Dravid, Smith & Atherton excited about U-19 World Cup

Cricket greats Rahul Dravid, Michael Atherton and Graeme Smith are looking forward to the ICC U-19 World Cup, saying the tournament gives the young players the chance to test themselves against the best in their age group.

The 11th edition of the tournament will be played across four cities in Bangladesh from January 27 to February 14 and features nine Test-playing nations and seven Associate and Affiliate Members – Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Namibia, Nepal, Ireland and Scotland.

Dravid, a veteran of 164 Tests and 344 one-day internationals with more than 10,000 runs in both forms, lauded the tournament even though he himself never participated in one.

He was 15 when the inaugural event was held in 1988 and had already become a Test cricketer when it was next played in 1998.

"It is a great opportunity for young players to be able to get exposure to the demands of international cricket," said Dravid, who will coach the India Colts side at the tournament.

"The event provides an opportunity to grow and learn, meet cricketers from other countries who you may go on to play against at the senior level for many years.

"Touring at a young age exposes you to the outside world and helps you explore and understand various cultures. That will go a long way in the development of a cricketer."

Former England captain Atherton, now one of the most respected cricket commentators and writers, played in the first edition in Australia in 1988 alongside the likes of team-mate Nasser Hussain, West Indies great Brian Lara, Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq and Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka.

"When you are under-19, you are inexperienced, so it is a real opportunity for you to gain the experience of playing against different players from around the world. A chance to learn how they play and think about the game.

“Look at someone like Kagiso Rabada and how his career has jumped from under-19 cricket into a full blown international career."

Both Dravid and Atherton said the fact that Australia and India had won the title three times each and Pakistan twice spoke highly of the growth of age-group cricket in these countries.

Image: Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith

'I would back MS as captain... he is best suited to handle most situations'

Beleaguered Mahendra Singh Dhoni found backing from former Australia cricketer Mike Hussey, who says India’s captain is the most suitable leader as he still has a lot of fire in his batting.

In yet another poor showing, Dhoni was out without scoring in the fourth ODI against Australia in Canberra on Wednesday as India crashed to a 25-run defeat from a very strong position.

Dhoni, of late, has come under flak for not being able perform the role of a finisher, something he was known for.

"I would back MS to do the job and he has been doing it for so long now. He is best suited to handle most situations out there. People forget that it is not easy job to do.

"You cannot just come in and smash 60 off 30 balls every single time. You have got good bowlers, and they have gotten smarter, and they know what Dhoni's strengths are, so things will not always happen the same way," Hussey said.

The Australian, known as Mr Cricket, said India’s young batsmen need to bat around him to learn how to finish close games.

"You cannot expect him to do it every single time, and he has done well for India for such an amazingly long period of time. I would keep back him to do this job for as long as he feels he can do the job.

“At the same time, India will be looking at their youngsters. In that situation, it would be ideal if they can bat with and around MS, and learn from him how to get through such situations."

India lost fourth matches in a row in the ongoing ODI series, but Hussey said the visitors have actually played good cricket.

"I think India have actually played some really good cricket. Look at all the four matches so far. They have consistently scored 300 runs every time, which is a very good effort. And Australia is a tough place to defend. especially when the pitches are helping batsmen, and rest assured these are very good pitches to bat on.