Speaking in Antigua yesterday – ahead of today’s grand tournament finale between England and India – he noted that, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has taken place “almost seamlessly which is a great credit to all who worked tirelessly to make it a reality in difficult circumstances”.
“We knew it would be extra tough hosting such a large sporting event during the pandemic, especially moving so many people around different countries with different protocols; 16 teams, match officials, event staff, and broadcast crews. Then we had to factor in the periodic (COVID-19) testing of everyone associated with the tournament and, of course, we had some positive cases which we dealt with appropriately. It has proven a rigorous examination of our readiness; the systems we put in place; and of our ability to adapt and respond quickly to evolving situations,” he noted.
“Our people have done an amazing job to stay focused and to keep cricket playing. Congratulations to all the host countries as well as to our Tournament Director Fawwaz Baksh and the entire Project Team. I must single out our host governments for going above and beyond to ensure this event’s success. Thank you for such wholehearted and priceless support.”
Stressing this is the fourth International Cricket Council (ICC) global tournament being hosted by Cricket West Indies, Skerritt underscored the value of having “a growing cadre of sport-events professionals who are experienced in delivering events to world-class standards and capable of remaining calm under pressure”.
“Our Tournament Director and other project staff have worked on previous World Cups which the region has hosted. The fact that we were able to stay on track with the tournament schedule is glowing testament to them, as well as to the dedication of the host governments, the Local Organizing Committees, the airlines, hotels, medical experts, transportation operators and other service providers with whom we worked.
“Everyone understood what was at stake. This has been a collective exercise in resilience and a determination to find solutions and to show our best in the face of adversity. It has been great teamwork – including with the ICC – and a sterling reminder that we are always stronger together.”
The President was thankful that COVID-19 hardly interfered with on-field action in the 23-day event; with only two matches in the Plate competition being cancelled because Canada could not field a team.
“Fans watching on television or via live streaming have been marvelling at how we have pulled this off. It was viewing as usual – cricket being played in Guyana, St. Kitts, Trinidad and now Antigua – and ultimately that’s what will be remembered: the exploits of the next generation of international stars and the excitement they brought to the world.”
After blasting a 96-ball 130 in a losing cause against the host in West Indies’ opening fixture, Andrew again displayed confidence and poise in his unbeaten 64 off 60 balls, which ensured West Indies successfully chased down Scotland’s 205.
Andrew’s knock includes eight boundaries, as he starred in an unbroken 95-run sixth-wicket stand with Nathan Edward, who capitalised on a promotion up the order, with a patient 27 off 55.
Scores: Scotland 205-9 (50 overs); West Indies 206-5 (35.1 overs)
The two came together with the regional side in a spot of bother at 111-5. This, as Adrian Weir (seven), Captain Stephan Pascal (26), Joshua Dorne (11), Jordan Johnson (24) and Mavendra Dindyal (29), all again failed to make a lasting impression.
Fortunately, Edwards patiently occupied one end, and that allowed Andrew to play with some degree of freedom against the Scottish seamers.
“It was a great knock, and I must say thanks everyone to come out and support us. They (Scottish seamers) are quick, but I like the challenge, so it was just all about learning, improving and ticking the boxes that the coaches have for us,” Andrew said in a post-game television interview.
Earlier, Pascal’s decision to insert Scotland proved right. Apart from Jamie Dunk, who made an 87-ball 57, as well as Adi Hedge (32) and Alec Price (31), the opponents offered very little resistance with the bat, as they found Isai Thorne, in particular, too hot to handle.
Thorne, a right-arm medium fast, bagged a career-best 4-46 from nine overs, with Nathan Sealy 2-38 from then, being the next best figures.
The win, which was also West Indies’ fourth over Scotland at this level, saw them to second in Group B on two points, behind England (four points).
West Indies U-19s will open their bid to capture their first title since the 2016 edition when they face Australia Under-19s at Providence Stadium in Guyana.
“I think we’re fairly confident. We’ve prepared very well as a unit and did our own personal training so I think going into the game, it’s important that we stick to the basics for as long as possible and just enjoy it,” Auguste said, speaking to the media on Thursday.
