Oliver Peake (Australia) Peake returns to the U-19 World Cup having already lifted the trophy once, joining as an injury replacement in the 2024 edition and played a key role in a title-winning campaign. Since then, the Victoria batter has gained senior domestic exposure in all three formats and now leads Australia U-19 as captain. A last-ball match-winning effort for Melbourne Renegades recently in the BBL showed his calmness under pressure.
Will Malajczuk (Australia) Malajczuk can trouble teams with two skills. A left-hand batter who bowls right-arm off-spin, Malajczuk was close to making his senior one-day debut for Western Australia earlier this year after dominating the U-17 national championships that earned him a promotion into the senior setup. He likes to bat like Quinton de Kock and his height makes him a challenging offie. Kugathas Mathulan (Sri Lanka) The 18-year-old fast bowler from Jaffna has risen to prominence for his yorkers delivered with a slingy action like Lasith Malinga and Matheesha Pathirana. He also piqued the interest of T20 franchises including Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, but hasn’t been picked anywhere yet. After missing the 2025 U-19 Asia Cup with a groin injury, Mathulan will be looking to make a big impact in Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The legspinner from Jaffna got limited chances in the U-19 Asia Cup but enjoyed a prolific tour of the West Indies before that, claiming 20 wickets in just seven matches. His ability to strike regularly through the middle overs was a key feature of that campaign. Against batters who haven’t faced a lot of wristspin through the ranks, he will be a handful.
Japan’s campaign will revolve around spin-bowling all-rounder Hara-Hinze, already a member of the senior national side. He was named Player of the Tournament during Japan’s run for U-19 World Cup qualification and has also made headlines in Australia, scoring 99 and taking 6 for 4 in a Brisbane Under-17 match. His brothers, twins Gabriel and Montgomery, are also in the squad.
The legspinner has already played against England, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the U-19 circuit, and now comes into the World Cup after spending the Irish winter in Australia playing club cricket. Last month, he worked closely with former Australia internationals Rob Quiney and Bryce McGain, and is an aggressive batter lower down.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@
THE BASIC BACKGROUND
ESPNcricnifostaff …..“Fixtures for Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026 confirmed; Harare Sports Club to host final”
Tanzania will be making their debut in the competition, which will also see Japan featuring in it for the second time
The 16th edition of the Men’s Under-19 World Cup is set to take place from January 15 to February 6, 2026. The ICC announced the fixtures for the tournament on Wednesday, with 16 teams participating in the event to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Tanzania will be making their debut in the competition, which will also see Japan featuring in it for the second time after they last played in it in 2020.
The 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four teams each. While each team plays the three other sides in its group during the first round of the tournament, the top three ranked teams from each group progress to the Super Six. The top four teams then qualify for the semi-finals on February 3 and 4, which will be held in Bulawayo and Harare, respectively. The final will take place at the Harare Sports Club in Harare.
Apart from that venue, the four other grounds that will be hosting the tournament are the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare, the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, the recently inaugurated Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek, and the HP Oval also in Windhoek. All teams are due to arrive on January 8, before playing warm-up matches from January 9-14, ahead of the tournament proper starting a day later.
