Two Indian origin players named in Australia squad for ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026

Australia, on Thursday (December 11), announced their 15-member squad for the forthcoming ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026. The much-awaited tournament is scheduled to be played in Namibia and Zimbabwe from 15 January to 6 February.

The highlight of the Australia squad is the inclusion of two players of Indian heritage - Aryan Sharma and John James. The squad also consists of two Sri Lankan descent (Naden Cooray and Nitesh Samuel), and one of Chinese origin (Alex Lee Young).

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Oliver Peake will lead Australia in the tournament as they look to defend their title. On the other hand, Tim Nielsen will be leading the coaching staff with the likes of Luke Butterworth and Travis Dean being the assistant coaches.

"We’re delighted to announce a strong and well-balanced squad for the ICC Under-19 World Cup. Our focus has been on selecting players with complementary skill sets to maximise our chances of success in the tournament. The players named have impressed with their performances during the U19 series against India in September and at the recent National U19 Championship in Perth," said Nielsen.

"It’s an exciting group, with some players already experiencing senior training environments, while others are progressing rapidly through our pathway. The World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for these young cricketers to showcase their talent and test themselves against the best in the world," he added.

Australia in ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026:

For the upcoming edition of the World Cup, Australia have been placed in Group C alongside Ireland, Japan and Sri Lanka. Before the main event gets underway, Australia will also play some warm-up matches, scheduled from January 9 to 14.

They will be starting their campaign against Ireland on January 16 before facing Japan and Sri Lanka. The top three teams from each group will advance to the next round.

Introducing our squad for the 2026 ICC Under 19s Cricket World Cup in January 🇳🇦 🇿🇼 pic.twitter.com/73JaQpbYDZ

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) December 10, 2025

Talking about the World Cup, 16 teams will be participating in the tournament. The teams have been divided into four groups of four teams each. With 12 teams advancing to the next round, they will be further divided into two groups of six each. It will be followed by two semifinals and the final.

Australia squad for ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026:

Oliver Peake, Kasey Barton, Naden Cooray, Jayden Draper, Ben Gordon, Steven Hogan, Thomas Hogan, John James, Charles Lachmund, Will Malajczuk, Nitesh Samuel, Hayden Schiller, Aryan Sharma, William Taylor, Alex Lee Young