The captain also expressed the sentiment that the unity of the squad is good heading into the tournament.
“I think the camaraderie amongst the boys is very good. We’re gelling well as a unit,” he said.
When asked about the plans for the game against Australia on Friday, Auguste again emphasized sticking to the basics as much as possible.
“The plan is to just stick to the basics for as long as possible, encourage each other, pull each other along, and just play the game hard,” he added.
Despite a near flawless 95 off 116 balls including 12 fours from James Rew, England had a disappointing outing with the bat, being bowled out for 189 off just 44.5 overs.
James Sales was the next highest scorer for the English with 34 not out off 65 balls.
All-rounder Raj Bawa led the way for India with the ball with 5-31 off 9.5 overs, the best figures in the history of U-19 World Cup finals.
Bawa was supported well by Ravi Kumar who narrowly missed out on a five-wicket haul of his own, taking 4-34 off his nine overs.
After an indifferent start to the reply, an unbeaten 50 off 54 balls from Nishant Sindhu helped guide India to their target, finishing 195-6 off 47.4 overs.
Vice-captain Shaik Rasheed earlier got an even 50 off 84 balls for the Indians while Bawa also contributed 35.
Joshua Boyden, Tom Aspinwall and James Sales all took two wickets each for England.
Bawa was voted player of the match while South Africa's Dewald Brevis was voted player of the tournament after scoring 506 runs in six innings, the most runs in an Under-19 World Cup.
After Zimbabwe won the toss and batted first, captain Emmanuel Bawa scored one of two centuries on the day, an even 100 off 95 balls to help Zimbabwe post a formidable 321-9 off their 50 overs.
Papua New Guinea were no match for the Zimbabwean bowlers, being skittled out for 93 in 35 overs.
Victor Chirwa was the pick of the Zimbabwean bowlers with 2-11 from seven overs while Brian Bennett (2-20 from 6 overs) and Ngenyasha Zvinoera (2-25 from 6 overs) also had good spells.
In the lone Group A match on Saturday, UAE U-19s beat Canada U-19s by 49 runs in a competitive game in Basseterre.
UAE U-19s won the toss and batted first, making 284-7 off their 50 overs thanks to half-centuries from Punya Mehra (71) and Ali Naseer (73).
Gurnek Singh took 2-38 off seven overs for Canada U-19s.
A well-played 96 from captain Mihir Patel wasn’t enough for Canada U-19s to successfully chase their target, eventually finishing 235 all out off 46.4 overs.
Anoop Chima (46) and Kairav Sharma (43) also got runs for Canada U-19s against 2-32 from eight overs from Nilansh Keswani.
Adhitya Shetty, Jash Giyanani and Alishan Sharafu also got two wickets each for UAE U-19s.
In the first of two Group B matches on Saturday, Ireland U-19s Joshua Cox was the day’s second centurion as his 111 not out helped them secure a 39-run win over Uganda U-19s in Georgetown.
Uganda U-19s won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that proved costly in the end as Ireland were able to get a score of 236-9 off their 50 overs with Cox getting the most support from Phillipus le Roux who made 32.
Juma Miyaji, captain Pascal Muringi, Joseph Baguma and Matthew Musinguzi all took two wickets each for the Ugandans.
Murungi then top scored with 63 and Miyaji also contributed 38 but it wasn’t enough as Ireland restricted them to 197 all out off 48.1 overs to seal the win.
Matthew Humphreys was the pick of the Irish bowlers with 4-25 off his 10 overs.
India U-19s secured a 45-run win over South Africa U-19s in Georgetown in the other Group B clash.
South Africa U-19s won the toss and elected to field first, a decision which looked like the right one as they were able to pick up early wickets thanks to good bowling by left-arm pacer Aphiwe Mnyanda.
India got on the right track, however, and used innings from captain Yash Dhull (82), Kaushal Tambe (35) and Shaik Rasheed (31) to recover to 232 all out in 46.5 overs.
Matthew Boast led the South African bowlers with 3-40 off nine overs while Mnyanda took 2-29 from five.
