The Quadrangular Men’s U-19 One Day Series cricket will begin on November 13 at Mulapadu Grounds near Vijayawada, Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) Secretary S.R. Gopinath Reddy said.
Addressing a press conference at the Grounds in Mulapadu on November 2 (Thursday), Mr. Gopinath Reddy said the 14 matches, between Indian teams A and B, Bangladesh and England, are being organised by the Association under the auspices of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The matches will be held from November 13 to 27, from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Teams will start practising for the match from November 5.
Mr. Gopinath Reddy also announced that after a gap of seven years, Andhra Pradesh will host a Test match, between India and England in Visakhapatnam in February. An international T20 match between India and Australia will also be held in Visakhapatnam on November 23.
“We are one of the few States that have the required infrastructure and staff. We have many grounds in Kadapa, Anantapur, among other places. These are in addition to the ones in Visakhapatnam and Mangalagiri that can host international matches,” Mr. Gopinath Reddy said.
He also announced that the association will soon begin inter-school tournaments in the State to bring out hidden talents. “Many people do not know who to approach or where to get training. To plug the gaps, we are planning to start tournaments at grassroots level to recognise talents. The association will train them,” he said.
He expressed happiness that three players from Andhra Cricket Association, K. Sai Teja, T. Vijay and K. Haneesh Veera Reddy, have been invited for trials by Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians respectively for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023-24.
Listing out other achievements, he said two Andhra players, G. Hanuma Vihar and K.S. Bharat, were part of Rest of India Team that won the Irani Trophy against Ranji Trophy Champions held at Rajkot.