Jorich Van Schalkwyk, Joshua Dorne among players to watch in Group D

A reliable No. 3 with four hundreds in Youth ODIs, Faisal Shinozada has an average of 52.00 and a strike rate of 88.13 in the format. He has some familiarity with conditions, having recently played four games in Zimbabwe during an Under-19 tri-series that also involved Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

Salam Khan is a new-ball wicket-taker who is coming off an impressive performance in the aforementioned tri-series, leading the tournament's wickets chart with 14 in four games including three four-fors. One of them came in a thriller in Harare where his 4 for 40 put Afghanistan on the brink of victory only for an unbroken last-wicket stand of 29 to sneak Pakistan to a one-wicket win.

Jason Rowles was one of South Africa's rare bright sparks with the bat during their 3-0 home defeat to India in the lead-up to the World Cup. The left-hand batter was their only centurion in that series, his 113-ball 114 from No. 4 coming in an all-out total of 245. Rowles also bowls left-arm spin, making him a handy all-round option. He was named Under-19 Player of the Year at the CSA pathway awards in 2025.

Jorich Van Schalkwyk is a well-known name at the Under-19 level; he became, in July 2025, the first batter to score a double-hundred in a Youth ODI, smacking a 153-ball 215 against Zimbabwe in Harare, out of a South Africa total of 385. Van Schalkwyk has also gained a fair bit of exposure to senior-level cricket, having played three first-class and four List A games. He scored 72 in his debut innings in first-class cricket, against a Lions attack that included three frontline bowlers who have played for the senior South Africa side.

Joshua Dorne recently led West Indies to series wins over Sri Lanka and England, and was the top run-getter in both series. That run of form included scores of 95, 90 and 80 in the space of six matches before he finally scored his maiden Youth ODI hundred, an unbeaten 102 that steered West Indies to a series-sealing win over England at St. George's in November. This will be Dorne's second appearance at the Under-19 World Cup, and he will be eager to impress after managing a top score of just 11 in five visits to the crease in 2024.

A 17-year-old left-arm seamer from Barbados, Jakeem Pollard has taken 18 wickets in ten Youth ODIs at an average of 16.27, across series against Sri Lanka and England in the build-up to the World Cup. He boasts an economy rate of 3.71, and his standout performances include a 2 for 12 in nine overs - four of them were maidens - against Sri Lanka in a tense, low-scoring West Indies win at North Sound in September.

Laksh Bakrania has the honour of captaining Tanzania in their maiden appearance at the Under-19 World Cup. He already has senior international experience, having played 16 T20Is in which he has picked up 20 wickets with his left-arm orthodox spin at an economy rate of 5.22.

Despite being just 17, Khalidy Juma has played 15 T20Is for Tanzania. He opens the bowling and has picked up 21 T20I wickets at an average of 16.8. Among his standout performances so far is a Player-of-the-Match-winning four-wicket haul against Uganda in the Men's T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier. Juma was Tanzania's leading wicket-taker in that tournament with nine at an average of 15.44.