Nepal is drawn with defending champions and hosts Australia, 1998-winner England and Ireland in Group A for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2012.
“The event will get underway in Queensland exactly one year from today and Scotland will be there as the leading Associate after winning eight of its nine matches during the qualifiers, which took place in Dublin and Derry,” International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a release.
Group B is made up of the last event’s runner-up and two-time winner Pakistan, New Zealand, Scotland and Afghanistan while 2000 and 2008 champion India has been drawn in Group C along with West Indies, Zimbabwe and PNG.
Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and Namibia make up Group D.
ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup is a very important tournament for us and I want to congratulate those six teams who have qualified to take part in Queensland next year.”
“This tournament has proved to be an important stepping stone for elite young cricketers aspiring to play international cricket. It’s an opportunity for them to develop and test their skills in a high-pressure situation against the world’s best at this level.
“We also use it as an opportunity to educate them on several important issues like anti-corruption, anti-doping and social responsibility expected of international cricketers while also exposing them to the ICC Code of Conduct and media attention.
“In the past, we have seen some quality players come through the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, including star players like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yuvraj Singh, Brian Lara, Ian Bell, Virat Kohli, Eoin Morgan, Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. I expect next year’s event to be no different in producing future world stars.”
ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012: Groupings
Group A: Australia (1), England (8), Nepal (12), Ireland (13)
Group B: Pakistan (2), New Zealand (7), Scotland (11), Aghanistan (14)
Group C: West Indies (3), India (6), Zimbabwe (10), PNG (15)
Group D: Sri Lanka (4), South Africa (5), Bangladesh (9), Namibia (16)
