U19 World Cup: Super League quarters commence from Friday

First match to be held between Bangladesh and Nepal in Mirpur.

DUBAI: Undefeated Bangladesh, England, India and Pakistan will start as favourites when the Super League quarter-finals of the U19 World Cup are played from February 5-8 in Mirpur and Fatullah.

These four teams topped their respective groups in the preliminary league with an all-win record, displaying all-round strength good enough to take any one of them all the way to the title.

Sri Lanka and the West Indies, the other two Test-playing nations in the last-eight, will also fancy their chances even as qualifiers Namibia and Nepal look to make a mark against the bigger teams.



The knockout round opens with a match between Bangladesh and Nepal, two of the five Asian sides in the fray, in Mirpur on Friday. The winner of this match will take on the winner of the other quarter-final between England and Sri Lanka, who go head to head in Mirpur on Sunday. This semi-final will be played in Mirpur on February 9.

The other semi-final on February 11 could feature a mouth-watering clash between India and Pakistan if the arch-rivals come through their respective quarter-finals. India meet Namibia in Fatullah on Saturday and Pakistan face the West Indies on Monday at the same venue.



Bangladesh, the most experienced side in the tournament with five players taking part in their second U19 World Cup, has not looked back after knocking out defending champion South Africa in the opening match on January 27. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th,  2016.

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