ICC U19 World Cup Final: Bangladesh opt to field first against India

Bangladesh U19 captain Akbar Ali and India U19 captain Priyam Garg. (Phto: Twitter/@cricketworldcup)


Bangladesh captain Akbar Ali elected to field first against India in the final of the ICC Under 19 World Cup at the Senwes Park, Potchefstroom on Sunday.

“There was rain last night, we are playing three seamers and we believe there is something in this wicket, hope we can exploit the conditions. It feels very special, it’s a long journey for us. We have been working very hard for the last two years. We had a goal to play the final and we are here,” Akbar said during the toss.

Indian skipper Priyam Garg, on the other hand, looked calm and composed as he put the trust on his team to put a commendable total on the board. He said, “Yeah, I am confident. We have good middle-order batsmen and are confident too.”

The Indian team are playing with the same eleven that defeated Pakistan in the semi-final. Meanwhile, Bangladesh have brought one change with Avishek Das replacing Murad.

India had thrashed Pakistan by 10 wickets to get themselves the chance of winning the trophy for a record fifth time. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have been the story of inspiration. Going into the tournament, they were the underdogs but have defeated powerhouses like South Africa and New Zealand en route to their first final.

ICC U19 World Cup Final: Playing XI

India U19 (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Divyansh Saxena, Tilak Varma, Priyam Garg(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Siddhesh Veer, Atharva Ankolekar, Ravi Bishnoi, Shashwat Rawat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh

Bangladesh U19 (Playing XI): Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Towhid Hridoy, Shahadat Hossain, Avishek Das, Akbar Ali(w/c), Shamim Hossain, Rakibul Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib