Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ELTON CHIGUMBURA has about a week to get his house in order before the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup begins on January 15, and the Zimbabwe Under 19 coach sounds anything but rattled.
For Chigumbura, the recently concluded Youth Under 19 One Day International tri series proved less a dress rehearsal and more a reality check, one that exposed his side to the kind of unpredictability they are guaranteed to face once the global tournament gets underway.
The tri-series had everything. Rain interruptions. Tested opposition in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Clear reminders of where Zimbabwe are strong and where work remains.
“Despite the weather challenges, the tri-series has been extremely valuable,” said Chigumbura.
“The interruptions actually helped us prepare for real tournament conditions, namely things like adapting to shortened games, changing plans quickly, and maintaining focus.
“The boys gained match exposure, pressure experience, and clarity around their roles, which is exactly what we wanted,” he said.
Much of the tournament followed a familiar script. Pakistan Under 19 underlined their status as one of the World Cup favourites, building on their Asia Cup success with another composed run to the tri series title.
They capped it off with a clinical nine wicket win over Zimbabwe in Tuesday’s final.
Afghanistan, by contrast, endured a difficult campaign, exiting early without a single win. Yet even that does not fully reflect their potential, with their final World Cup squad still to be named and reinforcements expected.
For Chigumbura, the result itself was never the point.
He refused to panic after the final defeat and insisted victory would always have been a bonus rather than a benchmark. The bigger picture, he stressed, remains firmly fixed on the World Cup.
“The important games will come during the World Cup, so we will not read too much into this result,” he said.
“With the amount of games that we have played, we have got so much exposure to top opposition and got better knowledge about own game now.
“We just have make sure that we come polished when the World Cup group stages commence,” he said.
Zimbabwe open their World Cup campaign against Scotland on January 15 at Harare Sports Club. England follow on January 18, before a final group match against Pakistan Under 19 on January 22.
With another meeting against Pakistan looming, Chigumbura took comfort in the fact that Tuesday’s final was completed without weather interference.
“We hope that we would play and finish all our games but, unfortunately, some we could only managed to get an innings in.
“I am, however, happy that we managed to finish this one and it was a very good to finish a game of cricket.
“Now, we go back to the drawing board and prepare for the World Cup where we will play Pakistan again.
“I think we have done enough, we know where we are and we are in a better position in terms of our combination.
“Now that we ae going to tackle Pakistan again in the World Cup, we now have a better guide on how to approach them,” he said.
The coach also played down concerns around his side’s batting, one of the main talking points to emerge from the tournament.
“I’m not worried about final’s result as it is part of the game.
“Pakistan played well. They took advantage of the condition this morning and got the win.
“The confidence is still high in the camp as the main thing for us was to make sure that we faced these guys.
“The games that we have played before, we were bowling at these guys and didn’t really get the chance to bat or complete a match.
“Now, we have got an overall view in terms of the batting and the bowling, what we need to do, what tactics we can use.
“And, I’m happy with what we have done.
“We just have to go back, polish up a few things and then come back stronger and better prepared,” he said.
