The West Indies will host the 14th edition of the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup for the first time. However, the event which showcases the future stars of the game will see 16 teams traveling to the Caribbean to compete in 48 matches from January 14 to February 5 across four host countries.

The sixteen teams competing will see current holders Bangladesh, England, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates form Group A. Meanwhile, with debutants, Uganda placed in Group B alongside India, South Africa, and Ireland. Group C comprises Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Papua New Guinea and Group D sees host West Indies, Australia, Scotland, and Sri Lanka.

Also Read: ICC Events 2024-31: Full schedule and host countries

The four host countries have been confirmed as Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts, and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago with ten venues hosting matches. The format will see the top two teams from each of the four groups advance to the Super League. However, the remaining teams feature in the Plate across 23 days of competition.

The 48-match schedule will begin with hosts West Indies taking on Australia, also with Sri Lanka facing Scotland in Guyana on January 14. The group stage will occur across Guyana, St Kitts, Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago between January 14 and 22.

Trinidad and Tobago will host the Plate competition between January 25 and 31. Meanwhile, the Super League taking place in Antigua and Barbuda from January 26. The semifinals will be played on February 1 across two venues; the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Coolidge Cricket Ground on February 2. The final on February 5 will also be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

ICC Under-19 Men's World Cup : Groupings

Read Also: Men's T20 World Cup 2022: Australia confirms host cities

Group A

Bangladesh
England
Canada
United Arab Emirates

Group B

India
Ireland
South Africa
Uganda

Group C

Afghanistan
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Zimbabwe

Group D

Australia
Scotland
Sri Lanka
West Indies

Also Read: Indian cricket team latest news: Sourav Ganguly replaces Anil Kumble as ICC Technical Committee Chairman

ICC Under-19 Men's World Cup full schedule & fixtures :

Group stage matches :

January 14
West Indies v Australia, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
Sri Lanka v Scotland, Everest Cricket Club, Guyana

January 15
Canada v UAE, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts, and Nevis
India v South Africa, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
Ireland v Uganda, Everest Cricket Club, Guyana
Pakistan v PNG, Queens Park Oval, Trinidad, and Tobago

January 16
Bangladesh v England, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad, and Tobago

January 17
West Indies v Scotland, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis
Australia v Sri Lanka, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts, and Nevis

January 18
England v Canada, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis
South Africa v Uganda, Queens Park Oval, Trinidad, and Tobago
Afghanistan v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad, and Tobago

January 19
Australia v Scotland, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts, and Nevis
India v Ireland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad, and Tobago

January 20
England v UAE, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis
Bangladesh v Canada, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts, and Nevis
Pakistan v Afghanistan, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad, and Tobago
Zimbabwe v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad, and Tobago

January 21
West Indies v Sri Lanka, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts, and Nevis
South Africa v Ireland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad, and Tobago

January 22
Bangladesh v UAE, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis
India v Uganda, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad, and Tobago
Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Queens Park Oval, Trinidad, and Tobago

The Plate and Super league fixtures :

Plate and Super League fixtures take place between January 25 and February 4 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

Read Also: IPL 2022: Likely retentions of each team

Semi Final fixtures : February 1 & 2

Semi-final 1: Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua, and Barbuda.
Semi-final 2: Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua, and Barbuda.

The Final : February 5

Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua, and Barbuda.

A stand at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata will soon be named after India's legendary fast bowler Jhulan Goswami. 

According to ICC, the Block B Gallery of Eden Gardens will be renamed in her honor. This stand will be inaugurated during the Indian women's team's first T20I match against England on January 22 next year.

Also Read: 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup stats: Most Wickets and Everything

Stands have also been built at Eden Gardens in the names of former Indian captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, former Indian cricketer Pankaj Roy, and former BCCI presidents Jagmohan Dalmiya and Biswanath Dutt.

Highest wicket-taker in women's ODI

Jhulan Goswami retired two years ago after an illustrious 20-year career with the Indian women's team. She was considered one of the best fast bowlers in women's cricket. Her career is still reflected in the impressive record that she maintains even after her retirement. Goswami holds the record for taking the highest number of wickets (255) in women's ODI.

Jhulan Goswami ended her career after appearing in 12 Tests, 204 ODIs and 68 T20Is and taking 355 wickets across all formats. In the women's Test format, Goswami has taken 44 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.36 and an economy of 2.02.

Goswami has 56 wickets to her name in the women's T20I format, with an average of 21.94 and an economy of 5.45. In the ODI format, she has taken 255 wickets in 204 matches at an average of 22.04.

Also Read: All the ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup winners

Working as bowling coach of MI

The 41-year-old Goswami is currently working as the bowling coach and mentor of the Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League (WPL), which won the inaugural season of the league. Earlier this year, Goswami was the team mentor at the Women's Caribbean Premier League franchise Trinbago Knight Riders. 

After retirement, Goswami has worked as a mentor for the senior Bengal women's team and has also been involved in the Women's Premier League.

During a Dallas Cowboys NFL game in Houston, USA, the team owner, Jerry Jones, honoured the legendary Sachin Tendulkar with a special jersey customed with Number 10.

Cricket Legend Sachin Tendulkar watched Cowboys lose 47-9 to the Lions pic.twitter.com/JRKjuhMnlU

— FirstSportz NFL (@FirstSportz_NFL) October 14, 2024

Cricket is a growing sport in the United States, having its footprints in the country via the National Cricket League (NCL). Tendulkar, a co-owner of the NCL, is playing a pivotal role in introducing and spreading the cricket fever amongst the new generation audience in America.

