The Afghanistan youth squad are facing travel issues, with the young side’s arrival to the Caribbean for the World Cup being delayed as a result of visa-related hiccups. As such, their preparations are set to take a hit, as their warm-up games have been scrapped, and those of the UAE and England are being rescheduled.
However, the Afghans are expected to make it in time for the start of the tournament, as discussions to resolve the matter are currently being held.
The ICC released a statement that suggested that the ICC were involved in fixing the issue and making sure that the Afghanistan side can be in the West Indies for the tournament. The statement quoted ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley, who said,
“We have been 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. n 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,”
Sixteen teams will take part in the 2022 edition of the U19 World Cup, with the teams being divided into four groups. In November, New Zealand withdrew from this edition of the prestigious event, citing unavoidable quarantine restrictions. As a result, Scotland have now replaced the Kiwis.
The Afghans have been placed in Group C, where they will go up against Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, and Pakistan. The top two teams from each group will go through to the quarter-finals, as the bottom two from each group compete in a playoff round.
In preparation for the tournament, Afghanistan were to play two warm-up fixtures against England and the UAE on January 10 and 12, respectively. The two games, that were supposed to take place at St. Kitts & Nevis and St. Paul’s, have since been cancelled, with Afghanistan’s travel problems putting a spanner in the works. England and the UAE will now face each other in a warm-up game at the Conaree Cricket Centre on January 11.
As per schedule, Afghanistan are set to face Zimbabwe in their opening game at the World Cup in Deigo Martin. The Afghans will be hoping to put their best foot forward, as they look to emulate the tremendous success they had in New Zealand in 2018, where they made it to the semi-finals.
