Afghanistan Future Stars U19 team have clinched the Youth Tri-Nations Series after beating Pakistan U19 by 21 runs in the final in the UAE on Tuesday.

Going into the match early Tuesday, Afghanistan U19 opted to bat first in the hope of seeing half-centuries from Barakatullah Ibrahimzai (79) and Nazifullah Amiri (56).

Healthy contributions were also posted from Faisal Khan (41).

In reply, the Afghanistan U19s backed their batting effort with an even better bowling effort, as they bundled out the Pakistan U19s for 229 runs to win the final by 21 runs and secure the title.

Nasratullah Nooristani (2/36), Naseer Khan Maroof Khil (2/38), Uzairullah Niazi (1/26), Abdul Aziz Khan (1/35), Khatir Khan Stanikzai (1/44) and AM Ghazanfar (1/50) all picked up important wickets and contributed to the series win.

The Youth Tri-Nation Series kicked Off on November 13 in Dubai which featured the hosts UAE U19s alongside Afghanistan and Pakistan junior teams.

Afghanistan played five games, including the final, and won four.

Afghanistan Future Stars, alongside the two other participating teams, will now head to the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2024, where the Afghanistan U19 team is pooled in Group A alongside Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal U19s.

The team will commence their campaign in the event on Friday, November 29 against the Bangladesh U19 team.

The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy Cup arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday as part of the Global Trophy Tour and will go on display at various locations around the country over the next few days.

After arriving at Kabul airport on Tuesday morning, the trophy went on public display in Kabul city.

A special ceremony was held by members of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), who were joined by national cricket team players.

The ICC Champions Trophy event will see eight teams battle it out for the silverware.

Afghanistan is in Group B, along with England, Australia and South Africa.

The first round comprises two groups of four with the top two in each group progressing to the semi-finals and the winners contesting the final.

The event is short, sharp and highly competitive.

Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN) has secured the rights to broadcast the event live and exclusively in Afghanistan.

ICC still to decide on venue

The tournament, expected to start in February 2025, is supposed to take place in Pakistan but due to India’s refusal to play in the country, the ICC is still to decide on a solution.

However, ESPNcricinfo reported late Tuesday that it had learned that the ICC Board would convene an emergency meeting next week to discuss the fate of the 2025 Champions Trophy.

According to their report, the single-point agenda for the meeting, which is likely to be held on November 26, is to reach a consensus on whether a hybrid model should be adopted for the tournament with matches being spread between Pakistan, the host country, and a second country, which is yet to be confirmed.

While several sources confirmed this, an ICC spokesman said there had been no official confirmation on this meeting.

Two weeks ago, India’s cricket board told the ICC that the government has denied the national team permission to travel to Pakistan.

This means that with under 100 days to go to the start of the event - as hosts, the PCB have penciled it in to run from February 19 to March 9 - there is still no official schedule from the ICC for the event.

Afghanistan Under-19 cricket team will face Pakistan in the final of the tri-series on Tuesday at the ICC Cricket Academy Ground in Dubai.

Both teams have been in fine form throughout the seven-match series, each securing three wins from four matches.

Hosts UAE, however, failed to register a single victory.

Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by 13 runs on November 20 but Afghanistan recorded a dominant 100-run win on November 15.