Afghanistan U19 will meet Papua New Guinea U19 (AF-U19 vs PNG-U19) in the thirteenth match of the ICC U19 World Cup 2022 on January 18. The Diego Martin Sporting Complex in Diego Martin will host this match. It is a Group C encounter.

This will be the first match for Afghanistan U19 in this U19 World Cup. Suliman Safi will lead the team in this edition. They have some quality players in their ranks such as Noor Ahmed. Shahidullah Hasani is a talented bowler who has picked up ten wickets in his last five outings. Another name to look out for is that of Bilal Sayeedi, who has scored 148 runs in his last four outings with a high-score of 114.

On the other hand, Papua New Guinea U19 suffered a humiliating loss against Zimbabwe U19. Their bowlers were taken for plenty as Zimbabwe scored 321 runs first up. Things got worse for them as they were bowled out for just 93 runs, thus losing by a massive margin of 228 runs. Papua New Guinea U19 will have to put this loss behind quickly and look to make an impact.

It is a crucial tie for both teams, one looking to start the U19 World Cup with win, while the other looks to bounce back.

Match Details

Match: Afghanistan U19 vs Papua New Guinea U19, Match 13

Date and Time: January 18, Tuesday, 6:30 PM IST

Venue: Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Diego Martin

AF-U19 vs PNG-U19 Predicted Playing XI

Afghanistan U19

Suliman Safi (c), Ijaz Ahmadzai, Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Bilal Sayeedi, Allah Noor, Muhammadullah Najib, Khaiber Wali, Noor Ahmed, Faisal Khan Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Hasani, Bilal Sami

Papua New Guinea U19

Boio Ray, Malcolm Aporo, Ryan Ani, Aue Oru, Christopher Kilapat, Barnabas Maha (c), Peter Karoho (wk), Junior Morea, Patrick Nou, Rasan Kevau, John Kariko

Pitch Report

The wicket at this venue is neutral. Both batters and bowlers will get help off the surface throughout the game. Bowlers are expected to get some swing early on with spinners playing their part later on. Batters need to spend time in the middle to score runs later on in the innings. Winning the toss and bowling first is a viable option on this wicket.

AF-U19 vs PNG-U19 Match Prediction

Papua New Guinea U19’s batters have struggled right through the warm-up matches of this competition. Their bowlers have also gone for runs and the side hasn’t looked settled. On the other hand, Afghanistan U19 appear to be a well-balanced unit. They have some key names in both the batting and bowling departments. Being the stronger side on paper, Afghanistan U19 are expected to start their U19 World Cup 2022 campaign with a win.

AF-U19 vs PNG-U19 Dream11 Fantasy Suggestions

Fantasy Team #1: Mohammad Ishaq, Allah Noor, Suliman Safi, Bilal Sayeedi, Ryan Ani, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Hasani, Christopher Kilapat, Noor Ahmed, Junior Morea, Rasan Kevau

Captain: Shahidullah Hasani, Vice-captain: Noor Ahmed

Fantasy Team #2: Malcolm Aporo, Allah Noor, Suliman Safi, Bilal Sayeedi, Ryan Ani, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Hasani, Christopher Kilapat, Noor Ahmed, Bilal Sami, Rasan Kevau

Captain: Suliman Safi, Vice-captain: Christopher Kilapat