Rain washes out Bangladesh-New Zealand U19 World Cup clash

BULAWAYO: The 15th match of the ICC Men's U19 World Cup 2026 between New Zealand and Bangladesh was washed out due to persistent rain here at the Queens Sports Club on Tuesday.

Bangladesh captain Azizul Hakim won the toss and asked New Zealand to bat first in the crucial Group B fixture.

The Blackcaps got off to a dismal start to their innings as Iqbal Hossain Emon cleaned up right-handed opener Hugo Bogue (eight) on the final delivery of the second over with just 11 runs on the board.

Following the early setback, captain Tom Jones joined Aryan Mann in the middle, and the duo batted sensibly to lead a decent recovery as they led New Zealand to 51/1 in 10 overs before rain intervened.

The downpour did not allow further play, and the game was eventually called off, resulting in the two teams sharing a point apiece.

Notably, it was New Zealand's second consecutive U19 World Cup 2026 match abandoned due to rain as the Blackcaps had earlier shared the honours with the United States of America (USA) in their campaign opener at the same venue on Sunday, and thus remained second with two points.

They next face leaders India in their last group-stage fixture, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Saturday.

The upcoming game is of great significance for New Zealand as a victory would prevent them from depending on the outcome of the Bangladesh-USA match to advance into the Super Sixes.

For the unversed, Bangladesh and the USA hold the last two positions in Group B standings, respectively, as both sides have a point apiece.