Youth players tasked with living up to public expectations

Mubarak expects team to remain unchanged for Youth World Cup

by Reemus Fernando

Sri Lanka Under 19 coach Jehan Mubarak said that his charges taking part in the Under 19 Asia Cup and the subsequent Youth World Cup are tasked with a huge responsibility of living up to public expectations.

“We are grooming them to be responsible at a young age so that one day they will try to live up to the expectations of the public when they represent the senior national team,” Mubarak said in an interview with The Island on the eve of the team’s departure to Dubai.

“From the public, media to former cricketers all expect the senior team to perform well at international level. It is the current Youth players who will be taking up the challenge one day. So we expect them to achieve standards at Youth tournaments that will augur well for them,” said Mubarak.

The team were scheduled to leave early morning today for the eight nation Asia Cup tournament which provides an ideal prelude to the Youth World Cup which will be held in January.

The experience of taking part in the Asia Cup will be vital for the team ahead of the Youth World Cup.

“There is very little time between the two tournaments. The team would be pretty much the same,” he said in reply to The Island queries.

Sri Lanka Under 19s have secured vital series victories during their last two assignments and will be eager to produce their best at both the Asia Cup and the World Cup. They beat Pakistan 3-2 in Pakistan in their last Youth ODI series and that team had only a couple of changes ahead of the Asia Cup. St. Joseph’s batsman Hirun Kapurubandara who was not a part of the Pakistan tour had been recalled to the side while Trinity spinner Dinuka Tennakoon has found a place in the team for the first time.