ICC U19 World Cup: Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men's U-19 World Cup, with the defending champions including two Indian origin players -- Aryan Sharma and John James.

The ICC Men's U-19 World Cup is scheduled to take place in Namibia and Zimbabwe from January 15 to February 6.

Aryan, a batter and slow left-arm spinner, and James, a right-arm medium pace all-rounder, were both featured in a squad that played youth Tests and one-dayers against India in September.

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Besides cricketers of Indian heritage, the squad features two players of Sri Lankan (Naden Cooray and Nitesh Samuel) and one of Chinese Origin (Alex Lee Young).

Australia will head into the tournament as defending champions, with Oliver Peake leading the side.

"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."

Australia have been placed in Group A alongside Ireland, Japan, and Sri Lanka. The team will land in the hosting nation, Namibia, in early January and play warm-up matches from January 9–14.

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"The World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for these young cricketers to showcase their talent and test themselves against the best in the world," Nielsen concluded.

Australia Men's U19 Squad: Oliver Peake, Kasey Barton, Naden Cooray, Jayden Draper, Ben Gordon, Steven Hogan, Thomas Hogan, John James, Charles Lachmund, Will Malajczuk, Nitesh Samuel, Hayden Schiller, Aryan Sharma, William Taylor, Alex Lee Young.


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