The Under 19 World Cup
The four teams still in with a chance in South Africa are Australia, England, India and New Zealand.Their paths to the semi-finals were not all straight and even. The Aussies had a frightful scare when Bangladesh, the early heroines of the tournament, saw them off by seven wickets. To counter that, they have the comfort of knowing they have already beaten another semi-finalist, India. As the Super Sixes were completed, the Bangladeshis’ win over UAE meant they matched the Australians in everything except that vital element, net run-rate. So near and yet…Among the lucky 44 to be selected for these final stages there will be an enviable collection of talent. A special few have already reached the pinnacle of the game; only time will tell which of the others will join them there.
Australia
Unlike many of the other teams in the tournament Australia has been supporting Under 19 cricket for twenty years. Only they and India can boast of cricket forming a central part in the sporting firmament of their nation. But then, it means that expectations are higher too. At their best they are a match for anyone, but their bowling strength has meant they have only once passed 150.
Their results:
Australia 130-5; Bangladesh 132-3
USA 64; Australia 65-1
Australia 159-5; Sri Lanka 51
India 87; Australia 88-3
UAE 107-8; Australia 109-4
India
India (Photo: ICC)
India take their cricket more seriously than most. In preparation for the World Cup they arranged two tournaments, against New Zealand (five T20s) and South Africa (six T20s).
With such a vast population and devotion to the game it’s unsurprising that a player like Richa Ghosh could be picked to represent her country at the age of sixteen. Their captain, Shafali Verma, is a second celebrated test player. But like Australia their performances have been vulnerable. Just look at the gap between their highest tournament total (219-3) and their 87 against the Aussies.
Their results:
South Africa 166-5; India 170-3
India 219-3; UAE 97-5
India 151-4; Scotland 66
India 87; Australia 88-3
Sri Lanka 59-9; India 60-3
New Zealand
New Zealand (Photo: ICC)
The Kiwis represent the other end of the graph: a small population, and a devotion to cricket that comes a poor second to rugby. But these days New Zealand sides consistently punch above their weight. The Under 19 squad’s performances have been very impressive.
It may prove to have been a disadvantage that they bowled out four successive opponents for low totals. It means that their batters have rarely been placed under pressure. When they did bat first, they mounted a reassuringly big total against Pakistan.
They have a massive challenge coming up as they face India. In that warm-up tournament they lost 5-0 to them, a real psychological barrier to overcome.
Their results:
Indonesia 74-7 NZ 77-0
Ireland 74; NZ 75-1
West Indies 68; NZ 72-0
Rwanda 95-7; NZ 99-6
NZ 178-7; Pakistan 75-7
England
England (Photo: ICC)
The England U19s can boast an even longer pedigree than Australia, the ECB creating a team of this age-group in 2000.
With new structures and competitions in place, it’s little surprise that the squad of 15 has a relatively high average age with plenty of experience of big match-days.
I still can’t believe that the coaches failed to suggest the benefits of batting second in at least one match. Perhaps Grace Scrivens will win every single toss.
Rather like New Zealand’s approach to their game with India, the question of a possible psychological barrier must be faced. Whenever England beat the Aussies at cricket, it’s worth an extra national bank holiday. Now, when was the last one?
‘Stuff and nonsense!’ you may reply. These are young players unencumbered by history. They are playing on neutral territory, they are unbeaten (unlike Australia) and have seen off all their opponents with something to spare.
Well, that’s fine then. But who once said ‘Cricket’s a funny game’?
Their results:
England 199-4; Zimbabwe 23
England 179-4; West Indies 84-8
England 156-7; Pakistan 103-5
England 183-5; Rwanda 45
England 207-2; Ireland 86
Deductions
These figures tell conflicting stories:
First, the wide margins of victory were inevitable once the ICC took the brave and correct decision to allow sixteen nations to take part. Some were not even full members, Rwanda and UAE for example are Associate Members. But how else do you encourage the spread of the game?
Second, the very brevity of the games adds to the unpredictability of results. Any one player may find herself having to forsake all she has been taught in the urgent need to hit the next three balls for six.
The Officials
At this intermediate stage it’s fitting to list the officials who have overseen proceedings unobtrusively and sympathetically:
The Match Referees
Vanessa Bowen, Owen Chirombe and Niamur Rashid.
The Umpires
Maria Abbott, Sarah Bartlett, Sarah Dambanevana, Jasmine Naeem, Kerrin Klaaste, Wayne Knights, Candace la Borde, Lisa McCabe, Ahmed Shah Pakteen, Sharfuddoula Saikat, Virender Sharma and Dedunu Silva.
The umpires, like the players, were put through intensive courses to bring them up to scratch.
The next Tournament
Details of the second World Cup are already known. It will take place in Malaysia and Thailand in 2025. That’s what you call breaking new ground.
Many of the participants in South Africa will still be young enough to qualify for that follow-up. What an advantage that will give them and what an experience for teenagers!
What does he think he knows?
0n 23 January I offered this line-up for England’s Eleven to take on the might of Australia:
Scrivens, Heap, Holland, Perrin, Seren Smale, Macdonald-Gay, Groves, Anderson, Sophia Smale, Stonehouse and Baker.
We must wait till Friday to see how wrong I was.
