ICC Under-19 World Cup, Aug 2012

[Pagalpanti]

That was a different ground. On these pitches this combination is ideal. We can't just go in with 2 pacers' date=' we need 3 at the very least. Plus we have Harmeet & Aparajith to bowl 20 overs of spin which is good enough. However, one change that can be made is Rush Kalaria in place of Nath or Vihari. Those guys look out of sorts and Kalaria is an all-rounder and at the very least can give us some overs and is unlikely to be worse than Nath or Vihari with the bat. But Chand needs to up his game and come up with a big score if we hope to get the better of Aussies and lift the World Cup.[/quote'] It was the same ground. But yeah I guess they might stick to this combination as this has worked so far in this tournament.

[Ultimate_Game]

is he better than ohja who I think is not that great.

To me he has potential to be better than Ojha. The guy has great control over his line and length, gives the ball lot of air, turns the ball (though not that much) and has a pretty good arm ball. He definitely should be in the A team and after a couple of series with India A decision can be made whether he should be promoted to the Indian team.

It was the same ground. But yeah I guess they might stick to this combination as this has worked so far in this tournament.

Didn't know it was the same ground. Somehow I thought that final was played in Melbourne. I guess Chand will need to play a special knock this time round as well.

[Clarke]

Bachchon ki :bumsmack: hone wali hai It will be an incredible win if they can pull this one off.

[jind]

Another close encounter yesterday. Just when the Black caps were looking to threaten, Ravikant Singh bowled a great yorker. That was brilliant. NZ had some big hitters down the order and India did well in the death overs esp. Sandeep Sharma. Aparajith's all-round performance was noteworthy along with Harmeet who bowled quite well. Onto the Finals :nice:

[jind]

However' date=' one change that can be made is Rush Kalaria in place of Nath or Vihari. Those guys look out of sorts and Kalaria is an all-rounder and at the very least can give us some overs and is unlikely to be worse than Nath or Vihari with the bat. But Chand needs to up his game and come up with a big score if we hope to get the better of Aussies and lift the World Cup.[/quote'] That is a good point. Both Nath and Vihari have been found wanting in this tourney. While we're having this discussion, who knows they'll perform in the finals? :--D

[Analyst Maaz]

