Sons of former all-rounder in Zimbabwe U19 World Cup squad

The twin sons of former international all-rounder Andy Blignaut have been included as Zimbabwe announced their squad for the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup that commences next month.

The tournament co-hosts became the third side to reveal their squad for the U19 World Cup on Tuesday when they revealed a 15-player group for the 16th edition of the event in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Blignaut was a hard-hitting all-rounder that made 74 appearances for Zimbabwe and appeared at the 2003 edition of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in South Africa and now his sons Michael and Kian will get the chance to follow his path in international cricket after they were included in the squad for the upcoming event.

Andy Blignaut in action against India in 2005 // Getty Images

The 17-year-old twins are both capable with bat and ball and will get the chance to show their capabilities on home soil with Zimbabwe drawn in Group C at the event alongside England, Pakistan and Scotland.

Pacer Simbarashe Mudzengerere will lead Zimbabwe at the tournament after he was named captain, while the squad also features top-order batter Nathaniel Hlabangana who appeared at the most recent edition of the U19 World Cup in South Africa in 2024.

Zimbabwe coach Elton Chigumbura is thriled with the balance of his squad and believes the team is capable of producing some good results.

“I’m very pleased with the squad. We have a well-balanced team with good depth in all departments,” he said.

“This group has worked extremely hard over the last 16 to 18 months and they have shown consistent growth.

“A few players who performed well missed out, but final decisions were based purely on team balance and the combinations we need for World Cup cricket.”

Chigumbura said his team will approach the tournament looking to win all their group matches and qualify for the Super Six phase.

“We are going in with a winning mindset. This group can compete with, and beat, the best teams,” he said.

“Success will come from executing our processes, staying disciplined and sticking to our roles.

“If we do that consistently, we give ourselves a real chance to go all the way.”

Zimbabwe commence their campaign at the U19 World Cup against Scotland at Takashinga Sports Club in Harare on January 15.

Zimbabwe squad: Simbarashe Mudzengerere (c), Kian Blignaut, Michael Blignaut, Leeroy Chiwaula, Tatenda Chimugoro, Brendon Senzere, Nathaniel Hlabangana, Takudzwa Makoni, Panashe Mazai, Webster Madhidhi, Shelton Mazvitorera, Kupakwashe Muradzi, Brandon Ndiweni, Dhruv Patel, Benny Zuze