The Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team have returned home brimming with confidence after a highly successful tour of Africa, where they claimed series wins in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The performances have fuelled hopes of repeating their 2020 under-19 World Cup triumph at the upcoming 2026 tournament, which will also be staged on African soil.
The young Tigers began their month-long tour with a 3-1 victory in the youth ODI series against South Africa. They won the first three matches by over 100 runs each before falling to a 14-run defeat under the DLS method in the rain-affected fourth game. They carried that momentum into the tri-nation tournament in Zimbabwe, which also featured South Africa and the hosts.
In the group stage, Bangladesh lost only once to South Africa but avenged that defeat in style, sealing a 33-run win in the final to lift the trophy. The squad were greeted at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 12 august by BCB Head of Game Development, Habibul Bashar Sumon.
Captain Azizul Hakim Tamim was quick to set his sights on the bigger prize.
“Yes, of course. Everything is in Allah’s hands, but we are working towards winning the World Cup. For the past year, we have been working hard in every area. Our mindset is clear: we want to bring that trophy home.”
Reflecting on the series wins, Tamim praised his middle order and match-winners.
“Alhamdulillah, we had a great series. Since the World Cup will also be held there, it feels good to have had this success in advance. Abdullah and Rizan performed superbly in the middle order. Ratul (Samiun Bashir) stepped up in key moments, Rizan also played match-winning knocks. When the team is under pressure and someone delivers, that’s always a positive.”
He also singled out Rizan for special praise:
“As a pace-bowling all-rounder, he had a very good series. The innings he played in the final was crucial. The England series ahead is exciting. We’ll try to give our best, and the rest is in Allah’s hands.”
Tamim underlined the significance of beating South Africa in their own conditions, calling it “a big achievement”.