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Josh Tongue will replace Gus Atkinson in England’s only change for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide on Wednesday, with Will Jacks picked ahead of Shoaib Bashir even on a pitch expected to be the most spin-friendly they will encounter on this tour.Brendon McCullum publicly backed England’s top seven on Sunday, effectively ruling out the possibility of drafting in Jacob Bethell, while Ben Stokes believes that Tongue has a “natural wicket-taking ability” which will reinforce his seam attack. In Atkinson’s absence, Brydon Carse will share the new ball with Jofra Archer.Tongue, 28, has taken 31 wickets in his first six Tests, one every 44.1 balls, and is a strike bowler whose economy rate is above four runs per over. England believe that the mechanics of his bowling action – delivering the ball with his arm beyond the perpendicular – make him harder for batters to pick up, as Stokes alluded to after training on Monday.”There’s a few angles [to selection] like getting a fresh bowler in for the batters to have a look at,” Stokes said. “We feel like what Tonguey possesses – in terms of his angles that he creates at the crease, and his natural wicket-taking ability – is something that we feel is going to help us out this week.”Related

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Atkinson has struggled to make an impact in this series: he has taken three wickets in 54 overs, two of which came in Australia’s swift run chase at the Gabba in the second Test, and his drop-off in pace has been notable. But Stokes argued that he had been “incredibly unlucky” and that rotation in his seam attack was inevitable.”It’s a huge ask for any seamer to be able to play five games,” he said. “Gus has bowled very well out here. He’s just been incredibly unlucky, in particular with the new ball; I just don’t think he’s got the luck that he’s deserved.”With Tonguey, that natural wicket-taking ability that he has is something we feel is useful to be able to turn to. We’ve seen it in his career so far, that regardless of how things are going in a spell or a day, he’ll just get a cluster of wickets, or an important wicket out of nowhere.”Tongue, who has also been preferred to Matthew Potts and Matthew Fisher, took 5 for 151 in his previous Ashes Test, at Lord’s in 2023. Those wickets included Steven Smith twice (for 110 and 34), whom Tongue has dismissed in each of the four innings in which he has bowled to him, including a County Championship match in 2023 and in this year’s Hundred.Tongue was England’s leading wicket-taker in their series against India last summer with 19, including a second-innings five-wicket haul at The Oval after a wayward effort in the first innings. He has also proved himself to be particularly effective against the tail, and Stokes believes that he will be well-suited to Adelaide Oval.”I feel like on this surface in Adelaide, that kind of natural attribute is something that you’ll probably have to call on at some point, with it being probably one of the truer wickets [in Australia],” Stokes said. “I don’t think it’s going to have the bounce that we’ve seen in the first two games… It certainly plays a little bit different to the two other grounds that we played at.”Bashir’s omission at a venue where Nathan Lyon is Australia’s leading wicket-taker flies in the face of Stokes’ suggestion ahead of the second Test in Brisbane that he remains England’s “number one spinner”. But Jacks’ all-round efforts – 60 runs, a wicket, and a stunning catch at long leg – have seen him retained as England’s primary spin option.”It was a tough decision to come to,” Stokes said. “I thought the way that Jacksy handled last week in general was really, really good. In both innings, he looked incredibly composed at the crease, and I think when he got into his rhythm with the ball as well, he looked good. We’re 2-0 down, and we’re trying to give ourselves the best chance with bat and ball.”I wouldn’t say it’s got anything to do against Bash whatsoever… We feel having Jacksy down at No. 8 obviously strengthens our batting a little bit deeper, if we need to go there, and he’s more than capable enough to handle that role with the ball when we need to call upon it. We find ourselves in that situation where big runs and wickets are important.”Stokes confirmed that Carse will share the new ball with Archer, having operated as a change bowler in eight of his previous 11 Tests. “He’s someone who will always get the ball, run in and give everything,” he said. “He’s not bowled as well as he would have liked to [in Australia] but he still takes wickets… He’s just going to run in and give you everything.”Australia are expected to make at least two changes, with Pat Cummins set to return as captain, Nathan Lyon in line for a recall after missing the pink-ball Test in Brisbane, and a decision to make between Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja and Beau Webster for the final batting spot.

