Two Indian origin players, Aryan Sharma and John James, have been named in Australia’s 15-member squad for the men’s U-19 World Cup scheduled to be held in Namibia and Zimbabwe from January 15 to February 6.

Aryan, a handy batsman and slow left-arm spinner, and James, a right-arm medium pace all-rounder, were both part of the squad which played against India in the youth Tests and one-dayers in September. Besides cricketers of Indian origin, the squad features two players of Sri Lankan (Naden Cooray and Nitesh Samuel) and one of Chinese descent (Alex Lee Young).

Australia enter the tournament as defending champions, with Oliver Peake as captain. “We’re delighted to announce a strong and well-balanced squad for the ICC Under-19 World Cup. Our focus has been on selecting a group with complementary skill sets that provide the best chance of success in the tournament,” head coach Tim Nielsen said in a release.

“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. It’s an exciting group. Some have already experienced senior training environments, while others are progressing rapidly through our pathway,” Nielsen said.

Australia are placed in Group A alongside Ireland, Japan and Sri Lanka. The team will reach Namibia in early January and play warm-up matches from January 9 to 14. “The World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for these young cricketers to showcase their talent and test themselves against the best in the world,” the head coach said.

Also read: USA make it to U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup