The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday, on the first day of the New Year, announced the squad for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2024 to be held in South Africa.
Left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby will continue to lead the side, with Ahrar Amin named as the vice-captain. The selectors have decided to retain the same squad that recently won the ACC U19 Asia Cup in Dubai, according to a BCB media release. However, the BCB has also identified five standbys.
The Bangladesh side is scheduled to undergo a fitness and skill camp in Dhaka from January 2-7 before departing for South Africa on January 8. From January 9-12, the Under-19 team will be in Potchefstroom for a pre-event camp.
A warm-up match against Zimbabwean boys is scheduled for January 11, followed by official practice matches against Sri Lanka and Australia on January 14 and 17 respectively.
The 16-nation World Cup comprises four groups, each with four teams. The top three teams from each group will progress to the Super-12 round. The semifinals are slated for February 6 and 8, with the final scheduled for
February 11.
Representing Group-A, Bangladesh will kick off their World Cup campaign with a match against holders India in Bloemfontein on January 20. Subsequently, the Boys in Red and Green will face their Ireland counterparts on January 22 and the USA team on January 26.
Bangladeshs Under-19 team, which clinched the World Cup in 2020 under the leadership of Akbar Ali, is confident about securing the trophy for the second time under Rabbi.
"We emerged champions in 2020 but we couldn retain it in 2022," stated Sanowar Hossain, Chief Selector of Bangladesh youth cricket, in a media briefing on Monday. "We must try to bring the trophy back this year. You can be a champion by announcing it earlier but we always aim at sealing the title."
SQUAD:
Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby (Captain), Ashiqur Rahaman Shibli, Jishan Alam, Chowdhury Md Rizwan, Adil Bin Siddik, Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Boranno, Ariful Islam, Shihab James, Ahrar Amin (Vice Captain), Sheikh Parvez Jibon, Rafi Uzzaman Rafi, Rohanat Doullah Borson, Iqbal Hasan Emon, Wasi Siddiquee, Maruf Mridha.
Stand By: Nayeem Ahmed, Rizan Hossan, Ashraful Hasan, Tanvir Ahammed, Akanto Sheikh.
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