Young guns have chance to shine

WORLD Cup places will be up for grabs for the country’s best underage cricketers when the under-19 championships kick off in Hobart today.

The 12-day tournament will see five rounds of matches played in the South and three in Launceston, including the first day-night fixture at UTAS Stadium when Tasmania clashes with Victoria Metro on Friday.

Nine teams will be looking to dethrone defending champion Western Australia, while a 15-player squad to compete at the ICC under-19 World Cup in New Zealand starting next month will be named at the back-end of the tournament.

“The under-19 national championships are a great opportunity for Australia’s rising stars to test themselves against the best in the country in their age group,” Cricket Australia pathways manager Graham Manou said.

“Twenty players from last year’s tournament earned state contracts for 2017-18, and nine players at this year’s carnival are already on state contracts.

“That shows how high the standard of the under-19 national championships are, and how important they are as part of the pathway.

“We’re really excited to have this year’s tournament in Tasmania, including day-night fixtures at UTAS Stadium and Blundstone Arena.

“The facilities in Hobart and Launceston will allow our players to showcase their skills, and having the chance to play in a day-night final at Blundstone Arena is a terrific opportunity for the two teams that make it.”

WA and Perth Scorchers allrounder Cameron Green — who made his Sheffield Shield debut last summer — will again turn out for the Warriors, while NSW and Sydney Thunder batsman Jason Sangha, who smashed a century in a tour match against England last month, will captain ACT/NSW Country.

Tasmania’s first match is against NSW Metro at the Twin Ovals.