Cricket to return to Los Angeles Olympics in 2028; qualification schedule announced

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule for the U19 Women's T20 World Cup 2027, which will take place in Bangladesh and Nepal starting January 21. Sixteen teams will participate in this third edition, with 41 matches planned.

The champion team, India, has been placed in Group A alongside Ireland, Nepal, and the West Indies. The Indian squad will begin its tournament journey on January 22 against the West Indies, followed by matches against Nepal on January 24 and Ireland on January 26.

Pakistan has been assigned to Group B. Consequently, a match between India and Pakistan will not occur in the group stage.

Nepal will commence its participation on January 22 against Ireland, while Bangladesh will play its first match on January 21 against the UAE. Tournament matches will be held at four stadiums across both host countries.

In Bangladesh, matches will be held at the Bir Shrestha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium and the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. In Nepal, games will take place at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium in the capital city of Kathmandu, as well as at the Upper Mulpani International Cricket Ground.

The group stage will run until January 26. Following this, qualified teams will advance to the Super Six, where they will be divided into two groups. The top two teams from each group will proceed to the semi-finals.

Both semi-final matches are scheduled for February 4 at the Bir Shrestha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram. February 5 is reserved as a reserve day if necessary. The final is planned for February 6, with February 7 designated as a reserve day for the final encounter.

Group A includes India, Ireland, West Indies, and Nepal. Group B consists of South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Samoa. Group C comprises Australia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and the UAE. Group D features England, Sri Lanka, America, and Scotland.

Sanjog Gupta, CEO of the ICC, noted that the U19 Women's T20 World Cup provides young athletes with an opportunity to showcase their talent and gain international experience. According to him, the participation of 16 teams will serve as a platform for promoting growing talent in women's cricket and helping developing cricketing nations move forward.

The young all-rounder from the Indian team, Suryansh Shedge, may soon debut for the Indian team in the ODI format. Following an impressive performance against Australia in the unofficial List-A series held in Puducherry, Suryansh Shedge has strengthened his position in the ODI squad for the visit to New Zealand.

Suryansh Shedge, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, is in excellent form. He has attracted the attention of the selection committee with both his bowling and batting performances during this series.

In the first match of the series, he took 44 runs with his accurate side-spin bowling. Furthermore, in the last ODI match, he played a crucial innings of 66 runs, saving the team at a critical moment.

According to information from a BCCI source, since Nitish Kumar Reddy will play a key role as the fourth fast bowler and lower-order batsman in the Test series, he may not be able to participate in all the ODIs against New Zealand, as he also needs to prepare for red-ball cricket.

Considering that Hardik Pandya is absent due to recurring injuries and the shortage of quality all-rounders in Indian cricket, Suryansh Shedge has become an excellent alternative for the coaching staff.

During the long tour between India and New Zealand, which begins on October 22, T20 matches will take place first, followed by the ODI series starting in Auckland on November 4. Given the tight schedule and limited time to prepare for Test matches, the selection committee might opt for a large squad, in which the name of this young all-rounder is considered almost inevitable.