Dubai
The conclusion of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Europe qualifier saw Scotland emerge victorious, topping the table in the Netherlands to confirm their place as the 15th team to qualify for the main event in Sri Lanka in January.
Needing to avoid defeat and a substantial swing in net run-rate, the Saltires led by skipper Owen Gould, comfortably defeated Italy by 151 runs to cue the celebrations and book their third successive appearance at the event.
The opening fixture saw seamer Alec Price claim four wickets for 29 runs to earn their first win of the campaign against Jersey by 70 runs. The following match was a high-scoring affair against the Netherlands, and the Saltires held off their opponents by 46 runs thanks to half-centuries from Price (82) and Bahadar Esakhiel (55). Price and Dunk (52 not out) orchestrated the win against Norway, easing to a ten-wicket win chasing down a low target of 117 thanks to a fine bowling display.
As many as 16 teams will be competing at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024 over 41 matches. 11 teams have automatically qualified for the event as the best-placed Full Member nations from the previous event in 2022. These are: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Only the winning teams from the Regional Qualifiers will qualify to compete at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Sri Lanka 2024.