Background The 9th youth World Cup will be held in Australia from the 11th-26th August 2012. The format is the standard one which has been used for this competition for some time with 4 initial groups of 4 teams followed by the knock outs starting with quarter finals, semi finals & a final. Specific matches are televised, including the ones from the semi final stage onwards. There is also 3rd & 4th place play offs & 5th & 6th place play offs once a side has been eliminated. Over the years many players have represented their countries at the under-19 level that have gone on to make their name at the very top level. Examples include Mushtaq Ahmed, Inzamam ul Haq, Owais Shah, Graeme Swann, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, and Hashim Amla to name a few who have made the transition. From the previous tourney names such as Mitchell Marsh, Ben Stokes, Hammad Azam, Danny Briggs amongst others have gone on to be awarded international caps, although that has been restricted to limited over matches. 7 To Keep an Eye On Chand Talented middle order batsmen & also holds the responsibility of skippering the Indian u-19 national side. Chand led India to the quadrangular series win against Australia in Australia in April where England & New Zealand also competed. Despite losing all 3 group matches in a 4 team competition, India went on to win the competition by winning the semi final & final. In both the semi final & final Chand won the player of the match award & led from the front when it really mattered. No stranger when it comes to playing in front of the cameras as Chand has played for the Daredevils in the IPL which should give him an advantage going into the youth world cup. With the world cup also happening in Australia, Chand will be full of confidence knowing he has performed in this part of the world already this year. Aslam left handed opening batsmen. Sami was the Player of the tournament during the triangular series in South Africa earlier in the year & carried the bat with an unbeaten double century during a televised match vs. British Universities in Lahore in April. Aslam has formed a mouth watering opening partnership with captain Babar Azam with both tipped to make it to the top level in the future. The opening combination is an area where Pakistan will be relying heavily on & has been the key to their success in under-19 cricket in recent times. SamiÃÔ batting inspiration is Suresh Raina. Might only be 16 on paper, but one of the key names on the team sheet. From an interview I conducted with him he came across as an ambitious & confident person in general. On a technical note, Aslam has a range of scoring shots & has the capabilities to build an innings from what was mentioned in the same interview. We will see how accurate his self assessment is... Topley Left arm fast bowler with a gigantic height of around 6?. Reece plays club cricket for Colchester & has represented Essex at first class cricket, making his county debut last season at the age of 17. He was once struck brutally in the face to a KP straight drive when netting as a net bowler in his early teens. As a result Reece was out of action for some time, but recovered well & in April 2011 Paul Grayson, the Essex coach, confidently handed him over the chance to debut. Reece didnÃÕ disappoint, but academic commitments limited his chance to play on a regular basis. De Knock I have been in touch with quite a few of the Pakistani U-19 players & all of them rate this South African captain, wicket keeper & destructive hard hitting opener highly. During the triangular series earlier in the year De Knock dispatched the Pakistani bowlers all over the park in some of the games. The wicket keeper batsman has played quite a lot domestically already in South Africa with a promising start to his career. Sounds like an exciting prospect & a dangerous one too. Cummins Surely you have heard of him? Cummins got an early test debut at 18 last year during the tour of South Africa. He bowled with heart & hit the winning runs during the 2nd test of the series where Michael ClarkeÃÔ side bounced back to level proceedings. A handy lower order basher as well, scoring a half century in 24 deliveries during the course of the quadrangular series in Australia in April. Batsmen will have their work cut out to handle his pace, movement & bounce on pitches he is familiar bowling on. Dockrell The Irish left arm spinner who has been an integral part & a front line performer for the senior side over the years. Dockrell possesses a wealth of experience for someone of his age, travelling & performing all around the world in a variety of competitions at the international level. Logically, he was the obvious choice to lead the Irish under 19 side while he is still eligible to represent them. George who plays for Somerset has all the craft, guile & subtle variations to keep things tight & get breakthroughs in the middle passages. George has voiced aspirations to play test cricket for England down the line. Kraig He was found wanting at test level, regularly troubled in the corridor of uncertainty by Ben HilfenhausÃÔ outswingers, but he would have learnt plenty from the initial taster of international cricket. To his credit, he did show us glimpses of his potential. It is debateable as to whether he was thrown into the deep end too early in the piece. One moment that will last in his memory is knocking over the man universally known as the øall in his penultimate test series as a player by disturbing his furniture as a bowler. Kraig is primarily in the team as a top order batsmen, but also useful in other aspects of the game. West Indies youth side could really benefit from his presence & will be looking for him to put in exceptional performances. At this level he is capable of dominating & stealing the headlines as a more recognised name Prediction I expect Australia, Pakistan, India & South Africa to win their respective groups during the preliminary stages & therefore win an easier quarter final tie. Barring South Africa who I feel will be beaten by England via A2 v D1; I see the following teams making the final 4. Any of these 4 teams can go on to lift the title; there isnÃÕ much to choose between them. All of these 4 teams are the only 4 holders of this trophy & I suspect one of them will go on to lift it again. If I had to choose I would say that Australia & India will make the final will Pakistan coming home with victory in the 3rd place play off. What the Pakistanis have going in their favour is they have members in their squad who played in the last one of these World Cups in New Zealand 2.5 years ago who would have learnt plenty from the experience & would be determined to go one better this time around from being finalists. Australia as defending champions, hosts & the most successful side in this competition with 3 of the 8 titles going to them are the favourites. It would be unfair to dismiss West Indies & Bangladesh who are two tough teams at this level & both cannot afford to be underestimated. West Indies were 3rd place winners in the last one whereas Bangladesh defeated England 5-2 when they came over for a tour not so long ago.

hear hear

[The Outsider]

Harmeet will turn into a darter in 2-3 years time once he starts playing more IPL and T20.

[panther]

Harmeet will turn into a darter in 2-3 years time once he starts playing more IPL and T20.

like ashwin

[vvvslaxman]

like ashwin

Ashwin got famous in IPL T20 mainly because of his flight :hmmm: . His problem is not darting. He just is not consistent these days. Bowls on both sides.