A stroke-filled 65 from Dewald Brevis and a solid 36 from captain George Van Heerden proved to be insufficient as South Africa lost wickets in quick succession before eventually being bowled out for 187 in 45.4 overs.
Vicky Ostval was the chief destroyer for the Indians with a brilliant 5-28 off his 10 overs while Raj Bawa supported him with 4-47 from 6.4 overs.
The tournament, which will get underway on Friday will be played across the Caribbean territories of St Kitts, Antigua, and Guyana, in addition to T&T.
With case numbers for the Covid-19 pandemic remaining high, however, the T&T venues, Queen’s Park Oval, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, and Diego Martin Sporting Complex will only be occupied by players and officials.
Despite that fact, however, Camacho expects the tournament to be a success.
“We wouldn’t be able to have spectators at attendance. While this is a downer for some, I don’t think this will impact upon the quality of the tournament itself or on the organisation that has been put in place,” Camacho said.
“The facilities, both for training and competitive matches, are world-renowned, world-class and the best of the best,” he added.
“We are very confident that all the players, officials, attendees will have a wonderful experience, that would be to the benefit of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The tournament will get underway at the
Providence Stadium, in Guyana, on Friday, with the West Indies playing against Australia.
The win, their third of the tournament, saw the Caribbean lads top Group B with the maximum six points. The young West Indians had previously won their matches against Australia and England.
On Thursday, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, the Caribbean side racked up a mammoth 303 for 8 from their 50 overs, their best score in the tournament so far.
The score was built largely on half-centuries from captain Kimani Melius, who scored 65 and allrounder Matthew Patrick, who top-scored with 68. The latter and Joshua James, who scored a 30-ball 43, put together a 90-run seventh-wicket partnership that propelled the West Indies to their mammoth total.
There were two wickets each for Peter Aho (2-53), Abdulrahman Jimoh (2-56) and Sylvester Okpe (2-66).
In the face of the huge total, Nigeria crumbled to 57 all out.
Jayden Seales (4-19) tore the top order taking their first four wickets to fall as the Nigerians stumbled to 23 for four, four balls into the ninth over.
They never recovered as Ashmead Nedd (3 for 15) and Patrick (2 for 16) ripped out any resistance that might have remained within the Nigerian batting that only managed to survive for 21.4 overs.
Jimoh (17) and Okpe (10) were the only batsmen in double figures.
The West Indies entered the game third in Group 2 behind Australia and South Africa knowing they needed a win to keep their final four hopes alive.
After winning the toss and electing to field first, things started really well for the Windies as they restricted the Aussies to 87-5 just past the halfway mark of their innings.
However, an 89-run sixth wicket partnership between Sam Konstas and Raf MacMillan provided some much-needed stability to the Australian batting effort.
In the end, Australia were reduced to 227-8 from their 50 overs. Konstas led the way with a brilliantly compiled 108 off 121 balls including 11 fours and three sixes while MacMillan was the next highest scorer with 29.
Nathan Edward led the way with the ball for the West indies with 3-32 off nine overs while Isai Thorne took 2-50 from 10.
In reply, the West Indies were 24-2 off 4.3 overs when play was halted due to lightning.
As time passed, the lightning was joined by rain and the match was eventually called off.
The no result meant that the West Indies ended the Super Six on five points from their four games, one point behind hosts South Africa who booked their spot in the semis with a dominant 119-run win over Sri Lanka in Potchefstroom to move to six points.
Australia ended up on seven points to win the group.
Both Duguid and Gustard are among 16 officials that will stand in games during the youth showpiece which will be played across five venues.
Duguid, 54, has already stood in one Test 15 One-Day Internationals and 44 Twenty20 Internationals, while featuring as television umpire in 36 men’s senior internationals. He will be involved in the January 20 contest between reigning champions India and Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Gustard, 52, has never stood in a Test nor a men’s ODI, but has officiated in 29 T20 Internationals and served as TV official in further nine. The Jamaican will join Mick Burns on field for the January 21 encounter between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Sean Easey, ICC’s manager for Umpires and Referees said the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is a very important event in the ICC calendar for both players and officials alike.
“It has long been considered a platform for future stars of the sport to make a name for themselves and for many of the participating players in this year’s edition, it is their first taste of competing on the world stage," he said.
