandey (VC), Murugan Abhishek, Innesh Mahajan (WK), Dhanush Gowda, Aaradhya Shukla, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari

Travelling standby players: Prem Devkar, Ansh Gosai, Md. Amaan

Reserve players: Digvijay Patil, Jayanth Goyat, P Vignesh, Kiran Chormale.

ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2023 Schedule:

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the relocation of the upcoming Under-19 World Cup from Sri Lanka to South Africa. This decision follows the recent suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) by the ICC due to administrative uncertainty.

The ICC took action on November 10, suspending SLC with immediate effect, citing a breach of obligations as a member, particularly in managing its affairs autonomously and without government interference. The move came in the aftermath of Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe dismissing the entire SLC board following the national team’s disappointing performance in the World Cup, where they finished in the ninth position out of ten teams and failed to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Despite Ranasinghe appointing former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga to head an interim committee for SLC, the Sri Lankan Court of Appeal issued a two-week stay order on this decision, reinstating the SLC regime led by President Shammi Silva. Subsequently, the Sri Lankan parliament’s resolution seeking the removal of the cricket board played a pivotal role in the ICC’s decision to relocate the Under-19 World Cup.

Under-19 World Cup Relocated to South Africa Amid Sri Lanka Cricket Turmoil

In the aftermath of the upheaval within Sri Lanka Cricket, the ICC has decided to move the upcoming edition of the Under-19 World Cup to South Africa, as reported by Cricbuzz. The decision was reached during an ongoing ICC board meeting in Ahmedabad.

According to the report, the ICC has affirmed its decision to suspend the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) after thorough deliberation. Despite the suspension being upheld, the ICC assures that cricket involving the Sri Lankan team will proceed without interruption.

“It was a unanimous decision by the board that the suspension cannot be lifted. Cricket in the country will continue as normal,” a source informed Cricbuzz.

Originally slated to take place in Sri Lanka in January and February of the next year, the Under-19 World Cup was set to be the country’s third hosting, following the competitions in 2000 and 2006. With the relocation, South Africa steps in as the new host, and the tournament is expected to feature 16 participating teams.

See Also:Pakistan’s Test Squad for Australia Tour Includes Uncapped Players Ayub and Shahzad

India have made history and in style. The Shafali Verma-led team is now the first-ever champions of the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. After a superb bowling show that saw dismissing England for just 68, reached the target in just 14 overs. “It is just a proud moment, its our first world cup,” said Gongadi Trisha (24) with stumps in her hand after the memorable win. The win on Sunday also reaffirms India’s dominance at the U-19 level with the boys winning the world title in the Caribbean last year.

“Women’s Cricket in India is on the upswing and the World Cup triumph has taken the stature of women’s cricket several notches higher. I am delighted to announce INR 5 crore for the entire team and support staff as prize money. This is surely a path-breaking year,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted after the win. India’s bowling attack, led by pacer Titas Sadhu and supported by leg-spinner Parshavi Chopra, set up the comprehensive win on Sunday as they blew England away with a clinical display at Senwes Park.

Also Read: Mohammed Siraj Becomes ICC No. 1 ODI Bowler In The World

India U19 bowlers dismantle England, lift inaugural U19 Women’s T20 World Cup

While Sadhu showed that Indian women pace bowling is in safe hands following the retirement of Jhulan Goswami with impressive figures of 4-0-6-2, Chopra too continued her dream run as she snapped two for 13. Archana Devi also scalped 2 for 17, while Mannat Kashyap (1/13), Shafali(1/16) and Sonam Yadav (1/3) accounted for one wicket each as England were all at sea after being asked to take first strike.

Following a pep talk from India’s Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, India came out with a specific plan and executed it perfectly as England’s innings never really took off after being reduced to 16 for three in four overs. Chasing 69, Shafali started with a boundary off Hannah Baker before launching Sophia Smale for a maximum. But Baker came back to get rid of the India skipper, who was caught by Alexa Stonehouse in the 3rd over. Her opening and team’s best batter in the tournament, Shweta Sehrawat, also was back in the hut after giving a simple catch to Baker off Grace Scrivens in the fourth over.