Their warm-up fixtures have been canceled but discussions to resolve the issue are ongoing
Visa glitches have delayed Afghanistan’s arrival into the Caribbean for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup. This has had a knock-on effect on a bit of the pre-tournament scheduling. Their warm-up games cancel. And those of England and the UAE reschedule.
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Discussions attempting to resolve the issues are ongoing.
Find a resolution to the problem
We are working together with the Afghanistan Cricket Board. And relevant stakeholders to try and find a resolution to the problem and allow the team to travel. ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley quoted as saying in an official release.
“In the meantime, we have rescheduled the warm-up fixtures to ensure the teams in the region are able to continue their preparation ahead of the start of the tournament on 14 January.”
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Afghanistan is scheduled to play England and UAE over two warm-up games on January 10 and 12 at St Kitts & Nevis and St Paul’s respectively. England will now play UAE in a warm-up at the Conaree Cricket Center on January 11.
The Under-19 World Cup are split into four groups
The teams at the Under-19 World Cup are split into four groups of four teams. With Scotland the latest to join the competition, replacing New Zealand who withdrew in November over Covid-related quarantine restrictions.
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Afghanistan is place in Group C alongside Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Papua New Guinea. The top two teams from the pool qualify for the quarter-finals, while the bottom two from each pool will compete in a playoff round.
As things stand, Afghanistan is set to open their tournament on January 16 against Zimbabwe in Diego Martin. This will be their seventh appearance in the Under-19 World Cup. Since first qualifying in 2010, they’re made every single subsequent edition. Their best finish came in 2018 in New Zealand where they made the semi-finals.