Afghanistan’s Under-19 Cricket Team lost all three of their matches in the group stage of the World Cup, failing to advance. Asadullah Khan, the head of the selection committee of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, stated on his Facebook page that he did not select the team.
In the U-19 World Cup, Afghanistan played its last match against Nepal, losing by one wicket. The team also lost their first two matches to Pakistan and New Zealand.
The composition of the Afghan youth team was criticized on social media before the Asia Cup, which was held at the end of last year. Asadullah Khan stated that he is not responsible for the U19 or any T20 team because he did not select them.
Daulat Khan Ahmadzai, the former head of the selection committee of the Afghan Cricket Board and the former coach of the under-19 youth team, stated that there are four important reasons for the team’s poor performance. These include unprofessional team selection, lack of preparation according to the conditions, frequent team changes, and the players not being ready to bowl in South African conditions.
The youth team under the age of nineteen was also criticized because some of the players and cricket board staff members were selected by their relatives. Some players were removed from the team due to having two passports.
The former youth teams of Afghanistan under 19 reached the semi-finals of the international championships twice, and most of the players of the 2018 team are now playing in the national team.