Last place in ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup up for grabs in Nepal

The final place in next year?s ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka is up for grabs over the next 12 days in Nepal.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under 19 Cup starts in Kathmandu on 8 November and the winner of the tournament earns the right to play in February?s event in Colombo.

The tournament, hosted by the Cricket Association of Nepal, is scheduled to involve 15 teams divided into four groups, ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final, the latter match scheduled to take place at the Tribhuvan University Ground on 19 November.

The previous tournament, in Pakistan in 2003, was won by Nepal and they, together with Malaysia, Qatar and Kuwait have been kept apart in the group stages by virtue of being semi-finalists two years ago.

The four groups, determined by a draw made in Kuala Lumpur in October, are as follows:

 \* Group A: Nepal, Bahrain, Brunei  

 \* Group B: Kuwait, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Iran  

 \* Group C: Qatar, Singapore, Oman, Thailand  

 \* Group D: Malaysia, Hong Kong, Saudia Arabia, Maldives  

Five teams that did not take part in the 2003 tournament are scheduled to play in Nepal. They are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brunei, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup takes place in Sri Lanka from 5 - 19 February 2006. The sides already confirmed to take part are the ten Full Members of the ICC plus Ireland, Namibia, Scotland, Uganda and the USA.

The official launch of the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup is scheduled to take place in Colombo on 28 November and details of that launch, and the media accreditation process for the tournament, will be announced in due course.