Indian great Rahul Dravid hoped respective coaches travelling to Bangladesh will teach their Under-19 youngsters to take the highs and lows in the right spirit.
“These young players should not take the tournament as the crowning achievement of their careers but just a stepping stone for bigger things, like playing in the senior World Cup,” he said. “They should enjoy the tournament and learn the nuances of the game and what needs to be done to perform in a competitive environment.”
Dravid, has lauded the opportunities that the ICC Cricket Under 19 World Cup offers, even though he never played in the event himself. A veteran of 164 Tests and 344 one-day internationals with more than 10,000 runs in both forms, he was 15 when the inaugural event was held in 1988 and had already become a Test cricketer when it was next played in 1998.
“It is a great opportunity for young players to be able to get exposure to the demands of international cricket,” said Dravid, who will coach the India side at the tournament. “The event provides an opportunity to grow and learn, meet cricketers from other countries who you may go on to play against at the senior level for many years.
“Touring at a young age exposes you to the outside world and helps you explore and understand various cultures. That will go a long way in the development of a cricketer.”
“There are so many young people playing cricket in these countries,” said Dravid of Australia and India who have won the tournament twice each. “There is obviously a good system to unearth talent. In India, these youngsters get to play a lot of matches each year, which helps to develop their game. But the last tournament was won by South Africa, which shows other nations are catching up too.”
The 11th edition of the tournament will be played across four cities in Bangladesh from 27 January to 14 February and features nine Test-playing nations and seven Associate and Affiliate Members – Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Namibia, Nepal, Ireland and Scotland.
James Buttler
As the editor of Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author and a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications.
He's unsurprisingly a complete cricket badger!
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