Courtney Walsh banks on West Indies U19 to win the World Cup

Former West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh believes the young Caribbeans have what it takes to win the ongoing  ICC U19 World Cup in Australia. They have started the tournament with a bang, winning their first two games against Australia U19 and England U19 respectively. The young guns look set to make it three out of three on Thursday as they facing an inexperienced Nigeria side.

West Indies are leading Group B with four points after wins in their first two games. The former Windies fast bowler had words full of praise for the West Indies U19 side and he believes that the players are well equipped both mentally and tactically to win the World Cup for the second time.

“The team has been gelling well together. The guys have been playing some very good cricket. They had a couple of camps before the tournament, so I think they are reasonably well prepared. Once they execute well, anything is possible,” he said.

Though Walsh has credited the team’s balance, he sees the batting as an integral part of their title challenge.

“I have seen them in a couple of the warm-up games when I was watching them in camp in Antigua. I think their batting has depth and that’s one area they can probably dominate because they have some very experienced batsmen as well who have been around for quite some time. So if those guys can take the challenge on, the bowling can hold its own. I think with the depth of the batting and the experience of the batting, I’d expect them to dominate some more,” he added.

West Indies fell into the same group as Australia and England along with Nigeria. They thought it will be a tough group to fought against, but Walsh saw it in a positive way as he believes that playing against quality opposition will serve them well for the latter part of the tournament.

“It’s important for them to be playing the type of cricket that they are playing now, to be on tour and to be doing what they are doing. Obviously, the exposure will do them well and then at the end of the day, the experience that they gain from it. You only gain experience by playing against very good opposition and in different places, and that’s what they are doing now. I think this Under-19 World Cup is a step in the right direction for them,” Walsh concluded.