KARACHI: Former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq believes that the kind of experience ICC U19 Cricket World Cup gives to young guns cannot be gained from any other source.
Pakistan have reached the final of the tournament five times.
Pakistan reached the final of the inaugural edition in 1988 and are the only ones to have won back-to-back titles — when the Sarfraz Ahmed-led side defeated India in the 2006 final to follow up their 2004 victory.
“I’d advise all players to go out, enjoy the tournament and try to do their very best. At the age of 17 or 18, the experiences that you gather are never forgotten. That kind of experience does not come again. Players learn a lot,” said Inzamam, who is also chief selector of the national side.
“My base is the Under-19 World Cup. We lost in the final in 1988 (to Australia) but got an idea of international cricket. The earlier you get that experience, the better the grooming is. There was a lot to learn for us — Mushtaq (Ahmed), Aaqib (Javed), Shahid Anwar, Zahoor Elahi, Shakeel Khan — all went on to play for Pakistan. There were also others who could not play for Pakistan but did very well in domestic cricket,” he added.
Pakistan also reached the final in 2010 and 2014.
India won titles in 2000, 2008 and 2012. They were finalists in 2016 when the West Indies won their first title.
Imad Wasim, who played in the age-group tournament in 2006 and 2008, said it was a great experience to play in front of 10,000 to 15,000 people. “Plus it was live on television — so as a young cricketer it was a great experience, gave me a lot of confidence when I played for Pakistan later on,” he added.
“In 2006, we won the Under-19 World Cup. That has been the best memory for us. Under-19 cricket is so important — the confidence takes you into first-class cricket and you keep developing there. I played with Virat (Kohli), (Ravindra) Jadeja, Wayne Parnell, Tim Southee, (Kane) Williamson, (Steve) Smith. They were all in our batch and they were fantastic players,” he said.
Shadab Khan, who played in 2016 edition of the event, said all under-19 teams have potential international players. “If you perform well, lots of doors open for you in your country. Pressure situations come — you are playing against the best from other countries. They are all good, so you have to show your worth. In my first match, I took five wickets in four overs against Afghanistan,” he added.
“I feel very nice to meet the (present) under-19 players. I’ve also gone through this level. My message for players is — don’t take pressure, your skills will help you, don’t worry about the result,” he said. The tournament is scheduled to be played in New Zealand from January 13 to February 3.