Photo Credit: ICC
- ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Asia Division 2 Qualifier takes place in Oman from 29 September to 7 October
- Eight teams will compete for two places in the Asia Qualifier to be held in 2023
- Nigeria hosts the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier between 30 September and 8 October, where the top three teams progress to next year’s Africa Qualifier
The qualification pathway through to the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 resumes next week, with Oman preparing to host the eight-team Asia Division 2 Qualifier across two venues at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Al Amerat.
The hosts will welcome young stars from Bahrain, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand for the eagerly anticipated event which starts on 29 September and features an action-packed schedule of 16 matches over nine days.
The Division 2 Qualifier represents the first step on the qualification pathway to the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024, and the two teams that progress to the final match on 7 October will join already-qualified Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal and the UAE in the Asia Qualifier in 2023.
Speaking ahead of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Asia Division 2 Qualifier, Oman Cricket Secretary Madhursinh Jesrani said:
“Oman Cricket is delighted to host the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Asia – Division 2. We cordially welcome all the visiting teams to enjoy Oman and it’s hospitality at its best. We are looking forward to see the best brand of youth cricket in the tournament.
“Participating in the tournament, being the hosts, we are looking forward to see our U19 National Team at its finest throughout the tournament, displaying an exemplary and enthralling brand of cricket. The team has put the hard yards into moulding themselves according to the requirement to excel in all departments.
“Oman Cricket wishes all the team’s the best for the tournament.”
The spotlight will also be on Nigeria during this time as the Africa Division 2 Qualifier begins on 30 September in Abuja, where 16 matches will be held to determine the teams that progress to the final qualification event in 2023.
The most promising young players from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and hosts Nigeria will battle across nine days, resulting in the top three teams progressing to the Africa Qualifier.
The two finalists and the third-best placed team following the event’s conclusion on 8 October will join Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda in next year’s Africa Qualifier.
General Manager of Nigeria Cricket Federation, Emeka Igwilo said: “We are very excited and looking forward to hosting the Division 2 Africa Qualifier here in Abuja. Everything is in place to ensure a memorable tournament as we extend a warm welcome to all participating countries and officials for this event.
“As a country, we are looking to draw inspiration from the heroics of the team that qualified for the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2019 and we are very optimistic that we can achieve this feat once more. Special appreciation goes to the ICC for awarding Nigeria the hosting rights and providing a platform for cricket to thrive in the continent.”
Match Schedules
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Asia Division 2 Qualifier, Oman, 29 September – 7 October
Group A: Oman, Bhutan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia
Group B: Hong Kong, Thailand, Qatar, Singapore
| Date | Fixture | Venue |
| 29 September 2022 | Oman v Bhutan | OCA Pitch 1 |
| 29 September 2022 | Bahrain v Saudia Arabia | OCA Pitch 2 |
| 30 September 2022 | Qatar v Singapore | OCA Pitch 1 |
| 30 September 2022 | Hong Kong v Thailand | OCA Pitch 2 |
| 1 October 2022 | Bhutan v Bahrain | OCA Pitch 1 |
| 1 October 2022 | Saudi Arabia v Oman | OCA Pitch 2 |
| 2 October 2022 | Thailand v Singapore | OCA Pitch 1 |
| 2 October 2022 | Hong Kong v Qatar | OCA Pitch 2 |
| 3 October 2022 | Bhutan v Saudi Arabia | OCA Pitch 1 |
| 3 October 2022 | Oman v Bahrain | OCA Pitch 2 |
| 4 October 2022 | Thailand v Qatar | OCA Pitch 1 |
| 4 October 2022 | Singapore v Hong Kong | OCA Pitch 2 |
| 6 October 2022 | Semi Final 1 – A1 v B2 | OCA Pitch 1 |
| 6 October 2022 | Semi Final 2 – B1 v A2 | OCA Pitch 2 |
| 7 October 2022 | Third Place Playoff | OCA Pitch 2 |
| 7 October 2022 | Final | OCA Pitch 1 |
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier, Nigeria, 30 September – 8 October
Group A: Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Mozambique
Group B: Nigeria, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Rwanda
| Date | Fixture | Venue |
| 30 September 2022 | Sierra Leone v Botswana | Abuja Pitch 1 |
| 30 September 2022 | Nigeria v Rwanda | Abuja Pitch 2 |
| 1 October 2022 | Kenya v Ghana | Abuja Pitch 1 |
| 1 October 2022 | Malawi v Mozambique | Abuja Pitch 2 |
| 2 October 2022 | Botswana v Nigeria | Abuja Pitch 1 |
| 2 October 2022 | Rwanda v Sierra Leone | Abuja Pitch 2 |
| 3 October 2022 | Ghana v Mozambique | Abuja Pitch 1 |
| 3 October 2022 | Kenya v Malawi | Abuja Pitch 2 |
| 4 October 2022 | Nigeria v Sierra Leone | Abuja Pitch 1 |
| 4 October 2022 | Rwanda v Botswana | Abuja Pitch 2 |
| 5 October 2022 | Ghana v Malawi | Abuja Pitch 1 |
| 5 October 2022 | Mozambique v Kenya | Abuja Pitch 2 |
| 7 October 2022 | Semi Final 1 – A1 v B2 | Abuja Pitch 1 |
| 7 October 2022 | Semi Final 2 – B1 v A2 | Abuja Pitch 2 |
| 8 October 2022 | Third Place Playoff | Abuja Pitch 2 |
| 8 October 2022 | Final | Abuja Pitch 1 |
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 Qualification Structure
A total of 16 teams will be competing at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024. Eleven teams have automatically qualified for the event as the best-placed Full Member nations from the previous event in 2022. These are: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Zimbabwe.
The remaining five spots will be determined through regional qualification pathways, with one team from each region securing a place at the event.
Americas and EAP will each host one qualifying event in 2023, with the winner of each event sealing a spot at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024.
The Africa, Asia and Europe regions will each have a two-step qualification structure. These regions will host Division 2 Qualifiers in 2022 to determine the teams that will compete in the second and final qualifying event, the Regional Qualifier.
Only the winning teams from the Regional Qualifiers will qualify to compete at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
