Anderson named event ambassador for U19 Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday announced New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson as the event ambassador for the 16-team Under-19 World Cup, which is due to be held in 2018.

The 12th edition of the tournament and the third in New Zealand, which will run from January 13 to February 3 across four cities and seven venues, is a platform to inspire the next generation of cricketers and fans.

Commenting on the appointment the 26-year-old said: “It is extremely exciting to be involved again in the U19 World Cup. I played two of them — it is the first stepping stone to playing international cricket. You go from playing domestic cricket to playing international cricket — it’s a big step but it’s a step that is necessary.

“To have it in our backyard is great. We are going to see players who people may not know now but who in the years to come will become household names. In 2010, it was my first snippet of playing international cricket at home.”

Anderson, who scored 324 runs in 10 matches with four half-centuries across the two editions of the tournament, has been representing New Zealand regularly in all three formats of the game.

ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “Having Corey on board is ideal because he a player who has come through this very system and hails from New Zealand. The ICC U19 World Cup is an extremely important event for us and our investment in it has been proven worthy time and again with so many top players first catching the world’s attention here.”