U19 Asia Cup offers clues ahead of U19 World Cup

With the group phase of the Men's U19 Asia Cup 2025 concluding in Dubai on 17 December, South Asian contenders for the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2026, namely India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, have had the chance to sharpen their competitive edge ahead of the tournament.

The global mega-event is scheduled from 15 January to 6 February.

All the squads for the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2026

Here are key takeaways from the group stage of the tournament:

India in red-hot form

India have been in imperious touch at the U19 Asia Cup in the UAE, registering three wins from three outings in Group A.

They opened their campaign with a run fest against hosts UAE, piling up 433/6 thanks to a stunning 171 off 95 balls from teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The effort set up a commanding 234-run victory and immediately signalled India’s intent.

This was followed by a comprehensive win over Pakistan. Defending a total of 240, India produced a disciplined bowling display to seal a comprehensive 90-run win.

India signed off the group stage with another 400-plus total against Malaysia, securing a 315-run run.

Wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu stole the spotlight with a remarkable unbeaten 209, becoming the first Indian to score a double century in Youth ODIs.

Pakistan batters show their mettle

Pakistan’s group-stage campaign featured several strong individual batting performances, though there was room for improvement.

Sameer Minhas and Ahmed Hussain starred in their tournament opener against Malaysia, producing knocks of 177 not out and 132 respectively to lift Pakistan to 345. The bowlers took the charge thereafter, bowling out their opposition for merely 48 as Pakistan sealed a thumping 297-run win.

The following encounter against arch-rivals India, however, saw the batting unravel under pressure. After restricting India to a modest 240, barring Huzaifa Ahsan (70), the batters struggled to get going. Pakistan incurred a 90-run loss.

The young side bounced back with aplomb in their final group encounter against the UAE.

Contributions from Sameer Minhas (44), Ahmed Hussain (65), and Hamza Zahoor (42) helped Pakistan post 241, which proved sufficient as the UAE were bowled out for 171.

Pakistan’s pace attack continued to pose questions with the new ball throughout the group stage, with Mohammad Sayyam and Abdul Subhan leading the way, picking up seven wickets each.

Sri Lanka's composed start marred by a late stutter

Sri Lanka looked well-settled in their first two fixtures of the tournament.

Their bowlers laid the platform early, dismissing Nepal for just 82 in their first fixture. Medium pacer Sethmika Seneviratne was outstanding against Nepal, returning figures of 5/25 from 9.5 overs.

He followed that effort with another three wickets against Afghanistan, helping keep their opponents to 235.

Afghanistan showed a plenty of fight during the chase, but fifties from Viran Chamuditha (62) and Chamika Heenatigala (51*) struck half-centuries to help Sri Lanka secure a close win.

Kavija Gamade (4/38) bowled out Bangladesh for 225 in the final group fixture, but the Tigers proved equal to the task, handing Sri Lanka their first defeat in this tournament.

Unbeaten Bangladesh dream big

With three wins in three games, Bangladesh have gained key momentum ahead of the upcoming U19 Men's Cricket World Cup.

They pulled off a competitive chase of 284 against Afghanistan in their first match of the tournament, driven by a blistering 96 from Zawad Abrar and a composed 62 from Rifat Beg. The opening pair added 151 for the first wicket, setting up a hard-fought three-wicket win.

Bangladesh followed that with a comprehensive bowling effort against Nepal, dismissing them for 130. Md Sobuj led the attack with three wickets, while Saad Islam, Shahriar Ahmed and Azizul Hakim chipped in with two apiece. Abrar was the Player of the Match for his stellar 70 off 68.

Abrar was once again at the helm against Sri Lanka, smashing a quickfire 49 off merely 36 balls, even as Rifat Beg (36) and Kalam Siddiki (32) contributed to a total of 225. It was Iqbal Hossain Emon (3/37) and Shahriar Ahmed (3/28) who helped ensure that they remained unbeaten in the tournament.

Afghanistan seek important learnings in near-misses

Close losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka show that Afghanistan were in the mix, but were unable to cross the finishing line against better opponents.

Their batting has shown flashes of promise, but shortcomings with the ball proved costly, particularly in the opening two matches where they were unable to defend competitive totals. They did secure a consolation win against Nepal in their final clash, finishing third in their group.

Faisal Shinozada has been the standout with the bat, scoring 103, 39, and 13 across his three outings. Osman Sadat also contributed valuable runs with 114 runs from his three innings.

Despite an early exit from the Youth Asia Cup, Afghanistan can take these learnings forward and apply them in the upcoming U19 World Cup.