The future of West Indies cricket, the Under-19 team, made a quiet return from the Asian sub-continent yesterday, with coach Roddy Estwick saying he was pleased with the growth of the players even though they had not achieved the main objective of winning the four-nation competition.
The West Indies won just one game, beating Australia to finish third, with skipper Kraigg Brathwaite scoring a gritty century. Hosts India and Sri Lanka reached the final.
Estwick reiterated that they recognized that the sub-continent has always been a challenge for the West Indies but in addition to preparing the players for future regional duty in varying conditions, they wanted to win the tournament.
“In spite of the home advantage of India and Sri Lanka, we failed to close out the games against those two sides,” he said.
“I believe that the players have grown with the tour, and with the World Cup taking place in Australia in 2012, I believe that our players will be better prepared for India and Sri Lanka on the bouncier pitches.”
The coach added that every opportunity was taken to enhance the training regimen of the players.
“I saw the growth of all of the players and the development of Barbadian all-rounder Justin Greaves was tremendous particularly in the bowling department,” Estwick added.
Armed with video and notes on the other three teams, Estwick said that the next step for the West Indies youth remained with the West Indies Cricket Board.
“Personally, I would like to see the squad getting together in December and in Easter before going off to the World Cup early enough to acclimatize,” he said. (KB)
