Afghanistan’s under-19 cricket team began preparations for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup on Sunday with a warm-up match against Australia U19 in Windhoek.
Australia won the toss and elected to bat first in the warm-up match, which started at 1200 local time (AFT) at the Wanderers Cricket Ground, according to the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
The match marks the start of Afghanistan’s campaign ahead of the tournament, which will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia later this month.
Afghanistan are scheduled to play a second warm-up match against Sri Lanka U19 on Jan. 14 at the same venue.
In the group stage, Afghanistan will face South Africa U19 on Jan. 16, West Indies U19 on Jan. 18 and Tanzania U19 on Jan. 21. Group matches will be played at the Wanderers Cricket Ground and the High Performance Oval in Windhoek.
The ICC Under-19 World Cup is seen as a key pathway for emerging talent, with Afghanistan hoping to build on recent progress at youth level as it prepares its next generation of international players.