England XI:

1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Will Jacks, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Josh Tongue.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA thrilling chase and a cruel missed chance saw India seal a Twenty20 series sweep over Australia at the SCG, as the more settled side was victorious once again.Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli laid the groundwork for India’s pursuit before Suresh Raina was able to finish things off with the help of Yuvraj Singh, who looked out of touch before finding his timing at precisely the right moment as the pair took 19 off Andrew Tye’s final over of the innings to finish off the win. Victory also lifted India to No.1 in the ICC T20 rankings; they were eighth before the series began.Raina was fortunate to be there, having escaped a stumping chance second ball. The bowler Cameron Boyce was Australia’s outstanding performer on the night, but he was let down by the glove work of Cameron Bancroft, a speculative choice as wicketkeeper for this match in the absence of Matthew Wade.The error typified Australia’s muddled approach to this series, just a month out from the World T20 in India. However they did have the consolation of an outstanding century by the stand-in captain Shane Watson, who showed why he should be indispensable to the team’s campaign on the same day his former team-mate Michael Clarke announced he intended to return to cricket after a five-month break.India’s bowling was not particularly strong this night, but their batting strength was demonstrated by Rohit, Kohli and Raina. Vitally, Raina and Yuvraj did not lose their heads under the pressure of the chase – a strong lesson for the Australians given their panicky displays in Adelaide and Melbourne.In pursuit of 198, India needed a fast start, something Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit were more than capable of providing. Dhawan only lasted nine balls, but in that time clumped 26 runs and made a mess of Shaun Tait. Rohit was a little more circumspect, but helped keep the score ticking over well ahead of the required rate.Australia were able to pull things back somewhat through the middle overs thanks largely to the bowling of Watson and the legspinner Boyce, who gave the ball teasing flight and loaded it with spin to beat Rohit, Kohli and Raina in the air. Boyce gained two wickets for his effort but should have had a third, when Bancroft missed the stumping chance that a more seasoned keeper might have completed.After Kohli’s exit to Boyce’s penultimate ball for another sparkling contribution of 50, Raina and Yuvraj Singh pottered around for a time. As MS Dhoni had done during the 50-over match on this ground a little over a week ago, they allowed the equation to stretch out while finding their bearings, and Tye was left to defend 17 from the final over.As though rousing from a deep sleep, Yuvraj pounced on Tye’s first two balls, flicking over backward square leg to the fence then pounding a six into the heaving crowd at midwicket. That rather simplified the equation for India, and a pair of hustled twos by Raina were followed by an exultant last ball boundary that completed India’s clean sweep.Watson had won the toss on a warm evening and walked out to bat with his Thunder opening partner Usman Khawaja. In the form of his life, Khawaja strolled to 14 from five balls before edging a good one from Ashish Nehra and being dismissed for less than 50 for the first time since last October.That was something of a shock for the crowd and the Australians, but Watson was soon finding his range with powerful shots struck through and over MS Dhoni’s fields. He was given a helping hand by a pair of no-balls from Jaspreet Bumrah in the fourth over, the second from the free-hit he gave up by bowling the first – both were crunched to the cover boundary by Watson.Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell could not endure in Watson’s company, but Travis Head provided common sense support to his captain, who grew in fluency and confidence with every over. A few weeks ago Watson had played similarly well on this ground for the Sydney Thunder against the Sydney Sixers, and this time Watson went on from his typical resting place between 50 and 90 to a maiden T20 international century.The milestone brought an expansive celebration by Watson on the ground of his adopted home state for several reasons. Not only was it a rare international century for him and a moment to assure his presence in the team for the World T20 in India, the innings was also doubtless a timely one a few days before the IPL auction.Watson would follow up with some tidy bowling, but as captain he could do little about some of the less illustrious work of others, as India romped home. They will go into the World T20 full of confidence; Australia meanwhile do not look sure where to go.

