Afghanistan’s U19 national cricket team touched down in Dubai on Wednesday, gearing up for the highly anticipated ACC U19 Men’s Asia Cup 2023.
The Asian Cricket Council is set to kick off the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 on December 8 (Friday), featuring matches at three prominent venues in Dubai: ICC Academy Oval-1, ICC Academy Oval-2, and Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
In the ACC Men’s Under-19 Premier Cup held in October 2023, Nepal, UAE, and Japan emerged as the top three teams, securing their positions in the main event. Full member teams, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are also participating.
Group A consists of Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
The championship’s final is scheduled for December 17 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Naseer Khan will lead the Afghanistan U19 side, Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby will captain the Bangladesh U19 team, and Uday Saharan will helm the India U19 squad. Koji Hardgrave-Abe will captain Japan U19, Dev Khanal will lead Nepal U19, Saad Baig will captain Pakistan U19, and Sineth Jayawardene will lead Sri Lanka U19. Aayan Afzal Khan will steer the UAE U19 team.
The ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 schedule and match timings in IST are as follows:
Friday, December 8
India U19 vs Afghanistan U19, Group A, ICC Academy Ground, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Pakistan U19 vs Nepal U19, Group A, ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Saturday, December 9
Bangladesh U19 vs United Arab Emirates U19, Group B, ICC Academy Ground, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Sri Lanka U19 vs Japan U19, Group B, ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Sunday, December 10
India U19 vs Pakistan U19, Group A, ICC Academy Ground, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Afghanistan U19 vs Nepal U19, Group A, ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Monday, December 11
Bangladesh U19 vs Japan U19, Group B, ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Sri Lanka U19 vs United Arab Emirates U19, Group B, ICC Academy Ground, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Tuesday, December 12
Pakistan U19 vs Afghanistan U19, Group A, ICC Academy Ground, Dubai, 11:00 AM
India U19 vs Nepal U19, Group A, ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Wednesday, December 13
Bangladesh U19 vs Sri Lanka U19, Group B, ICC Academy Ground, Dubai, 11:00 AM
United Arab Emirates U19 vs Japan U19, Group B, ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Friday, December 15
1st Semi-Final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, 11:00 AM
2nd Semi-Final, ICC Academy Ground, Dubai, 11:00 AM
Sunday, December 17
Final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, 11:00 AM
