Verdict

The tournament historically has been played 4 times in Asian conditions before with Pakistan and India sharing two titles each during the 4 held in Asia. Both of these sides have what it takes to go the distance and both can deservedly hold the tag of favourites going into the 10^th edition of the biggest teen sporting event or under age sporting event. Their form guide and familiarity with conditions make them the powerhouses. Pakistan have won 19 of their last 21 U-19 fixtures including defeating their England counterparts in all eight games they contested in 2013 and played a tri nations tournament and U-19 Asia Cup in these UAE conditions in the not too distant past. India are the defending champions, have the joint highest tally of title wins at the U-19 World Cup and recently triumphed in the U-19 Asia Cup. There is not much to choose between them and luckily for fans they lock horns on the second day of the competition in a televised fixture in what promises to be a mouth watering contest.