Jos Buttler is facing a tricky decision over his future as he decides whether to fight for his Test place or appear in this year’s IPL season.Buttler was dropped from England’s Test team during the tour of the UAE, having averaged 13 with the bat in the seven matches in which he played from the start of the Ashes. While he retained a place in the squad for the tour of South Africa, he has had to watch as his replacement, Jonny Bairstow, scored a maiden Test century in Cape Town to cement his role for the rest of the series.But Buttler’s limited-overs form has remained impressive. He smashed the quickest century in England’s limited-overs history in November – it took just 46 balls – and it is understood by ESPNcricinfo that Kolkata Knight Riders, the club which Trevor Bayliss coached before joining England, are particularly keen to secure his services this year.Initially Buttler was keen to return to Lancashire and attempt to win back his England place by performing well in the County Championship. But with Bairstow now assured of a prolonged run in the side and the ECB keen to see their players gain more experience of playing in overseas T20 tournaments such as the IPL or Big Bash, Buttler is rethinking that view.While it is possible that Buttler and Bairstow could feature in the same Test side – for all his excellence with the bat, Bairstow has yet to totally convince with the gloves and at some stage could be picked as a specialist batsman – it seems unlikely in the short term.The ECB are happy to leave the decision over whether to appear in the IPL to Buttler. Andrew Strauss, the ECB’s director of England cricket, has suggested on several occasions that he believes that England players can benefit from exposure to such events and there are those who believe that Buttler may benefit from pursuing a future as a white-ball specialist.But Butter, aged 25, retains Test ambitions and is reluctant to be typecast so early in his career. He also knows that, if he misses the first two months of the county season, there is no guarantee that he will displace the highly-rated Alex Davies, aged 21, as the Lancashire keeper.It leaves Buttler at a crossroads: he can work on his red-ball batting in the relatively unglamorous world of early-season county cricket in the hope it leads to a Test recall, or take the riches on offer in the IPL. It may seem, at first glance, like a simple decision. But Buttler knows that, once he slips out of the Test reckoning, it may prove hard to work his way back. With the ECB increasingly aware of the benefits of players specialising between red- and white-ball cricket, his decision could define the future direction of his career.The 2016 IPL season starts on April 9, a week after the final of the World Twenty20 in Kolkata, and ends on May 29, with players expected to report – subject to international duty – a week before the start. Players required for Test duty by England will be required to return to the UK by noon on May 6, with most non-Test players required to return by noon on May 17 to ensure their availability in the opening round of T20 Blast matches on May 20. Buttler could well be given special dispensation to remain in India for the entire tournament – as Kolkata Knight Riders are believed to have requested – at the discretion of the ECB.The ECB, who are currently involved in a budget review which has required several employees to reapply for their jobs, no longer operate a system by which they return to players the portion of their salaries forfeited for their release from county or central contracts – as they did up to the 2015 IPL season. However, it is understood they are considering topping up payments should a low reserve price result in England players making a net loss on their involvement. In previous years, players have priced themselves out of the market by demanding a higher reserve price to ensure they did not lose out financially.

ScorecardNick Browne made a second-innings hundred•Getty Images

Glamorgan go into the final day at Chelmsford facing a massive task to avoid their first defeat of the season. After being set a victory target of 462, they reached the close on 110 for 1 but with the pitch starting to offer more encouragement to the spinners, it will need something special to deny their opponents success.Essex’s position of strength owed much to the efforts of Nick Browne and Liam Dawson. They shared in a stand of 237, setting a new record opening partnership for Essex against Glamorgan and they seldom experienced moment of anxiety. Left-hander Browne excelled with some fine driving, a straight six at the expense of offspinner Andrew Salter carrying him to his third century of the summer. He went on to make 129 that also included 20 fours before he was caught behind off legspinner Colin Ingram.Dawson, on-loan from Hampshire, and thrust into the opener’s role because Jaik Mickleburgh was suffering from back spasms, looked set to mark his home debut with a hundred. He had moved to 99 when he pushed a simple return catch to Ingram that brought to an end an innings that was noted for its placement rather than power. His effort contained eight fours and a six and his dismissal arrived soon after Ingram had trapped Tom Westley leg before on his way to final figures of 3 for 90 in 17 overs.Ravi Bopara was the fourth batsman to depart in the space of 33 runs but Jesse Ryder and Ryan ten Doeschate composed and unbroken stand of 74 in 11 overs before the 344 for 4 declaration left Glamorgan with their daunting mission. Both went aggressively about their business, Ryder’s 41 came from 43 balls while ten Doeschate struck 40 from 36 deliveries with the aid of four fours and a six.Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg looked comfortable enough against the Essex pace attack when they began Glamorgan’s second innings but the introduction of left-arm spinner Dawson proved more of a problem. He soon beat the bat and found the edge before he tempted Bragg into a pull that finished in the hands of ten Doeschate at midwicket to bring to an end an encouraging partnership of 42.But 18 year-old Aneurin Donald and the experienced Rudolph further success. The teenager was particularly impressive as he seized every opportunity the loose ball as he ended the day with 42 from 68 balls. The more cautious Rudolph will resume in 45 which has so far spanned 95 balls.

