It's been a mixed bag from the juniors over the years at the global tournament.
While it is disappointing that this country’s U19 cricket team have done poorly at the junior World Cup taking place in Namibia, it should not be a surprise to cricket followers.
This country’s U19 team, for all the talent and big-name stars that it has produced over the years, has in fact struggled on the global stage.
As of now, the team of captain Mohammed Bulbulia has one game left at the tournament, on Thursday against Sri Lanka, for a minor placing after falling out of semi-finals contention with their big loss to Australia on Sunday.
They earlier lost to Afghanistan and West Indies, with their only win coming against lowly Tanzania.
For a cricket-rich country like South Africa it is somewhat strange how poorly the U19 side have done over the years.
Mediocre showing
While they won the tournament in 2014, with a side that included the likes of Aiden Markram, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Andile Phehlukwayo and Jason Smith, the U19 side have generally performed poorly at junior World Cup tournaments.
They were runners-up in 2002 and 2008 but have also finished fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth and even 11th in the final standings.
Of course, despite these disappointing displays, many, many individuals have stepped up and prospered at a junior and, later, higher level. Jut in recent times, Dewald Brevis comes to mind, while Kwena Maphaka is also making his way at senior level after starring for the juniors.
I’m sure a good number of the men representing the Proteas at the current U19 event will become household names in years to come, and it is true some have performed well individually, but, collectively, they have disappointed in Namibia.
Even before the tournament started, the SA U19s suffered defeats to the likes of Sri- Lanka, India and Bangladesh.
One’s got to wonder whether the selectors are getting things right or are the players perhaps not getting the correct coaching and guidance once they step into the national team?
Also, should the performance of our U19s be of concern? Is their performance at the global showpiece an indicator of the future of the Proteas senior team, or is there no correlation at all?
Let’s hope Bulbulia and his men can finish the World Cup in style, with a win against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
