Published: Jan 21, 2016, 06:33 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 22, 2016, 09:25 PM (IST)
Former South African captain Graeme Smith has said youngsters should try and put themselves in pressure situations, during the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016 in Bangladesh. The tournament will begin on January 27 and will end on February 14, and will be played across four cities in Bangladesh. Smith had played in the 2000 edition of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and says that it was a wonderful platform for him as well as a stepping stone into the international level. Smith was quoted as saying by the International Cricket Council (ICC), “It doesn’t get bigger than that for a youngster. 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. FULL COVERAGE: ICC UNDER-19 CRICKET WORLD CUP 2016
He added, “A chance to learn how they play and think about the game. Try to put yourself in the pressure environment of a World Cup and see how you go as a player and as a team. Look at someone like Kagiso Rabada and how his career has jumped from under-19 cricket into a full blown international career. At this stage, you have this opportunity and platform to go and put in performances that can make people sit up and take notice.”
Talking about his performances in the 2000 edition of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, Smith said, “It was my first opportunity to be involved in anything around international cricket,” he said. “I really enjoyed the event and though the wickets spun a little bit more than what we got in South Africa, I certainly enjoyed at the top of the order.
“I loved the experience, I loved the opportunity to go and see another country, to experience it and to play. It was the first real recognition that may be there is something that I can go on and achieve in the game of cricket.”
