ACB’s Media Department Interviewed the National U19s head coach Mr. Raees Ahmadzai about the ongoing training & preparatory camp in Nangarhar, the upcoming ASIA CUP 2021 & the ICC U19s Cricket World Cup 2022. The interview is narrated as Qs & As below:
Q1: Tell us about the ongoing training camp, the number of participating players in the camp, and the number of players to be selected for the team?
Answer: “After the ICC U19 CWC 2020, the national selection committee introduced more than 100 players to us, arranged lots of training camps for them and provided them with successive opportunities to prove themselves. 26 players participated in the current training camp, out of which a maximum of 24 players will be selected for the upcoming two major events.”
Q2: The National U19s went through various training camps as well as travelled to Bangladesh for a multi-format series, how do you see the current preparations of the team for the upcoming events?
Answer: “We travelled to Bangladesh in very tough circumstances, the tour was arranged suddenly & we did not have enough preparations, but still the boys played well and helped them to somehow develop their skills. When we returned back to the country, we worked on the weaknesses of the players and managed to develop what we lacked in Bangladesh. The preparations went very well this time and I am sure enough that we will be doing well in both events and the team will be able to do well and will bring pride to the nation.”
Q3: Tell us about the Fast bowling unit, how do you see these options in this specific junior team?
Answer: “We have got 3-4 good fasters, who clicks over 135 kph at this young age and are expected to do well in the major events. As well as I think we will be able to deliver a few good fast bowlers to our senior squad in the coming few years from this team, which will help to resolve the current fast bowling dilemma in the team.”
Q4: How is the physical fitness of these players? As this is an important factor in the development of players as well as is considered as a high demand for the international cricket.
Answer: “Being youngsters, players are fit at this age, but we are working with them from its technical aspect to be more prepared and well fit prior to the start of the forth-coming events. Over the last few years, our players used to struggle in the fitness examining tests but fortunately all the participants of the current camp passed the tests which is very pleasing to see. It shows they have recognized the importance of being fit, which in return, helps them to do well while bowling, batting and fielding.”
Q5: The batters did struggle during the BD tour. How do you reckon the batting performance of the team after this particular camp?
Answer: “Batting is dependent on pitches. Good pitches allow the batters to bat well but the batters struggle to do well on the turning tracks. We have got a decent batting lineup but the wickets in BD were very tough to bat on, that’s why both teams struggled to score runs. The problem was that our boys were having plenty of dot balls. They were blocking or hitting boundaries, but when we returned, we worked on their strike rotation skills, scoring singles, doubles and thought them the importance of these bit of things. Now I can say our batting unit will be the one to watch out for in these junior events.”
Q6: Two major events are on the way, the Asia Cup & the U19 CWC, what do you think of the team’s journey in the events? How far they will proceed in these tournaments?
Answer: “We have done our preparations. The Asia Cup is set to be played in UAE, where the spinners will have a major role, the conditions are suiting us, as we have done our homework and managed to prepare the team for those specific conditions, and we believe the team will do well in the tournament. On the other hand, the U19 CWC is set to be conducted in the WI, where we know, the spinners will have impact on the games. We have done well in the trainings, have our full preparations and we will be targeting to reach the top 4 in that event.”