Kuala Lumpur , 3 March 2008
Education process on and off the field has equipped these teenagers with the skills necessary to push on to the next level in their development
The ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup has been the ideal preparation for the next generation of international stars and the things they have learned in Malaysia over the past three weeks will stay with them forever, according to ICC President Ray Mali .
“This has been a great tournament for the players and very successful for the organisers,” said Mr Mali .
“When I look back over previous U/19 World Cups the first thing to come to mind is the quality of the players that have come to the fore in the senior global game having first played in this tournament. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Brian Lara, Yuvraj Singh, Graeme Smith, Sanath Jayasuriya and many other fine players began their international careers on this stage.
“I wonder who will be the stars that will emerge from this event. There have been some wonderful performances from the likes of India ’s Virat Kohli , South Africa ’s Wayne Parnell, Tim Southee of New Zealand , Sachith Pathirana from Sri Lanka , Michael Hill of Australia , Ali Asad from Pakistan and many, many more.
“I look forward to seeing those players and more from this event come through in the years to come.
“This event was designed to be a finishing school for these young cricketers. It was an opportunity for players to test their skills in a full ICC tournament environment against their peers from around the world and I think they have risen to that challenge.
“But it has been about more than that. The players have received education on matters of anti-corruption and anti-doping, they have learned how to cope with questions from the media and generally being in the spotlight. They have learned how to perform to the best of their ability in the midst of all the necessary distractions that go along with events like this. In short, this event has put them on the road to becoming well-rounded sportsmen.
“From that point of view I am especially delighted with how the event has gone. What these players have learned in Malaysia will stay with them for a long time to come.
Mr Mali paid tribute to the Malaysian Cricket Association, the local organising committee and ICC staff for staging what he described as an “outstanding” tournament. He particularly singled out the grounds staff at all the venues who worked so hard before and during the tournament.
He also thanked ICC’s commercial partners, Reliance Mobile, Yahoo!, Fly Emirates, Reebok and Pepsi, and members of the media including the host broadcaster ESPN-STAR Sports for televising no fewer than 10 of the matches live around the world.
“The exciting matches, the progression, the learning, the team performances and the individual heroics we’ve seen within it, go to show just how hard these young players have worked and how far they have come,” he said.
“Cricket in Malaysia has a long and proud history and the MCA can be very proud of the facilities it has here. The eyes of the cricketing world have been on Malaysia over the past couple of weeks and the organisers have pulled out all the stops to be superb hosts. I want to thank them most sincerely for the hospitality they have shown us all.”
-ICC MEDIA RELEASE
Education process on and off the field has equipped these teenagers with the skills necessary to push on to the next level in their development
The ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup has been the ideal preparation for the next generation of international stars and the things they have learned in Malaysia over the past three weeks will stay with them forever, according to ICC President Ray Mali .
“This has been a great tournament for the players and very successful for the organisers,” said Mr Mali .
“When I look back over previous U/19 World Cups the first thing to come to mind is the quality of the players that have come to the fore in the senior global game having first played in this tournament. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Brian Lara, Yuvraj Singh, Graeme Smith, Sanath Jayasuriya and many other fine players began their international careers on this stage.
“I wonder who will be the stars that will emerge from this event. There have been some wonderful performances from the likes of India ’s Virat Kohli , South Africa ’s Wayne Parnell, Tim Southee of New Zealand , Sachith Pathirana from Sri Lanka , Michael Hill of Australia , Ali Asad from Pakistan and many, many more.
“I look forward to seeing those players and more from this event come through in the years to come.
“This event was designed to be a finishing school for these young cricketers. It was an opportunity for players to test their skills in a full ICC tournament environment against their peers from around the world and I think they have risen to that challenge.
“But it has been about more than that. The players have received education on matters of anti-corruption and anti-doping, they have learned how to cope with questions from the media and generally being in the spotlight. They have learned how to perform to the best of their ability in the midst of all the necessary distractions that go along with events like this. In short, this event has put them on the road to becoming well-rounded sportsmen.
“From that point of view I am especially delighted with how the event has gone. What these players have learned in Malaysia will stay with them for a long time to come.
Mr Mali paid tribute to the Malaysian Cricket Association, the local organising committee and ICC staff for staging what he described as an “outstanding” tournament. He particularly singled out the grounds staff at all the venues who worked so hard before and during the tournament.
He also thanked ICC’s commercial partners, Reliance Mobile, Yahoo!, Fly Emirates, Reebok and Pepsi, and members of the media including the host broadcaster ESPN-STAR Sports for televising no fewer than 10 of the matches live around the world.
“The exciting matches, the progression, the learning, the team performances and the individual heroics we’ve seen within it, go to show just how hard these young players have worked and how far they have come,” he said.
“Cricket in Malaysia has a long and proud history and the MCA can be very proud of the facilities it has here. The eyes of the cricketing world have been on Malaysia over the past couple of weeks and the organisers have pulled out all the stops to be superb hosts. I want to thank them most sincerely for the hospitality they have shown us all.”
-ICC MEDIA RELEASE