South Africa will host next year’s Men’s Under-19 World Cup, following the International Cricket Council’s decision to move the tournament from Sri Lanka.
That’s after the ICC suspended Sri Lanka due to extensive government interference in the board’s administration.
“After hearing representation from SLC, the ICC Board decided that Sri Lanka can continue to compete internationally both in bilateral cricket and ICC events after being suspended recently for breaching its obligations as a Member, in particular the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and without government interference,” said an ICC statement.
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South Africa has been a favourite for hosting Under-19 World Cup events recently. The country hosted the inaugural edition of the Women’s Under-19 World Cup this year and the Men’s Under-19 World Cup in 2020 too.
The 16-team tournament, originally scheduled for 13 January – 4 February in Sri Lanka, is likely to be played close to the same window. The venues for the 2024 edition are likely to be Benoni, Potchefstroom, Kimberley, and Bloemfontein. It is understood that South Africa and the UAE were among the shortlist of venues the ICC had pencilled in as contingencies in case it had to be moved out of Sri Lanka. The UAE, though, had to be ruled out with the ILT20 clashing with the World Cup.
