ICC U19 Men's CWC Qualification Resumes

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Jun, 2023 ) :The qualification for the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024 returns next week with Darwin, Australia set to play host to the next generation of cricket talent in the East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier from June 12 to 21.

In what would be the first U19 Men's Qualifier to take place in the region since 2019, future stars from seven teams will battle it out to determine the next qualifying nation in the race to Sri Lanka 2024, the 15th edition of the celebrated event, which continues its rich legacy of forging the careers of some of the greats of the game, said a press release.

A total of 12 teams have already secured their place at the U19 Men's Cricket World Cup, and with only one spot available from the region, the EAP Qualifier will see Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu go head-to-head knowing only the winning team will seal their passage through to the next year's main event.

Ten days of competition would see 21 matches take place across five venues in the Northern Territory capital, which will host a combination of day and day/night matches in a round-robin format.

Speaking ahead of the EAP Qualifier, Rob Gomm, ICC Development Manager, East Asia-Pacific commented, "I will like to wish Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Vanuatu the very best for the event, and extend my sincere thanks to NT Cricket for hosting what will no doubt be an incredible event." Among the venues hosting the EAP Qualifier is TIO Stadium, a multi-purpose venue which regularly hosts Rugby League and Australian Rules Football.

The venue will see the welcome return of international cricket after 15 years, following the installation of a drop-in pitch earlier this week.

Gavin Dovey, Chief Executive Officer of Northern Territory Cricket added, "Cricket is surging in popularity across the Asia-Pacific region so there will be some serious talent on show for our cricket loving community to watch.

As many as 16 teams would be competing at the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024 over 41 matches. 11 teams have automatically qualified for the event as the best-placed Full Member nations from the previous event in 2022.

These include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

The remaining five spots would be determined through regional qualification pathways, with one team from each region securing a place at the event.

Nepal secured their qualification back in March as winners of the Asia Qualifier. Americas and EAP each host one qualifying event in 2023, with the winner of each event sealing a spot at the U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024.

The Africa, Asia and Europe regions each have a two-step qualification structure.

These regions hosted Division 2 Qualifiers in 2022 to determine the teams that will compete in the second and final qualifying event, the Regional Qualifier, with events taking place in 2023. Only the winning teams from the Regional Qualifiers will qualify to compete at the U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024.