Central Zone 99 for 4 beat West Zone 98 (Chawla 3-11, Praveen 3-18) by six wickets
Scorecard

The Central Zone swing bowlers utilised a helpful surface, a 9am start, and overcast conditions to push the West Zone innings right to the edge of the cliff, before the spinners came and pushed it over swiftly. A total of 98 was an aberration in a high-scoring domestic one-day season, and Central got to the target without any major hiccups as the opening Deodhar Trophy match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium finished half an hour after lunch.Central won by six wickets, with a bonus point, while defending champions West were docked a minus point.Right from the moment Praveen Kumar bowled the first over, after Mohammad Kaif had put West in, it was obvious West were going to have a hard time. Yusuf Pathan, in prodigious form throughout the season, was embarrassed by two in-swingers that preceded an out-swinger, and seemed to have no clue about which way Praveen swung the ball.Wasim Jaffer hit two beautiful cover drives off the back foot before he got a peach from Praveen in the third over. This one swung late after having angled in, as opposed to the early swing that Jaffer was leaving alone, and took the edge for a low catch for Kaif at first slip. RP Singh soon trapped Pathan with an in-swinger to pull West down to 15 for 2.Rohit Sharma, fresh from 235 runs in the CB Series in Australia and Ajinkya Rahane, also in good form, got a mini partnership going. It wasn’t a convincing one, however, as regular edges kept the bowlers interested. The duo had added 24 before Praveen changed sides and came on from the BEML end. He needed little time if forcing Rahane to chip one to point, and that dismissal triggered a frenzy. Two more wickets fell at the same score and the No. 7, Abhishek Nayar, was caught unawares and just about avoided being timed out. Rohit played an expansive drive and edged Sandeep Singh, Parthiv Patel followed a Praveen in-swinger, and 39 for 2 became 39 for 5.Nayar might have taken a long time in coming in to bat, but he did stay in the longest to help West get close to 100. Together with Venugopal Rao he forced Kaif to opt for the spinners as they batted sensibly to add 31 for the sixth wicket. Kaif wanted to finish the game off with swing bowlers only, as he continued with Praveen (3 for 18), RP (22 for 1), and Sandeep (21 for 1) for 22 overs. The introduction of spin, normally a reason for cheer given the way the medium-pacers bowled, proved to be the kiss of death for West. Piyush Chawla bowled Rao round the legs with his first delivery, continued to get Iqbal Abdulla caught down the leg by wicketkeeper with his third, and a one-sided contest was reduced to a no contest.Murali Kartik enjoyed the situation with a number of dangerous arm-balls, one of them trapping Ajit Agarkar in front. When he tossed one up to Munaf Patel, the tail-ender obliged by skying it to mid-off. Another collape, as West slipped from 70 for 5 to 81 for 9 in four overs. Nayar hit two boundaries and a six before being caught at the boundary off a full toss from Chawla, who finished with 3 for 11. When Nayar and Rao were batting, it seemed West might struggle and bat out the 50 overs, but their innings ended in the 30th over.By the time Munaf, Agarkar and Siddharth Trivedi started bowling, the pitch had lost much of its early-morning freshness, the sun had come out, and the only thing going for them was the good bounce. But the minimal target meant that Faiz Fazal and Naman Ojha, the Central openers, were under no pressure and they negotiated the new ball well. Fazal looked more intent at finishing the game early, and by the time he edged Trivedi to second slip, he had scored 24 off 30 balls, and Central had reached 41 in 7.5 overs.That Central lost Ojha, Suresh Raina and Kaif just at the brink of the win will leave West wondering what could have happened had they batted through the innings and struggled their way to perhaps 170-odd.