[rkt.india]

Ashwin got famous in IPL T20 mainly because of his flight :hmmm: . His problem is not darting. He just is not consistent these days. Bowls on both sides.

and short as well. Since he was hit by Pollard in the ODI match last year, he is giving lot less flight than he used to. I say Harmeet wont become a darter because flighting comes naturally to him as his action is suitable to do that and gets turn. He will get more turn on SC track and then he is a left armer so it wont be easy for right handed batsmen to hit him against the turn and he can always beat them with flight and turn if they try to play with turn. His bowling action is that what makes him treat to watch, great pivot and height while delivering the ball.

[panther]

shakib and rehman don't flight the ball much and these 2 are the best 2 sla in the world.

[Ultimate_Game]

hear hear

Hats off to you on your picks :hatsoff: I was expecting a final between two out of Aus, SA & Eng.

[Ultimate_Game]

Harmeet will turn into a darter in 2-3 years time once he starts playing more IPL and T20.

The only way that can be avoided if IPL is played on grounds where the boundary rope is not brought in, and the pitches are bowler friendly. I would rather watch a T20 game where 134 trumps 129 instead of 195 trumping 186.

shakib and rehman don't flight the ball much and these 2 are the best 2 sla in the world.

Sad commentary about the sorry state of left arm spinners, isn't it? All the more reason to believe Harmeet will have a bright future.

[Ultimate_Game]

It's a one-game playoff and anything can happen. Indians have shown they can win close ones, can keep their nerves under pressure and are a decent team. All they need is for Chand to play a blinder in the finals and cup can be ours

[Tridibans_16]

