PakPassion.net spoke with the elated coach of the Pakistan U19 squad, Sabih Azhar, to discuss his views on the performance of his team in the final game and the consequences for Pakistan's preparations for the upcoming ICC U19 World Cup tournament.

 by Amir Husain (July 3rd 2012)

When the marketing men for Asian Cricket Council (ACC) first envisaged an Under 19 ODI cricket tournament for Asian nations, they probably hoped for an Indo-Pakistan final as a grand finale to the inaugural edition. What they got in the bargain was an absolutely mind numbing thriller.

On the 1st of July, the two giants of Asian cricket met in Kuala Lumpur for the final game of the Asia Cup. Pakistan batting first and riding on the confidence built upon their victory against the same foe in the group stages, amassed what they would have assumed was a match winning score of 282 runs. The Indian youngsters then set about chasing the target and just when it seemed that they would stroll to victory, Pakistan fought back with the match ending as a thrilling last ball tie.

The Pakistani team and its management can feel rightly proud for their performance in this tournament, especially as they prepare for the U19 World Cup in Australia, due to start in August of this year. The Team arrived back home to a hero’s welcome in the early hours of the morning where it was greeted by PCB officials and dedicated fans and soon afterwards, PakPassion.net spoke with the elated coach of the Pakistan U19 squad, Sabih Azhar, to discuss his views on the performance of his team in the final game and the consequences for Pakistan's preparations for the upcoming ICC U19 World Cup tournament.

Given the importance of any encounter between the old rivals, it was perhaps no surprise that the final game of the Asia Cup was as tough as any, with both sides refusing to concede defeat and fighting to the end. Sabih Azhar, made no secret of the fact that whilst it may have been their main aim to beat the traditional rivals, just the experience of playing under pressure would stand his charges in good stead in the near and long term

“The Indian team was very strong but it is also true that our main target throughout this tournament was to compete hard and beat them. Both games against India were high pressure games but remarkably the boys handled the pressure very well and fought hard. We won the first game by one run but in the second game we came back from a near impossible position to tie the match. This is huge credit to the boys and it’s really good that we got to play some high pressure matches before the Under 19 World Cup. The overall experience was great as it was great to see the players handle the pressure so well" stated Sabih.

One criticism of Pakistani teams, whether senior or junior, has centered on their inability to perform on a consistent basis from game to game. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see the Pakistani U19 squad put in some solid performances in all their games in the cup. Scores of 287, 302, 296 and 282 demonstrated a degree of consistency which pleased Sabih to no end.

“One important point that I was really pleased with was the consistency in batting. To be honest, this was an issue that was a major cause of concern before this tournament. I was very pleased to see Pakistan perform so well with the bat. In most games, apart from the one against Nepal where they had to chase a lower total (156), our batsmen consistently scored runs. It was only in a few games that the lower order had to contribute otherwise most of the scoring was done by the top order who put up big scores on a consistent basis which was great to see”

Pakistan U19 teams have traditionally done well in major tournaments and the Asia Cup was no exception but to the Coach Sabih Azhar, the unity in the team deserved special praise along with some of the youngsters who put in extra effort to make this a successful outing for the team.

“One aspect that really pleased me was the team discipline and unity. The whole squad, whether playing or not, was united in their aim to win and do well in tournament - they all supported each other through every game and it was a great dressing room atmosphere. Of course there were some great individual performances from the likes of Umar Waheed, Inam ul Haq, Usman Qadir, Babar Azam and Zia ul Haq.”

As the U19 World Cup in Australia draws closer, all eyes will now be focussed on the preparations for the Pakistani team as it readies itself for the ultimate challenge. The Asia cup has been an excellent opportunity for the players to hone their skills in high pressure games but Sabih Azhar, whilst being optimistic of success, has no desire to underestimate the task ahead and will expect to learn valuable lessons from the Asian Cup.

“Although our bowling was generally very impressive, there are some aspects that we need to work on. I am concerned about the issue with number of extras, including wides, conceded by our bowlers. However, we have to understand that these are young guys and they were put under a lot of pressure in the final so it is understandable yet, this needs work in preparation for World Cup. I will say that if the performance in Asia cup is any indication of things to come then we have high hopes of winning the World Cup in August”

Pakistan U19s begin their ICC U19 World Cup campaign on August 11th with a fixture against neighboring Afghanistan whom they defeated in the semi finals in Kuala Lumpur.