The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Azizul Hakim as captain of a robust squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia. Zawad Abrar has been named as his deputy.
Bangladesh has relied on experience and current form to assemble a 15-member squad. Alongside this, eight standby players have been announced to step in case of injuries. The team will kick off their campaign against India on January 17.
Captain Azizul Hakim and vice-captain Zawad Abrar are in strong form, having accumulated over 1,000 runs in Youth ODIs since the last U19 World Cup. Kalam Siddiki, who has scored 857 runs during this period, is also a key player to watch out for.
The squad features a strong bowling lineup, with pacers Iqbal Hossain and Al Fahad expected to thrive in pace-friendly conditions in Zimbabwe. They have been the team’s most successful bowlers since the last U19 World Cup, taking 45 and 43 wickets, respectively.
Bangladesh faces a challenging Group B that includes India, New Zealand, and the USA. From the four groups, three teams will progress to the Super Sixes, followed by the semi-finals and the final.
A total of 16 teams will compete in the 2026 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, featuring 41 matches throughout the tournament. The teams will be split into four groups, with the top three from each group advancing to the Super Six stage. The fourth-placed teams in Groups A and D will face off, as will those in Groups B and C during the placement stage.
Bangladesh Squad:
Azizul Hakim Tamim (c), Zawad Abrar (vc), Samiun Basir Ratul, Sheikh Parvez Jibon, Rizan Hossan, Shaharia Al Amin, Shadin Islam, Md Abdullah, Farid Hasan Faysal, Kalam Siddiki Aleen, Rifat Beg, Saad Islam Razin, Al Fahad, Shahriar Ahmed, Iqbal Hossain.
Standby:
Abdur Rahim, Debashis Sarkar Deba, Rafi Uzzaman Rafi, Farhan Shahriar, Farzan Ahmed Alif, Sanjid Majumder, Md Sobuj.