Pre Tournament Prediction As I correctly predicted in my ? to watch thread prior to the world cup, Australia and India will reach the final and compete for the title at the 2012 edition of the under-19 world cup in Queensland. Now that is a reality and one of the previous 3 teams to win the trophy twice or more will lift it again. Will Australia win their 4th title and successfully defend their crown? Or will India join Australia by winning a 3rd title and therefore become the joint winner of the highest number of u-19 titles with the current champions? Setting the Scene Australia comes into this final, undefeated in the tournament, winning all 5 of their games in to the road to the final. India did have a slip up against West Indies in the group, but narrowly scraped through against Pakistan and New Zealand in the knock out encounters. Will Unmukt Chand join Virat Kohli and Mohammad Kaif as a national under-19 world cup winning captain for the men in blue? I feel he wonÃÕ and am standing by my pre tournament favourites, Australia who have looked the most convincing outfit on show, but he has done well to lead India this far and can be proud of his and his teams efforts. India have won the quadrangular series and Asia Cup this year, the world cup will be the icing on the cake. Word on Pakistan Just a brief word on Pakistan who was one of the other contenders for the title, but were eliminated at the quarter final stage. ItÃÔ the first time since 2007 that they have been knocked out at a menÃÔ ICC tournament finals without reaching the final 4/semi finals including World Cup, WT20 and Champions Trophy. It is their worst position in their last 5 editions, even though they havenÃÕ played that badly, winning the initial pool and losing by 1 wicket in the quarter final. A 7th place finishing just like their menÃÔ hockey team in 2012 games is not a good consolation prize either. However, many of their players like Sami, Captain Babar and Imam are young enough to play in the 2014 edition in the UAE and will be backing themselves to go further in more familiar territory to them. Statistics Last 4 U19 CWC finals have been won by the side batting first In 6 televised matches in the tournament, barring obvious mismatches, no side has scored 250 and only 2 sides have scored above 200, on both occasions winning totals. In 7 of the 9 televised matches in the tournament, the side that has won the toss have elected to field first. Low Scoring Thrillers Low scoring thrillers have been a common theme associated with this world cup. Batting has been tough and slow going. This is better than high scoring run feats where batting is straightforward, encouraging explosiveness and innovation and emphasis is on damage limitation with the ball. This is a better evenly contested intriguing battle between bat and ball where the ability to survive and deny is impressive as is the ability to score batting attackingly as well. Batsmen have their work cut and the classical batting virtues find an important place. Bowlers have assistance and how well they can extract it and make the most of it is the challenge. Every wicket, partnership, defensive block, run scored seems so significant. This is one day cricket at its best. Tournament Highlights 0/2 in the first 5 deliveries of the Pakistan-India quarter final with Sandeep Sharma finding the edge of Aslam and Haq to nick off in the slip cordon without troubling the scorers. Dream start for India. Conway of Australia who has only played one game in the tournament so far getting a hat-trick in the pool match against Nepal with all 3 deliveries hitting the stumps to give the batsmen the death rattle. New Zealannd scoring 18 of the final over against West Indies in the quarter final to secure their spot in the final 4. Recommendations Earlier in the year so the players who are 19 during the course of the year have maximum chance of playing in the tournament. This one was held out of season as well. More television exposure for all teams. Perhaps cover more than one game per day. Some teams get to play 2 pool games live whereas others donÃÕ get any depending on the group they are in. Unfair to the fans of certain countries who want to see the next generation of their cricketers in action and this is one of the few opportunities they get to do so. If they are only covering 1 game per day in the pool games, make sure they are not one sided mismatches. Show matches from more than just 1 ground live throughout the tournament. Limited international cricket to be played while itÃÔ on, it is a major ICC tournament and deserves every opportunity of becoming a hit. William Bosisto No one has impressed me as much in the tournament as he has. Bosisto is a clinical finisher, always having that ability to be there at the end and see his side through. He gives the hosts plenty of assurance in the batting department. He has only been dismissed once in the tournament and that was run out with the game virtually over with Australia only requiring one scoring shot to get home with wickets in hand during the semi final after he had done the bulk of the work. The Australian captain is a reliable banker and tough cookie to dislodge at the crease, averaging 179 after 5 innings. Moreover, sharp mover in the field who sets high standards and leads by example. Harmeet Singh Has bowled beautifully in the competition. He is a classical left arm spinner, using the art of flight and guile. He gives the ball a tweak and is unafraid to give the ball some extra air and try to deceive the batsmen in the flight. He genuinely bowls at a slower pace, looking to beat the batsmen in the air and get some turn. This is encouraging and unique in an era where darting the ball in is a norm for spinners. Harmeet has been a treat to watch. He also has a good arm ball. As a batsman you have to be prepared to use your feet to him and try to adjust his length. He works batsmen over if they are trying to play defensively or just nudge him way. If you take him on and try to put him under pressure, he may lose the rhythm and confidence. If you are going to treat him respectfully and see him off you have to make sure you concentrate hard for each over and negotiate tightly. He is hard to get away as he does not give you much pace to work with. Team of the Tournament Bancroft Azam Baba Foakes Bosisto Ž© Turner De Kock (WK) Dockrell Topley Singh H Sharma How Final Will Be Decided? First hour of play will be crucial. ItÃÔ important with the helpful conditions and 2 new white balls at each end not to lose wickets at the top and battle through the early patches without self destructing. Batting becomes easier to expand your range of shots and score the longer you spend in the middle. Batsmen have to be prepared to graft, grind and play the waiting game up top. Bowlers need to get the ball in the right areas and ensure they do the basics well enough and examine the batsmen consistently enough as the pitch has enough in it for them to get the breakthroughs and put the opposition under pressure. The Australian seam attack vs. the Indian top order will be the deciding factor and go a long way in determining who lifts the biggest under-age group sporting crown on the planet.

It seems you are a dedicated follower of this U19 WC :winky: BTW very well written article :two_thumbs_up:

[virufan]

I see both Zol and Baba in the test team in about 5-6 years. Unmukt is a possibility in the ODI and t20 sides 3-4 years down the line Harmeet could be the fastest in the test team in 2-3 years. He does seem to be ready mentally and skill wise.

Baba should put on some weight otherwise he will become another Ravindra Jadeja not able to clear the fence.

[rkt.india]

hear hear

Jamie Overton came out as the most talked about fast bowler in the tourny.

[CoverDrive]

tailunted teams fighting it out for a 7th place. must be a drag to keep on playing even when you are knocked off

[deathmonger]

Let's all laugh at Pakistan Tailunted Paki under 19 team who was supposed to win WC lost against India. Then they lost a lower place playoff against WI. Now they are losing the 7th place playoff against Bangladesh. :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: Pakistan Under-19 235/8 Bangladesh U-19 188/1. 48 runs off 15.4 overs required.

[Old guy]

just shows how much they over hype there players all the time