Cricket enthusiasts around the globe are gearing up for the much-anticipated ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023, scheduled to kick off on December 8 and culminate on December 17 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Organized by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), this youth cricket extravaganza promises to showcase the rising stars of the sport, providing a platform for emerging talent to make a mark on the international stage.
Eight teams are set to vie for glory in a total of 15 One Day International (ODI) matches during the tournament. The participating nations include the five full members of the ACC: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Joining them are Japan, Nepal, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the top three sides from the ACC Men’s Under-19 Premier Cup who qualified for the main tournament.
The format of the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 divides the eight teams into two groups, each featuring four teams. Group A comprises Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, while Group B includes Bangladesh, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the UAE. The round-robin group stage will see each team facing the other sides in their group once. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the semi-finals, with the winners clashing in the final on December 17.
All matches will be hosted at three prestigious venues: ICC Academy Ground, ICC Academy Ground No 2, and Dubai International Cricket Stadium, providing the young talents with a chance to experience international-level competition in world-class facilities.
India enters the tournament as the defending champions, having secured victory in the 2021 final against Sri Lanka with a convincing nine-wicket win. The Indian team, also the most successful in the tournament’s history, boasts eight titles from the previous nine editions. Notably, the 2012 edition saw India and Pakistan sharing the trophy after a tied final match in Kuala Lumpur.
Afghanistan, the 2017 champions, will look to leave a mark in the competition once again, aiming to upset the established cricketing order.
ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 teams and squads
Afghanistan Under-19: Naseer Khan (captain), Wafiullah Tarakhil, Jamshid Zadran, Khalid Taniwal, Akram Mohammadzai, Sohail Khan Zurmati, Rahimullah Zurmati, Noman Shah Agha, Mohammad Younus Zadran, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Wahidullah Zadran, Bashir Ahmad Afghan, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Ali Ahmad (wicket-keeper)
Bangladesh Under-19: Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby (captain), Ahrar Amin, Jishan Alam, Mohammad Rohanat, Doullah Borson, Mohammad Asrafuzzaman, Boranno Mohammad Iqbal Hasanemon (wicket-keeper), Ariful Islam, Sheikh Paevez Jibon, Maruf Mridha, Mohammad Rafiuzzaman Rafi, Chowdhury Mohammad Rizwan, Adil Bin Siddik (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Ashiqur Rahaman Shibli, Wasi Siddiquee
India Under-19: Uday Saharan (captain), Arshin Kulkarni, Adarsh Singh, Rudra Mayur Patel, Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Musheer Khan, Aaradhya Shukla, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari, Avanish Rao (wicket-keeper), Saumy Kumar Pandey, Murugan Abhishek, Innesh Mahajan (wicket-keeper), Dhanush Gowda
Japan Under-19: Koji Hardgrave Abe (captain), Kazuma Stafford (vice-captain), Chihaya Arakawa, Shotaro Hiratsuka, Charles Hinze, Hirotake Kakinuma, Hugo Kelly, Daniel Panckhurst (wicket-keeper), Nihar Parmar, Aditya Phadke, Timothy Moore, Tomo Rear (wicket-keeper), Aarav Tiwari, Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake
Nepal Under-19: Dev Khanal (captain), Dipesh Kandel, Uttam Magar (wicket-keeper), Deepak Dumre (wicket-keeper), Aakash Chand, Bishal KC, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Bipin Rawal (wicket-keeper), Gulshan Jha, Hemant Dhami, Subash Bhandari, Aakash Tripathi, Arjun Kumal, Deepak Bohara
Pakistan Under-19: Saad Baig (captain/wicket-keeper), Ahmad Hussain, Ali Asfand, Amir Hassan, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Khubaib Khalil, Najab Khan, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Ubaid Shah, Mohammad Riazullah, Mohammad Tayyab Arif (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Zeeshan, Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain
Sri Lanka Under-19: Sineth Jayawardene (captain), Malsha Tharupath, Pulindu Perera, Rusanda Gamage, Ravishan Nethsara, Sharujan Shanmuganathan (wicket-keeper), Dinura Kalupahana, Vishwa Lahiru, Garuka Sanketh, Vishen Halambage, Ruvishan Perera, Vihas Thewmika, Duvindu Ranatunga, Hirun Kapurubandara (wicket-keeper), Dinuka Thennakoon
United Arab Emirates Under-19: Aayan Afzal Khan (captain), Ayman Ahamed Shakeel Ahamed, Ammar Badami, Ethan Carl D’Souza, Maroof Merchant, Dhruv Parashar, Hardik Pai, Akshat Rai, Yayin Kiran Rai, Omid Rahman, Aryansh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Harshit Seth, Harit Shetty, Shrey Sethi (wicket-keeper), Tanish Suri (wicket-keeper)
ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 schedule and live match start times
All match timings are in India Standard Time (IST)
| Day and Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| Friday, December 8 | India U19 vs Afghanistan U19, Group A | ICC Academy Ground, Dubai | 11:00 AM |
| Friday, December 8 | 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 |
| Saturday, December 9 | 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 |
| Sunday, December 10 | 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 |
| Monday, December 11 | 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 |
| Tuesday, December 12 | 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 |
| Wednesday, December 13 | United Arab Emirates U19 vs Japan U19, Group B | ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai | 11:00 AM |
| Friday, December 15 | Semi-final 1 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 11:00 AM |
| Friday, December 15 | Semi-final 2 | ICC Academy Ground, Dubai | 11:00 AM |
| Sunday, December 17 | ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 final | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 11:00 AM |
Cricket enthusiasts in India can catch all the live action of the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 on the Asian Cricket Council’s YouTube channel, as live streaming will be available for the entire tournament. However, there will be no live telecast on any television channel in India.
As the cricketing world eagerly awaits the unfolding drama of the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023, the tournament promises to be a platform where raw talent transforms into future cricketing stars, setting the stage for an exciting and competitive battle on the field.