The official media launch for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012 was held in a function held at the Gabba, Brisbane. The high profile event was attended by a local representative from PakPassion.net

By Haroon Khan (21st February, 2012)

The official media launch for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012 was held in a function held at the Gabba, Brisbane. The high profile event was attended by a local representative from PakPassion.net

The event was hosted by ESPN Star Sports commentator, Alan Wilkins and was attended by past players of the tournament - Angelo Mathews, David Warner and Virat Kolhi. Australia and Queensland’s Ryan Harris was also there as representative of the state.

The event which is held every alternate year, will take place in Queensland from 11-26 August, where Australia will be aiming to defend the title it won in New Zealand two years ago when it defeated Pakistan in the final by 25 runs.

Alan Wilkins began the launch by introducing the players and giving a brief introduction of the tournament’s history and the commitment of ESPN Star Sports to this tournament. All matches from the Tony Ireland Stadium will be broadcast, along with two quarter finals, two semi finals and the final.

Next on stage was Cricket Australia’s High Performance Manager, Pat Howard. Pat Howard, who many have said is the vital cog in Australia’s re-emergence over the current summer, was delighted at the event being staged in Australia. He commented on the opportunity for the players of the future, and provided some stats on how past tournaments have proved great breeding ground for talent.

We were then treated to a couple of videos, the first a teaser as to what talent we can expect, with a video collage of past tournaments, ending with Mitch Marsh and his team shown lifting the 2010 World Cup. Then a short video clip of ESPN commentators was shown commenting on the tournament. Tom Moody spoke of how it provides a different experience for Asian teams and a great learning experience with living away from home in a different culture. Sanjay Manjrekar spoke of it being the ideal initial platform for recognition, and a tournament in which he learnt a lot about his inadequacies and where he needed to improve his game. Wasim said he was ‘excited’ with the tournament, having been part of the commentating team during past events. He spoke of the players that it has produced, mentioning the Pakistani contingent – Moin Khan, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Nazir.

Next to speak were each of the four players on stage. They were quizzed on their experiences and what it means to a young player. First up was Ryan Harris, who spoke highly of the “great grounds and great facilities” which are on offer for the touring sides. He also spoke of the value it provides to the community and the increase in jobs. Harris was also quick to remind everyone that “especially in Townville with the hot and humid conditions, it will provide a test for the guys”. When quizzed on what he would recommend for a young cricketer coming to Australia for the tournament, Harris joked, “Baggy shorts and bathers.”

Virat Kohli, who lifted the 2008 World Cup in Malaysia as captain, also reminisced about the “great experience it was as captain.” He also acknowledged the added importance it placed on the tournament with the television coverage. “The games were covered live by ESPN, so performance really caught the eye. To be able to pull together in big games like in the final, when we came from nowhere really helps.” In regards to the Indian U19 team, Virat commented that the Indian U19 team had recently toured Australia and had impressed him. “I have played with some of them and there are some talented cricketers coming through.”

Many players including a lot of Pakistanis such as Anwar Ali and Nasir Jamshed, have performed well at U19World Cups but have been unable to transform that same level of performance at domestic and international level, and Kohli had some words of advice for them. “A lot of players do well at the U19, but just don’t know how to make it at first class level. They’ve just got to keep working harder and improving.”

David Warner represented Australia at the 2006 edition of the tournament in Sri Lanka where they met Pakistan in the final. He was quick to forget the result of that final. “Let’s not talk about that one, we had Pakistan at 5-80 but they ended up with 290.” With Australia looking to become the second team (since Pakistan) to defend an U19 World title, Warner was hopeful of the team doing well. “There’s always a bit of pressure in your home country, but I’ve seen the talent and I’m sure they’ll put up a good fight.”

Finally, Angelo Mathews who was a member of the 2004 Sri Lankan side, spoke of his experience at the tournament he played in Bangladesh. “I was very much nervous at my first World Cup. But it was a good side with Farveez Maharoof, Upul Tharanga and myself” He was also confident of a good showing from his national youth team. “There is some good talent coming through, they just need to learn to adapt to the conditions.”

The tournament which is based upon a league format kicks off on 11th of August this year at the Tony Ireland Stadium with a clash between hosts Australia and traditional rivals England with the final scheduled for 26th August.