Captains' Day Out: What they had to say before U19 World Cup 2024

The 15th edition of the ICC Men's U19 Cricket World Cup is just around the corner, with the tournament set to begin on 19 January.

A total of 16 countries will battle it out across 41 matches to get their hands on the coveted title on 11 February.

All the teams have been divided into four groups of four. Bangladesh, India, Ireland and USA make up Group A while Group B consists of England, Scotland, South Africa and West Indies.

Group C features Australia, Namibia, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe while Group D includes Afghanistan, Nepal, New Zealand and Pakistan.

The tournament will be played in new format where three teams will progress from each group into the new Super Six stage – the 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six to determine the semifinalists.

Teams are already gearing up for the main event, having played the first round of warm-up matches.

Ahead of the 2024 U19 World Cup, the captains of all 16 teams convened for a pre-tournament photoshoot, sharing their thoughts on the upcoming challenge, what to expect and much more.

South Africa captain Juan James on their biggest strength: “The fact that we never give up in tough situations. There have been countless times where we have been in difficult situations but we showed resilience and pushed through."

Pakistan captain Saad Baig wants to go all the way: “As a team, we would want to win the U19 World Cup. We will do our best to give good performances. We will put full effort into every match, as we did in preparation for the World Cup."

England captain Ben McKinney happy with the preparation: “Personally, I feel real confident going into the tournament. I have played pretty well in the warm-up game and we had a good series in India. The boys are exactly the same, we have taken the confidence going into the World Cup, especially with the series in India. Really pleased with what’s been done.

Bangladesh captain Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby on the big game against India: “We will play it like a normal game. We have had good preparation for the tournament. We have had great input from our coach, so we will try to get a winning start in the tournament against India."

Sri Lanka captain Sineth Jayawardene on his captaincy influence: “I would like to be like MS Dhoni. He’s my idol. I want to be as cool as him. The way he handles the team, his decision-making – everything about him is amazing.”

Ireland captain Philippe le Roux can’t wait for the World Cup to start: “We are really itching to get out there. We have been training indoors for so long now. We have been looking forward to the first game against USA since we knew the fixtures. Really eager to get out there.”

Zimbabwe captain Matthew Schonken on their main strength: “As a team, this World Cup, our main strength is we bat very deep and we have a wide variety of bowlers. We have left-arm spinners, offspinners, legspinners and our seam attack is also pretty decent.”

USA captain Rishi Ramesh compares leadership style to India star: “I like to be calm, cool and friendly with my teammates. But when a wicket falls in the opposition team, it kind of gets rowdy. I like to celebrate with some ferocity, kind of like Virat Kohli. So can expect to see some of that."

West Indies captain Stephen Pascal on what makes the team stand out: “Togetherness, flair and intensity. The West Indies teams over the years have had flair and it is no different with this unit. Togetherness and intensity have been shown every time we go out."

Australia captain Hugh Weibgen on what they want to achieve: “Obviously, the end goal is to win the tournament but coming out as better blokes and better cricketers would be awesome.

Namibia captain Alex Volschenk’s feeling ahead of the first game: “Very excited and very nervous at the same time. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it, lots of practice, lot of time, lot of blood, sweat and tears. But we believe we can get through this together as a team.”

Afghanistan captain Naseer Khan wants to go further than 2022: “The previous U19 played really well. They were an exciting team. We want to go further, play the final and do better.”

Scotland captain Owen Gould on how the squad has shaped: “The main thing I focus on and have focussed on for a while is to create a really good squad environment. I prioritise that over cricketing abilities. Lots of team bonding before and during the tournament. If we are good off the pitch, it tends to have good results on it.

New Zealand captain Oscar Jackson on leading the team: “To captain this side is something special. Something to be very proud of and is an honour to do. I think we have got a great group of guys, which makes my job super, I am very lucky. Real privilege and I am grateful for the opportunity.

Nepal captain Dev Khanal on the support they get back home: Everybody knows the craze of cricket in Nepal. We have a huge fanbase back in Nepal and because of them, we are always motivated. The craze is unmatched. We as players want to win matches and give them happiness.