Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Who will lift the 2026 ICC Under-19 World Cup title? It’s the question on everyone’s lips, with most fans and experts tipping India and Australia as the frontrunners, given their dominant performances in the tournament. India began the 2026 edition as the most successful team in the competition’s history, boasting five titles, while Australia, the defending champions, follow closely with four crowns to their name.However, former South Africa spinner Paul Adams, renowned for his unorthodox and unique bowling action, has identified Pakistan as the team to watch out for in this edition of the tournament.
Pakistan’s growing reputation has been fuelled by a series of outstanding recent performances, most notably their Under-19 Asia Cup triumph, where they stunned India by 191 runs. That emphatic win not only delivered them the title but also sent a strong message to the rest of the field, underlining Pakistan’s credentials as a serious force at the Under-19 World Cup.With momentum firmly on their side and confidence soaring, Pakistan could well upset the traditional favourites as the tournament progresses.“We played against India just before coming to the World Cup. We had a series, so they are always going to bring a good side to the table. But if you watch the U19 Asia Cup and all of those tournaments, I’m quite confident Pakistan have a strong side. They’ve got some really good fast bowlers in their group. They are looking solid. And, you know, it’s always going to be the top nations competing against each other. There are some good young players in Australia as well,” Adams, who is currently working as South African U19 team’s bowling coach, told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“A few months ago, we played against them [Pakistan] as well, and there are some good quality cricketers in that group. So, yeah, we’ve done a bit of homework on all of them, and watched them closely. We’re preparing to push into the semifinals and knockout stages, and anything can happen on those days,” said Adams.“I’m the spin bowling lead for Cricket South Africa, so I work across the entire high-performance setup within Cricket South Africa. That involves working with the Under-19s and sometimes moving up and down across various teams,” he said.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, Australia, India, England, Pakistan, Afghanistan, South Africa and West Indies have all progressed to the next stage of the tournament.TEAMS and TITLES:India – 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, 2022Australia – 1988, 2002, 2010, 2024Pakistan – 2004, 2006England – 1998South Africa – 2014West Indies – 2016Bangladesh – 2020