Ricky Ponting is confident Australia can retain their ranking as the top Test side in the future after winning the ICC Test Championship for the fourth year in a row. However, despite last year’s World Cup win, Ponting’s men could not secure the double as South Africa prevailed in the ICC ODI Championship, finishing a fraction of a point ahead of Australia.India, who were 30 points behind Australia, were the runners up in the Test list and Ponting believes they will be one of the sides that can threaten his team in the next year. He said Australia’s future prospects depended largely on the younger members of the team continuing to improve after making excellent progress during 2007 and 2008.”If they can do that and the older guys like me, Matty Hayden and the other guys keep pulling our weight we can hopefully remain No. 1,” Ponting told after collecting the trophy, the ICC Mace, in Mumbai. “There were a lot of question marks around the team at the start of the last Australian summer, losing the … great players that we lost. But I thought some of the younger guys who came into the side like Phil Jaques and Mitchell Johnson handled themselves really well at the international level.”India certainly have a great team together at the moment and South Africa have played excellent cricket for a number of years in both forms of the game. So we just have to wait and see.”The winning teams of the Test and ODI championships each collected US$175,000, while the runners up pocketed $75,000 – small change for some of the men who are about to play in the Indian Premier League. South Africa’s former captain Shaun Pollock picked up the ODI trophy, the ICC Shield, on behalf of his team-mates, and he said it was especially pleasing to finish ahead of the World Cup winners.”Australia is the benchmark in all forms of the game and especially one-day cricket,” Pollock said. “So for South Africa to take over the top spot in the one-day table is a huge achievement for the playing group as well as a great honour for everyone connected with South Africa cricket.”Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, said: “It has been a tough 12 months for us as a Test team but the fact we have risen to many of the challenges put before us is reflected in our second position. We now have to press on and try and close the gap to Australia as well as stay ahead of the sides below us.”

Ben Duckett has been given “complete support” by his captain Ben Stokes and retained in England’s XI for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG despite his failure to reach 30 in six innings in the Ashes series so far and an ECB investigation into his conduct.A video, which appeared to show Duckett drunk, unsure how to get back to his hotel, and calling a fan a “p***k”, went viral on social media hours after Rob Key, England’s managing director, pledged to investigate reports of heavy drinking during the team’s trip to Noosa after the second Test. The ECB said on Monday night that it was “aware” of the video and planned to “establish the facts”.England have made two changes for the fourth Test with Jacob Bethell and Gus Atkinson replacing Ollie Pope and the injured Jofra Archer, but Duckett has been retained. He has underperformed in Australia, averaging 16.16, and has not scored a half-century in his last 12 international innings across formats, but England do not have a spare opener in their squad.Related

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Key had said before the video circulated on Tuesday that heavy drinking during an international tour was “completely unacceptable”, but Stokes threw his support behind Duckett, describing him as an “important player” and an “incredibly influential person” within the England change room.”It’s all pretty fresh and pretty new,” Stokes said. “I’ve obviously reached out and spoken to him and offered my complete support with him throughout this. He’s such an important player for this team, and we’ve still got two games of cricket to play. He’s an incredibly influential person within this group.”Stokes has often been the subject of unwanted media attention, not least when he was involved in a street-fight outside a Bristol nightclub and was suspended from the 2017-18 Ashes tour by the ECB as a result.”I have first-hand experience of how this can affect people,” he said. “I will always support my players, particularly in a moment like this where everything feels like it’s on top of you – and for some players more than others as well. My job as England captain is obviously to be out there and get results for the team, but also to try to give people the best chance of being in a mental space where they can go out there and perform.Ben Duckett speaks to Rob Key ahead of the fourth Test•Robbie Stephenson/PA Images via Getty Images

“Supporting them and letting them know that I will be there for them through thick and thin is very, very important, and Ben Duckett knows that… I know what it’s like. It’s not a nice place to be in, but he knows that he’s got the support of myself and the other guys around him as well.”He refused to answer when asked if Duckett had done anything wrong. “I’m here to support him. I’ll always support my players and I made that pretty clear.”England have come under intense scrutiny since arriving in Australia and Stokes described going 3-0 down as the toughest period of his tenure. “I’ve been in this role for a while now and I’ve had some very, very, very good times,” he told SEN Radio. “Right here, right now, this is, most definitely, the hardest time that I’ve had as England captain.”He added that England’s players deserve some “empathy” while touring overseas for long periods of time. “It is very gruelling and it is tough when you’re here, there and everywhere,” he said. “You have to deal with the emotions of being away, the scrutiny that you are under, in particular when things aren’t going well… There needs to be a little bit of empathy.”

