Lahore - Pakistan U-19 captain Rohail Nazir on Thursday said that he was hopeful that his side will perform well in the upcoming ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2020 in South Africa starting from January 17.
Rohail, the wicketkeeper-batsman, said that his team had undergone a month-long rigorous training camp with additional one-on-one sessions under the supervision of head coach Ijaz Ahmed. "The team trained well for a month and during the entire 30 days, our head coach prepared us well for power hitting and pressure management, which will help us do well during the mega event in South Africa," he said.
The U-19 skipper said that his players would have the upper hand in the tournament due to their familiarity with the conditions there, thanks to the last year’s tour of South Africa. "The national U-19 team has some know-how of the pitches in South Africa and my team members are good too, so I think we have a winning combination and we will try to give out our best.”
About chances of the team during the U-19 World Cup, Rohail said: “We have a good team combination as we have good batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders and their utilization at right time will help us produce the better results for the team and help it register crucial victories. We have trained well and we are hopeful of giving out our best and try to win the World Cup.”
When asked which team he considers the tough team, he replied: “We are guided by our coach Ijaz Ahmed that whatever match we play, it becomes past, as if we win it, we should continue the winning spree and if we lose, we should learn from our mistakes and never repeat them rather try to improve and move ahead. In our mind, there is no particular tough team as we will prepare well for every given match and try to win it.”
Replying to another query, the skipper said: “Yes, it is true that many young players made their ways to the national sides after performing well in U-19 World Cup. We have many examples of Australia, England, New Zealand and other teams’ players, who impressed at U-19 level and now they are the part of their respective national teams. We are also hopeful of performing well in the upcoming U-19 World Cup, which will certainly help us advance to the next level.”
Meanwhile, former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis paid visits to the U19 training camp this week and gave the team useful tips. They also reminded the starlets that the platform could open the doors of international cricket on them. The team will leave for South Africa today (Friday) here from Allama Iqbal International Airport.