New Zealand Cricket has named Tauranga as a key host city for next year's International Cricket Council U19 Cricket World Cup.
The four host cities and seven match venues will be Christchurch (Hagley Oval, Rangiora Oval, Bert Sutcliffe Oval and Lincoln No.3), Queenstown (John Davies Oval), Whangarei (Cobham Oval) and Tauranga (Bay Oval).
The International Cricket Council U19 Cricket World Cup will be held on New Zealand soil for the third time, following previous events in 2002 and 2010. The 48-match event will take place from January 13 to February 3, 2018.
International Cricket Council chief executive Dave Richardson said the emergence of former U19 Cricket World Cup participants such as Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli demonstrated just how important the event was in the evolution of a world-class player.
"These are the future stars of cricket, the next generation coming through on to the international stage," Richardson said.