Farhan Ahmed, the 15-year-old brother of England leg-spinner Rehan, is among England’s 15-strong squad for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, which begins in South Africa in January 2024.
The youngster is an off-spinner, unlike his brother, and represented Nottinghamshire Second XI during the 2023 season. He is one of several in the squad with family ties to cricket. Kent’s Jaydn Denly is the nephew of former England Test batter Joe, Durham’s Haydon Mustard the son of former England wicketkeeper Phil, and Luc Benkenstein the son of former South Africa batter and current Gloucestershire coach Dale.
The squad will be captained by Durham’s Ben McKinney, who made his County Champiosnhip debut in 2023.
England have won the Under-19 World Cup just once, back in 1998, with their team featuring the likes of Rob Key and Graeme Swann. In 2022, the reached the final, but were beaten by India.
The tournament starts on January 13, 2024. England’s group includes Scotland, South Africa and West Indies. The event was originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, but was moved following Sri Lanka Cricket’s suspension from the ICC due to political interference.
England squad for Under-19 Cricket World Cup: Ben McKinney (c), Luc Benkenstein, Farhan Ahmed, Tazeem Ali, Charlie Allison, Charlie Barnard, Jack Carney, Jaydn Denly, Eddie Jack, Dominic Kelly, Sebastian Morgan, Haydon Mustard, Hamza Shaikh, Noah Thain, Theo Wylie.
