 | |
| Dates | 11 January – 1 February 1998 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | ICC |
| Cricket format | Limited-overs (50 overs) |
| Host(s) |  South Africa |
| Champions |  England (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  New Zealand |
| Participants | 16 |
| Matches | 50 |
| Most runs |  Chris Gayle (364) |
| Most wickets | Ramnaresh Sarwan (16) Mluleki Nkala (16) |
The 1998 MTN ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup was an international limited-overs cricket tournament played in South Africa from 11 January to 1 February 1998. Sponsored by the MTN Group, it was the second edition of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, coming ten years after the inaugural tournament in 1988, and the first to be held in South Africa.
Sixteen teams participated at the 1998 World Cup, up from only eight at the previous edition. After an initial group stage, the top eight teams played off in a super league to decide the tournament champions, with the non-qualifiers playing a separate "plate" competition. The tournament was won by England, which defeated New Zealand in the final to win its first and only title. New Zealand have failed to reach the final since then, whilst England have qualified for the final in 2022 but lost to India. Matches were held at venues around the country, though primarily in the interior, with the main final held at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. West Indian batsman Chris Gayle led the tournament in runs, while his teammate Ramnaresh Sarwan and Zimbabwe's Mluleki Nkala were the joint leading wicket-takers.[1][2]
- ^ Batting and fielding in MTN Under-19s World Cup 1997/98 (ordered by runs) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ Bowling in MTN Under-19s World Cup 1997/98 (ordered by wickets) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 10 November 2015.