Cricket: Four venues chosen for under 19 World Cup

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson played in the under 19 World Cup. Photo / AP

Tauranga's Bay Oval will host the under 19 World Cup final next February, one of four locations for the 48 matches.

The other three are Queenstown's John Davies Oval, Cobham Oval in Whangerei, and Christchurch, which provides four venues - Hagley Oval, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Rangiora and Lincoln.

Tauranga is aiming to have lights installed in time for the tournament, with the final expected to be a day-night fixture. That is a significant factor in them getting the final, considering the sub-continental market for broadcasting and the time zones.

It will be the third time the cup has been held in New Zealand, after previous editions in 2002 and 2010. The budget is $US10 million, all funded by the International Cricket Council and New Zealand Cricket.

It is an acknowledged proving ground for future stars, and players such as New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, along with Australian captain Steve Smith and Indian skipper Virat Kohli have dipped their toes into international cricket at this level.

The locations have one point in common - all are what are seen as boutique venues. All have grass banks and pleasant settings.

There will be a clash with domestic and international cricket next summer, and therefore a stretch on facilities while the tournament is on.

However, winning hosting rights is further vindication for NZC that they're seen as a safe pair of hands to hold international events.

''New Zealand's reputation is very good,'' NZC chairman Greg Barclay said, pointing to the 2015 World Cup jointly hosted with Australia and which won plenty of plaudits for its organisation.

Christchurch will host the lion's share of games, 26 while Queenstown nine, Tauranga seven and Whangarei six.

There will be 16 teams, split into four pools. Twenty of the 48 games will be broadcast live.

The countries include all 10 test-playing nations, plus Namibia, who qualified highest of the non-test nations last year in Bangladesh. The other five will be regional tournament winners.

New Zealand have 50 days of international cricket next season, so fitting the tournament in took some planning.

Twelve locations applied to be a host venue. Queenstown hosted the last of its nine ODIs on New Year's Day 2014, a match notable for Corey Anderson hitting the fastest century, 36 balls, to that point. The ground is now back up to accepted standards.

Whangarei has hosted only one ODI, against Zimbabwe in 2012.

The tournament will run from January 13 to February 3. There will be 16 warmup games, all in the Christchurch region.