Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ELTON CHIGUMBURA has about a week to put his house in order before the International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup bursts into life in Zimbabwe and Namibia on January 15.
For Chigumbura, the recent Youth Under-19 One Day International Tri-series was an eye-opening experience and one that will likely serve him in the lead-up to the global showcase.
The Tri-series had everything from weather interruptions to tried and tested opponents in Pakistan and Afghanistan and even laid bare some of Zimbabwe’s strengths and weaknesses.
“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.
The tournament itself, for the most part, went according to script as the Pakistan Under-19 team cemented their claim as one of the World Cup favourites.
They followed up on their Asia Cup conquest with another near-perfect run on their way to claiming the Tri-series title in Harare.
Pakistan beat Zimbabwe clinically by nine wickets in Tuesday’s final.
Afghanistan, on their part, did not have the best of runs as they were eliminated early and failed to win a single game.
However, the Asians could still make a strong run during the World Cup as they are yet to name their official squad with reinforcements still coming.
Chigumbura has, however, refused to panic and insists a win in the final was always a bonus.
The most important thing remains the World Cup and, as such, the lessons learnt from the final will serve the team well in the long run.
“The important games will come during the World Cup, so we will not read too much into this result,” he said after the finals’ defeat.
“With the number of games that we have played, we have got so much exposure to top opposition and got better knowledge about our own game now.
“We just have to make sure that we come polished when the World Cup group stages commence,” Chigumbura said.
Zimbabwe kick off their World Cup campaign with a match against Scotland on January 15 at Harare Sports Club.
They will then meet England (January 18) and wrap up their preliminary fixtures with a game against Pakistan on January 22.
Given that they will meet Pakistan again, Chigumbura was more than pleased that Tuesday’s final did not have any weather interruptions.
“We hoped that we would play and finish all our games but, unfortunately, for some we could only manage to get an innings in.
“I am, however, happy that we managed to finish this one and it was 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 are going to tackle Pakistan again in the World Cup, we now have a better guide on how to approach them,” he said.
Chigumbura even played down his side’s batting weaknesses, which was one of the biggest takeaways from the entire tournament.
“I’m not worried about the 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, and 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,” Chigumbura said.
