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READY FOR ACTION

November 14-20, 2018
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Gulf Weekly READY FOR ACTION

Gulf Weekly Kristian Harrison
By Kristian Harrison

Bahrain’s U19s national cricket team is hoping to knock the competition for six as they prepare to jet off to Thailand for a prestigious global tournament.

The group of 18 players has been practising intently for more than six months, focusing on key skills and mental preparation for pressurised run chases as they seek to claim glory for the kingdom.

The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Division 2 qualifiers will take place from December 9-14 at various grounds in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Bahrain will be competing as one of 10 teams at the tournament and have been placed in a group alongside Hong Kong, Maldives, China and Kuwait.

In the other group are Saudi Arabia, Bhutan, Thailand, Qatar and Oman. The top team from each group will qualify for the Asia Division 1 qualifiers for a spot in the U19 Cricket World Cup in 2020.

Each team will play the others in their pool in 50-over round-robin matches.

Under the watchful eyes of head coach Azeem Ul Haque the players have been honing their skills in daily training sessions at the Cricket Bahrain Association’s (CBA) ground in Isa Town and at Alba Club.

Haque believes that the team is extremely talented and could go far. He said: “The team has been undergoing strict training exercises since August, with physical conditioning. More recently we’ve focused on skills and scenario practice matches to coach discipline in high pressure situations.

“The players are very talented and it’s a pleasure to work with them. I don’t have specific targets for the tournament, but I believe they are good enough to go there and compete strongly, or even win the group. This is by far the best selection of youngsters we’ve had in Bahrain.”

The team’s prospects are strong thanks to a rigorous selection process. In early August, open trials were held at the Pakistan Club and Indian Club for 80 players, with selectors visiting numerous schools in the area. Then, another 90 players were vetted in September upon their return from summer holidays.

By October, the number was whittled down to 42 and put through various fitness and skills tests, before the final 18 for the Thailand tournament was selected. The remaining players will stay in Bahrain as part of the development programme.

Captain Jagan Vijayakumar will lead the side.

Ul Haque said: “There is tremendous ability within the squad and they are very good players who have come on leaps and bounds in terms of confidence and teamwork.

“Every day they are working on fitness and on grass, which is good preparation for the conditions they face in Thailand. We’ve played plenty of scenario games to train match situations such as target bowling, batting sensibly, and I’ve also spoke to them about how to prepare mentally and handle pressure.

“We go to Thailand with high hopes that they will do Bahrain proud.”

The team’s participation in the tournament is being sponsored by the Royal Bahrain Hospital and Arab Financial Services. In a statement, the CBA said: “Both the sponsors are great believers in youth development, particularly on the sports field, and welcome the opportunity to contribute to providing a platform for Bahrain’s upcoming national cricketers in the highest level of global competition.”







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