Colombo, Jan 1, Mon – Sineth Jayawardene of Royal College has been appointed as the captain of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team for the upcoming Youth World Cup. The tournament, originally set to take place in Sri Lanka, has been moved to South Africa due to decisions made by the previous Sports Minister regarding the cricket board shake-up. This change has caused significant economic loss to the country, especially during the rebuilding period.
Jayawardene, who previously led the team in the Youth Asia Cup, will continue as captain, while Malsha Tharupathi from Richmond College takes on the role of vice-captain. In the squad shuffle, Trinity College’s Dinuka Tennakoon has been replaced by Supun Waduge, his schoolmate.
The Sri Lanka Under-19 team will kick off their campaign on January 21 against Zimbabwe Youth at Kimberley, followed by a match against Namibia on January 24 at the same venue. The group stages will see a clash between Sri Lanka and Australia Youth on January 28 at Bloemfontein.
With three groups in play, the top two teams from each group (six teams in total) will qualify for the Super Eight Round, beginning on February 3. The intense quarter-finals are scheduled for February 6 and 8, leading up to the grand final on February 11.
Participating countries include Afghanistan U19, Australia U19, Bangladesh U19, England U19, India U19, Ireland U19, Namibia U19, Nepal U19, New Zealand U19, Pakistan U19, Scotland U19, South Africa U19, Sri Lanka U19, United States of America U19, West Indies U19, and Zimbabwe U19.
The teams are divided into four groups: Group ‘A’ (BAN U19, IND U19, IRE U19, USA U19), Group ‘B’ (ENG U19, SCO U19, SA U19, WI U19), Group ‘C’ (AUS U19, NAM U19, SL U19, ZIM U19), and Group ‘D’ (AFG U19, NEP U19, NZ U19). The competition promises exciting cricket action, and Sri Lanka aims to make a mark on the global stage.
