ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 – Group A spotlight
Australia captain Oliver Peake is urging his team to focus on enjoying the game rather than chasing the pressure of defending their title as the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 begins in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Peake, who played a pivotal role in Australia’s 2024 triumph with scores of 49 in the semi-final and 46 in the final, is leading a new-look squad against Ireland, Japan, and Sri Lanka in Group A.
“The goal is to have a lot of fun during this tournament, play to win, look out for each other, play for each other and hopefully the results will look after themselves,” Peake said. “If not, hopefully we can say we left it all out there and gave it our best shot.”
Australia’s campaign opens against Ireland
Australia begin their title defence on Friday in Windhoek against Ireland, followed by games against Japan and Sri Lanka. Peake believes the preparation, which included a developmental tour to India, has set the tone for success.
“Ireland and Japan are a bit unknown. I’ve never played against them before, but hopefully we can come up with plans to beat them,” he said. “The preparation goes back to last year when we toured in India. We learned a lot there.”
Japan eyes opportunity against world champions
Japan captain Kazuma Kato-Stafford leads a motivated squad into just their second U19 Men’s World Cup appearance after debuting in 2020.
“It is an honour to represent my family, friends, and country,” he said. “We are really looking forward to the Australia game, that will be an unbelievable experience. By no means are we underestimating the other teams in our group, but it is hard to look past the reigning champions.”
Japan open against Sri Lanka on Saturday and bring a young but competitive group into the tournament, with many eligible for the next edition.
Group B: New Zealand’s Tom Jones leads experienced squad
New Zealand captain Tom Jones, grandson of former Test skipper Jeremy Coney, returns for his second U19 World Cup, joined by Snehith Reddy and Mason Clarke.
Drawn alongside India, Bangladesh, and USA, Jones believes prior tournament experience will help: “Three of us played India and Pakistan last time. The second you stop admiring these teams is the second you can really compete.”
New Zealand begin against USA on 18 January, while USA face India in the tournament opener on 15 January. USA captain Utkarsh Srivastava is eyeing a breakthrough: “We want to make it to the knockout stages and make a statement in this World Cup.”
Group C: England seek first title since 1998
England captain Thomas Rew believes his team can end a 28-year drought in Group C, which includes Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Scotland.
“This team definitely has what it takes,” Rew said. “We have fiery fast bowlers, magic spinners, and a nice batting line-up.”
England’s opener is against Pakistan, who are fresh off winning the U19 Asia Cup under skipper Farhan Yousuf. “It’s the first time that Pakistan U19s has won the Asia Cup, so that has given us a lot of confidence,” Yousuf said.
Host nation Zimbabwe will look to leverage home support as they aim to reach the knockout stages for a second straight edition. “Everyone is going to come and support and we know the conditions. That is an advantage for us,” said captain Simbarashe Mudzengerere.
Scotland, led by Thomas Knight, hope to make history by advancing past the group stage for the first time. “We’ve had really nice winter preparation. Hopefully we can pull off an upset or two,” Knight said.
Group D: Tanzania debuts, West Indies, South Africa, and Afghanistan battle
Group D features a mix of U19 powerhouses and a debutant. Tanzania make their first-ever appearance, led by Laksh Bakrania, and face West Indies, South Africa, and Afghanistan.
“We want to believe in ourselves as players. We’ve come from a tough background with limited resources, but that belief has got us here,” Bakrania said.
West Indies boast experience and talent, including Jewel Andrew, a full international making his second U19 appearance. “His fearless batting approach is very important for us,” said captain Joshua Dorne.
South Africa captain Muhammed Bulbulia leads a confident squad: “It has been a two-and-a-half-year journey for myself and this group. To win it would be really special.”
Afghanistan enter the tournament with strong recent performances and a close warm-up win over Australia. They’ve reached the semi-finals in two of the last four editions and are considered dark horses in this group.
