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CAPE TOWN: – Ahead of the 2024 U19 World Cup, the captains of all 16 teams convened for a pre-tournament photoshoot, sharing their thoughts on the upcoming challenge, what to expect and much more.
Zimbabwe captain Matthew Schonken on their main strength:
“As a team, this World Cup, our main strength is we bat very deep and we have a wide variety of bowlers. We have left-arm spinners, off-spinners, leg-spinners and our seam attack is also pretty decent.” South Africa captain Juan James on their biggest strength:
“The fact that we never give up in tough situations. There have been countless times where we have been in difficult situations but we showed resilience and pushed through.”
England captain Ben McKinney happy with the preparations:
“Personally, I feel real confident going into the tournament. I have played pretty well in the warm-up game and we had a good series in India. The boys are exactly the same, we have taken the confidence going into the World Cup, especially with the series in India. Really pleased with what’s been done.
Bangladesh captain Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby on the big game against India:
“We will play it like a normal game. We have had good preparation for the tournament. We have had great input from our coach, so we will try to get a winning start in the tournament against India.”
Sri Lanka captain Sineth Jayawardene on his captaincy influence:
“I would like to be like MS Dhoni. He’s my idol. I want to be as cool as him. The way he handles the team, his decision-making – everything about him is amazing.”
Ireland captain Philippe le Roux can’t wait for the World Cup to start:
“We are really itching to get out there. We have been training indoors for so long now. We have been looking forward to the first game against USA since we knew the fixtures. Really eager to get out there.”
Pakistan captain Saad Baig wants to go all the way:
“As a team, we would want to win the U19 World Cup. We will do our best to give good performances. We will put full effort into every match, as we did in preparation for the World Cup.”
USA captain Rishi Ramesh compares leadership style to India star:
“I like to be calm, cool and friendly with my teammates. But when a wicket falls in the opposition team, it kind of gets rowdy. I like to celebrate with some ferocity, kind of like Virat Kohli. So can expect to see some of that.”
West Indies captain Stephen Pascal on what makes the team stand out:
“Togetherness, flair and intensity. The West Indies teams over the years have had flair and it is no different with this unit. Togetherness and intensity have been shown every time we go out.” – ICC
Online Reporter