The innovative Sixty Strikes format is trying to bridge the worlds of cricket and American sports.

The Tendulkar Effect

Earlier on Sunday, Tendulkar hit off the NCL's community to inspire the young athletes at Dallas' University of Texas.

In his speech, he said, "Cricket has given me so much, and being here in Dallas—both teaching these young athletes and receiving this incredible recognition—has been truly humbling."

He added, "Inspiring these kids and sharing my journey with them has been incredibly fulfilling. I want them to know that with dedication, passion, and belief, they can achieve anything—whether on the cricket field or in life."

The NCL has quickly reached the audience. It has a good blend of world-class cricket with cultural events and initiatives focused on the community. The tournament will conclude on Monday.

Legends United

Reknowned names like Shahid Afridi, Suresh Raina, Shakib Al Hasan, and Chris Lynn have featured in the league, making it a premier event for global cricket.

The National Cricket League has also attracted legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Wasim Akram, and Sir Vivian Richards as mentors of the teams.

endorsed by the International Cricket Council and supported by SEE Holdings, the National Cricket League has its headquarters in Dallas.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is to be organized in UAE from October 3. This time 10 teams will be seen playing in the tournament. Now before the start of the tournament, all the teams will play warm-up matches and finalize their preparations. 

In the first warm-up match, the Pakistan women's team will face the Scotland women's team, this match will be played on September 28.

Also Read: ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Squads of every team

India will play two warm-up matches

All the 10 teams participating in the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 will play two practice matches each. The Indian women's team will play its first warm-up match against West Indies on September 29 while the second warm-up match will play against South Africa on October 1. All the warm-up matches will start at 07:30 PM IST at Dubai Ground.

Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Warm-Up Schedule

Where to watch the warm-up matches of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 live on TV?

The warm-up matches will be live on Star Sports Network on TV. 

Where to watch the live streaming of the warm-up matches?

You can watch live streaming of all the matches on the Disney+Hotstar app.

Also Read: ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule: India to play New Zealand first, followed by Pakistan

Indian women's team has not won the title yet

The Indian women's team has not yet won the T20 World Cup title. The team had made it to the finals of the year 2020, but then it had to face defeat by Australia. So far only the teams of Australia, England, and West Indies have been able to win the title.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced that equal prize money will now be awarded to men and women in the World Cup, starting with the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 to be held in the United Arab Emirates next month. 

Also Read: ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule: India to play New Zealand first, followed by Pakistan

Prize money increased by 134 percent

According to the ICC statement, the team that wins the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 will now get US$ 2.34 million. Australia had received prize money of $1 million for winning the World Cup played in South Africa last year. In this way, it has increased by 134 percent.

The ICC said, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 will be the first ICC tournament in which women will receive equal prize money as men, which will be a significant achievement in the history of the game.

ICC decided to equalize the prize money seven years ahead

The decision was taken at the ICC Annual Conference in July 2023 when the ICC Board decided to equalize the prize money seven years ahead of its previously scheduled 2030 schedule. Cricket thus becomes the first major sport in which the World Cup has equal prize money for men and women. 

The Indian men's team had received prize money of 23 lakh 40 thousand US dollars for becoming the winner of the Men's T20 World Cup 2024 played in America and West Indies this year.

Also Read: ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024: BCCI name 15-member squad for the tournament

The stage is set for the historic moment

The stage is set for what will be a historic moment for the Women's T20 World Cup 2024, as the world's best teams clash for the coveted title and record-breaking prizes.

All group matches will be completed before October 15, after which all eyes will be on the semi-finals to be held on October 17 and 18. The winning teams of semi-finals one and two will face each other in the final for the trophy on October 20.

For the first time in Sri Lankan cricket history two players from their nation gone on to win the ICC player of the month in the same time in men's and women's cricket. In a rare occasion, Dunith Wellalage and Harshitha Samarawickrama won the ICC Player of the month for the month of August 2024, for the excellent peformance in the last month.

Wellalage wins after a stunning series against India

Dunith Wellalage won the award on the back of a Player of the Series performance against India in the ODI series where Sri Lanka won by 2-0, a feat they achieved many years after. The 21-year-old left-handed batter scored 108 runs in the three matches including a valuable unbeaten 67 in the first match and also pickedup seven wickets in the series including a 5/27 in the final match of the series.

Read Also | Who is Dunith Wellalage, the new Sri Lankan spin-bowling sensation 

He defeated South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj and West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales to win the award. He has became the fifth Sri Lankan men's cricketer to win the award after Angelo Mathews (May 2022), Prabath Jayasuriya (July 2022), Wanindu Hasaranga (June 2023) and Kamindu Mendis (March 2024).

“This is great news for me and brings immense satisfaction, as this recognition gives me further strength to continue doing the good work I do as a player and contribute to my team to reach excellence in the field," Wellalage said after recieving the award.

Samarawickrama awarded for her purple patch in Ireland

On the other hand, Harshitha Samarawickrama won the award after a stunning white ball series against Ireland in Ireland. In the T20Is, the 26-year-old left-hander scored 151 runs in two games played in Dublin, with a strike rate of 169.66.

She continuted her form in the ODIs and scored 172 runs in three ODIs at Belfast at a strike rate of 82.60 including her maiden ODI century. In the second ODI, with a knock of 105, she became only the third Sri Lankan woman cricketer to score a century in ODIs.

Samarawickrama went past Orla Prendergast and Gaby Lewis of Ireland to win the award.

"I am extremely happy with this recognition, which I consider a new high in my career. It certainly gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the big competition, the Women's T20 World Cup," Samarawickrama said after winning the award.