Pakistan U19 Kick Off ICC World Cup Campaign Against England

News Desk 

Lahore: Asian champions Pakistan U19 will open their ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 campaign against England on Friday at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare.

Fresh from commanding victories in the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup in Dubai, where they defeated India by 191 runs, and the tri-series in Zimbabwe, where they beat the hosts by nine wickets, Pakistan will aim to carry their winning momentum into the World Cup and secure a third ICC U19 title. Pakistan previously won the tournament in 2004 and 2006.

The ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, featuring 16 teams, will be played across Namibia and Zimbabwe from 15 January to 6 February. Placed in Group C, Pakistan will face Scotland on 19 January and hosts Zimbabwe on 22 January, both at the Takashinga Sports Club.

The Super Six stage will take place in Bulawayo and Harare from 24 January to 1 February, with the semi-finals scheduled for 3 and 4 February. The final will be held at the Harare Sports Club on 6 February.

Ahead of the tournament, Pakistan U19 participated in training sessions and two warm-up matches. Their first match against Bangladesh was washed out after 36.3 overs at the Masvingo Sports Club, while they defeated the USA by 69 runs at the Bulawayo Athletic Club in their second warm-up.

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The 15-member squad is led by Farhan Yousaf, with Ali Raza—the only player from the 2024 edition—providing valuable World Cup experience. Raza, a right-arm fast bowler, took nine wickets in the last tournament, where Pakistan narrowly lost to Australia in the semi-final.

Pakistan will travel from Bulawayo to Harare later today and hold a final training session on Thursday ahead of their opening fixture.

Speaking to PCB Digital, captain Farhan Yousaf said: “The U19 camp in Multan helped us perform well in the Asia Cup and the tri-series. The same support staff has been working with us for the last six months and it is now paying dividends ahead of the ICC event.

We have prepared well for the mega event. The players share a strong bond, and the tri-series and warm-up match against USA helped us understand the conditions here. We are now all set to do well in the World Cup.”

Pakistan U19 Squad:

Farhan Yousaf (captain), Usman Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wk), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Mohammad Shayan (wk), Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas, Umar Zaib

Pakistan U19 World Cup Fixtures:

16 Jan: Pakistan v England, Takashinga Sports Club, Harare

19 Jan: Pakistan v Scotland, Takashinga Sports Club, Harare

22 Jan: Zimbabwe v Pakistan, Takashinga Sports Club, Harare

24 Jan–1 Feb: Super Six matches