Coaches up in arms over Under-19 preparations
View(s):A section of the Lankan coaching fraternity is unhappy about the current status of the Sri Lanka Under-19 Cricket pool which is in preparation for the ICC’s teen World Cup in Bangladesh next February.
Sri Lanka Under-19s players are currently playing a series of warm up games - Pic by Amila Gamage
Sri Lanka Cricket last week announced a 37-member pool and they will be in training for the Under 19 World Cup next year.
A much annoyed senior coach told the Sunday Times: “This situation is unacceptable. We have not been doing well in this age group’s exchanges and we have not done well especially at the Under-19 World Cup.
“It is fifteen years hence we even reached the final of the tournament and at that time our Under 19 standard was good. In that year Malintha Gajanayake was the captain and the under 19 coach was D.S. de Silva. “Generally in other major cricket playing nations training for the under 19 World Cup begins about 12-18 months ahead and when it comes to the last six months the squad is pruned down to the last twenty and the fifteen who would make the tour would be almost known.
“This makes the coaching fraternity take on the players in specific areas and concentrate on them almost individually, but, here with six months to go there are 37 names on the board. That is more than three teams of eleven players. Then in a situation of this nature we hardly can make specific training schedules because numbers are great.”
He explained this was not peculiar to this tournament alone. This has been the practice for the past few World Cups and the coaches have pointed this out repeatedly, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
The senior coach added: “It does not matter their method has brought in positive results. But, the reality is that our records show that we have performed below par at this important tournament. Certainly the selectors stop at selecting; it is we who have to shape them up for the tournament and make them competitive.”
The Lankan Under-19 selection Committee comprises — Ranjith Madurusinghe (Chairman), Gamini Wickramasinghe, Nilantha Ratnayake, Keerthi Gunaratne, Ranjan Paranavithana, Dilshan de Silva (SLSCA Secretary), Jagath Nandaweera and A.S. Nishanthan.
