GUYANA will be one of four regional host countries for the 14th edition of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

The event which showcases the future stars of the game will see 16 teams travel to the Caribbean to compete in 48 matches from January 14 to February 5 across the four host countries.

The 16 competing teams will see current holders Bangladesh, England, Canada and the United Arab Emirates form Group A, with debutants Uganda placed in Group B alongside India, South Africa and Ireland. Group C comprises Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinea and Group D sees hosts West Indies, Australia and Sri Lanka. Scotland complete the tournament line-up in Group D after New Zealand withdrew due to the extensive mandatory quarantine restrictions for minors on their return home.

The four host countries have been confirmed as Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago with 10 venues hosting matches.

The format will see the top two teams from each of the four groups advance to the Super League while the remaining teams feature in the Plate across 23 days of competition.

The 48-match schedule will begin with hosts West Indies taking on Australia, with Sri Lanka facing Scotland in Guyana on January 14.

The group stage will take place across Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago between January 14 and 22.

Trinidad & Tobago will host the Plate competition between January 25 and 31, with the Super League taking place in Antigua and Barbuda from January 26.
The semi-finals will be played on February 1 across two venues; the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Coolidge Cricket Ground on February 2.

The Final on February 5 will also be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Ricky Skerritt said: “CWI is looking forward to hosting this important global U19 cricket event, which is just around the corner, in January.

In partnership with host territorial boards, cricket clubs, and ministries of sports, we have been hard at work preparing for this event over the past several months.
However, amid so many COVID-related challenges, it has not been easy to finalise the venues and to work out all the related logistics.

“At the same time, our U19 head coach, Floyd Reifer, and his coaching staff have been busy preparing our team for competition, using innovative methods to keep them active even while they were restricted from travel.

“West Indies has a proud Under-19 cricket history, with several bright talents blossoming into international stars over the years. We, therefore, expect our current team of Under-19 players to do us proud in the 2022 tournament.

“I am also confident that our visitors will experience the best of our world-famous Caribbean culture and hospitality in Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago.”

ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley, said: “The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is such an exciting and special tournament, bringing together the future stars of the game and giving them an unrivalled experience of competing on the global stage.

“So many of the best players have competed at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup including Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Joe Root and Shimron Hetmyer and we are looking forward to the 2022 edition to see who will emerge as the future stars.

“We are delighted that the West Indies will be hosting this event and we wish all the teams the very best in their preparations for the tournament and to CWI in organising the event.”

The West Indies won the title once in 2016, with India being crowned champions four times, Australia three times, Pakistan twice while England, South Africa and Bangladesh have each won it once.

There will be 16 warm-up matches taking place between January 9 and 12 in St Kitts & Nevis and Guyana.

CC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Groupings:
Group A – Bangladesh, England, Canada, United Arab Emirates
Group B – India, Ireland, South Africa, Uganda
Group C – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe
Group D – Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies
Icc U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Venues:
St Kitts & Nevis – Warner Park Cricket Stadium, Conaree Cricket Center, (Sandy Point – Warm-up match venue only)
Guyana – Guyana National Stadium, (Everest Cricket Club – Warm-up match venue only)
Trinidad & Tobago – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Queen’s Park Oval, Diego Martin Sporting Complex
Antigua & Barbuda – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Coolidge Cricket Ground
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Match Schedule:
January 14 – West Indies v Australia, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Sri Lanka v Scotland, Everest Cricket Club, Guyana
January 15 – Canada v UAE, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; India v South Africa, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Ireland v Uganda, Everest Cricket Club, Guyana; Pakistan v PNG, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad & Tobago
January 16 – Bangladesh v England, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts & Nevis; Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad & Tobago
January 17 – West Indies v Scotland, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts & Nevis; Australia v Sri Lanka, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts & Nevis
January 18 – England v Canada, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts & Nevis; South Africa v Uganda, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad & Tobago; Afghanistan v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad & Tobago
January 19 – Australia v Scotland, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts & Nevis; India v Ireland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad & Tobago
January 20 – England v UAE, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts & Nevis; Bangladesh v Canada, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts & Nevis; Pakistan v Afghanistan, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad & Tobago; Zimbabwe v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad & Tobago
January 21 – West Indies v Sri Lanka, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts & Nevis; South Africa v Ireland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad & Tobago
January 22 – Bangladesh v UAE, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts & Nevis, India v Uganda, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad & Tobago; Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad & Tobago
Plate and Super League fixtures to take place between January 25 and February 4 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua & Barbuda and Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Queen’s Park Oval and Diego Martin Sporting Complex in Trinidad & Tobago.
February 1 – Semi-Final, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua & Barbuda
February 2 – Semi-Final, Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua & Barbuda
February 5 – Final, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua & Barbuda