U19’s coach has grounds to be cheerful

THE South African team to play in next month’s ICC U19 World Cup may not have the experience of some of their rivals, but that’s why coach Lawrence Mahatlane is desperate to “transform young men into adults” in the coming weeks.

Mahatlane wants to get his side into matchday routines, while strategies and certain contingencies will be further refined before the start of the tournament, which begins on January 27.

“We still have nine more warm-up games before the opening of the World Cup. We want to get rhythm in our game and we need people to understand how they are supposed to fulfil their roles.

“Working and experimenting with other options in case someone pulls out with a hamstring on the morning of a game, we need to cover all our bases.”

The squad assembles on the third of next month and will play five matches at Cubs Week in Stellenbosch, two in Dubai before rounding their preparations with matches against the Fiji and the West Indies.

Mahatlane explained the disparity in experience between his side and some of those on the subcontinent: “Most of India’s U19 side have played in the Ranji Trophy and some of them have already played in the IPL. This year alone Bangladesh have played 40 international matches with their squad of 20.

“We are still very reliant on our school system. We are fortunate to have tours, but generally speaking we box way above our weight when you compare our experience with that of other countries.

“It bodes well for our school systems that we have remained so competitive.”

South Africa has, however, tried to bridge that gap in the last year or two.

“We tried to get as much experience as possible. After I took over we took a young side to England so that we could prepare a young side for the World Cup.”

Although the South Africans struggled on their tour of Bangladesh, Mahatlane believes the experience they gained will be invaluable during the World Cup.

“We have nine players who have played there before. They have played on all the fields they will be playing on.”

He is also buoyed by the fact that the recent Khaya Majola Week produced conditions that the players will encounter during the U19 World Cup.

“Last week in Port Elizabeth worked out beautifully because we had similar conditions to those at Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar. Chittagong usually has a good wicket. They understand we are no longer talking about scoring 300 at some of the venues but something lower.

“The other challenge is off the field. We can’t leave the hotel but 14 of the 20 people in our touring group have experienced this before.

“The teams from the subcontinent will be competitive. Pakistan have been competitive for years, Bangladesh at home should be good side as well as Sri Lanka. Ourselves and Australia have a good chance while England is doing some good preparation by currently playing in India.”

South Africa are paired with hosts Bangladesh, Scotland and Namibia.

SA U19 squad: Tony de Zorzi (capt), Conner McKerr, Wandile Makwethu, Wiaan Mulder, Farhaan Sayanvala, Liam Smith (all Gauteng), Ziyaad Abrahams, Dayyaan Galiem, Kyle Verreynne (all WP), Dean Foxcroft, Willie Ludick, Rivaldo Moonsamy (all Northerns), Luke Philander (Boland), Lutho Sipamla (Eastern Province), Sean Whitehead (Free State).