Andy Kirsten has arrived in Nairobi to take up his role as Kenya’s national coach and said his main job is to ensure that the side qualify for the 2011 World Cup.”I have been contracted for a year and my duty is to ensure Kenya qualifies,” Kirsten told the Standard. “I first want to settle for the next six weeks, during which I will be drafting my strategy for the team before we bounce to serious business.”Kirsten has less than a year before the World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE to make his mark, but one of the problems he faces is a lack of high-profile matches. Kenya are not scheduled to play any Full Member countries between now and then, although they have a lengthy European tour that takes in Denmark, England and then Associate Twenty20, Intercontinental Cup and ODIs in Ireland.Kirsten, 44, who has been coaching in his native South Africa, is no stranger to the Kenyan set-up as he assisted Sandeep Patil during the 2003 World Cup. “Kenya players are very talented and I have been following the team’s prowess keenly since I left because I have an interest with the team and a close relationships with most of the players. I believe they deserve Test status and that is where we are heading, I’m sure I will enjoy working with the boys.”

Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard will have the opportunity to fight for their England places from the start of the domestic season after being released to their counties for all the matches ahead of the first Test against New Zealand on May 15.Most of the players who have been involved throughout the winter are given some extra time off, although Ian Bell is available for Warwickshire’s first Championship match against Worcestershire on April 16.Kevin Pietersen won’t appear for Hampshire until the Friends Provident Trophy match against Somerset on May 2 while Paul Collingwood is also rested until that Bank Holiday weekend. Michael Vaughan has been made available for all Yorkshire’s first-class matches ahead of the first Test.Given that it is England’s one-day cricket that needs developing it is interesting that Bell and Alastair Cook have only been released for County Championship matches and not FP Trophy games. Tim Ambrose, Monty Panesar, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and James Anderson are all rested from the first round of Championship matches.Owais Shah, Andrew Strauss, Phil Mustard and Graeme Swann are also available to their counties from the start of the season.

Hosts Bangladesh will take on defending champions South Africa in the opening game of the Under-19 World Cup in Chittagong on January 27 next year. The match is one of 20 games that will be broadcast live, compared to 11 matches telecast during the 2014 competition in the UAE. The tournament final will be played in Dhaka on February 14.Sixteen teams will participate in the tournament including six qualifiers – Scotland, Namibia, Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji and Nepal – across eight venues in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar. Group D looks the most notable of the four groups as Australia, India, New Zealand and Nepal will compete for two knockout berths.Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara and Bangladesh fast bowlers Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed attended the tournament launch programme in Dhaka on Monday, along with BCB president Nazmul Hassan and ICC general manager Geoff Allardice.

The pools

Group A: Bangladesh, South Africa, Namibia, Scotland
Group B: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Canada
Group C: England, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Fiji
Group D: Australia, India, New Zealand, Nepal

Sangakkara joked he wasn’t “good enough” to play in the U-19 World Cup all those years ago, but identified the importance of the tournament for the transition of young players into international cricket.”I watched a lot of players around the world who played in the U-19 World Cup,” Sangakkara said. “It is great to see talent being recognised at a very young age and then get the exposure at an international stage to showcase their skills. It introduces them to professionalism, structure and the expectations of what they should be doing to step up to the international level.”Allardice recognised Bangladesh – who are hosting the event for the second time – as an ideal candidate in terms of amenities, especially with the addition of two stadiums in Cox’s Bazar for this tournament.”It is a very important tournament for the ICC. It is the aspiration of every young cricketer to make it to their U-19 national team,” Allardice said. “Nine of the ten Test captains have played in the U-19 World Cup at some stage.”I think the global nature of this tournament is important for cricket. It tends to expose the young players to the world stage. They are also exposed to education programmes like anti-corruption and anti-doping.”One of the things about the U-19 World Cup is to find a host city or country that has sufficient match and training facilities to host the 16 teams. Bangladesh ticks all the boxes in that regard. We hosted 26 teams in the ICC World T20 in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet and this time we are also playing in Cox’s Bazar.”BCB chief Hassan said he was confident of the competition’s success. “Bangladesh has a proud history of hosting ICC events,” he said. “This is the second Under-19 World Cup that Bangladesh will be hosting. Given the passion and enthusiasm with which we organise and follow cricket, I am confident this tournament will also be successful.”