“Similarly, it is an important development event for the umpire pathway also. A diverse and motivated team of international match officials has been appointed, and I am confident that they will do an excellent job. I wish them the very best of luck across their time in South Africa," Easey added.
West Indies, winners of the tournament eight years ago, will do battle in Group B alongside South Africa, England and Scotland, and will open their campaign against the hosts at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom next Friday.
In preparation, they face New Zealand at Braamfischer Oval in Gauteng on Sunday in their first official warm-up, before taking on Nepal at St Stithians in Johannesburg next Wednesday.
Vice-Captain Nathan Sealy starred with the ball with 4-21 from nine overs to help the men in maroon restrict New Zealand to 131 all out in just 39.2 overs.
They then needed just 24.5 overs to reach 132-4 thanks to an unbeaten 58-run match-winning partnership between Joshua Dorne and wicket-keeper Jewel Andrew.
Dorne ended up 45* off 66 balls including three fours while Andrew finished 36* off just 24 balls, hitting one four and three sixes.
Jordan Johnson (14) and Steven Wedderburn (10) also chipped in for the Windies.
New Zealand Captain Oscar Jackson took 2-14 from three overs.
The West Indies will take on Nepal in their next warm-up match on Tuesday.
In the match played at the Diego Martin Sports Complex in Trinidad and Tobago, Zimbabwe Under-19s won the toss and elected to bat first.
This proved to be a good decision as they batted well to amass 256-4 off their 50 overs thanks to half-centuries from David Bennett who made 77 not out off 105 balls and Brian Bennett, who made 62 off 84 balls. Connor Mitchell provided the Zimbabweans with an important late innings push with 42 not out off 26 balls.
Johann Layne took 2-44 off seven overs for the West Indies.
A pair of stunning innings from Kevin Wickham and Teddy Bishop ensured the West Indies chased their target without much trouble.
Wickham scored a well-played 104 off 116 balls with 17 fours.
The 18-year-old Barbadian, who was originally one of the reserves for the squad, got his third score of 50 or more in four matches in the tournament after getting 56 against Sri Lanka and 61 against Papua New Guinea.
Bishop got the second hundred of the innings and third for the West Indies in the tournament with a brilliant 112 not out off 121 balls with 11 fours and one six.
Rivaldo Clarke got 28 not out and was at the crease with Bishop when the young Windies eventually got to 262-2 off 49.2 overs to seal the win.
Wickham, with 243 runs in four innings including one hundred and two fifties, was the West Indies leading runs scorer while pace bowler Shiva Sankar was the team’s leading wicket-taker with nine scalps in six matches.
UAE won the toss and elected to bat first, reaching 224-9 off their 50 overs thanks to half-centuries from Aayan Khan (93) and Shival Bawa (51).
Shiva Sankar led the way for the Windies bowlers with 3-31 off nine overs while Nathan Edward and Matthew Nandu took two wickets each.
Jash Giyanani and Dhruv Parashar then combined to take seven wickets between them to restrict the West Indians to a modest 142 all out in reply.
Nathan Edward (51), Kevin Wickham (22), and Isai Thorne (17) were the only batsmen to score double figures against Giyanani’s 3-21 off 10 overs and Parashar’s 4-30 off nine.
The West Indies will now play the loser of the Plate semi-final between Ireland and Zimbabwe in the 11th place playoff while UAE will play the winner in the ninth-place playoff.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field first, and despite the continued absence of regular captain Ackeem Auguste, who made 57 in the first match against Australia U-19s, West Indies Under-19s got their highest total of the tournament with 250-9 off their 50 overs.
In the must-win encounter, Kevin Wickham, playing his first game of the World Cup, top-scored with 56.
He was well supported by Jordan Johnson, who got 47, as well as Rivaldo Clarke and Teddy Bishop, who got 45 each.
Sri Lankan captain Dunith Wellalage, who has so far taken two five-wicket hauls in the tournament, was again the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers with 3-39 off his 10 overs.
Despite a valiant effort from the West Indies Under-19s bowlers, Sri Lanka were able to get to their target, finishing on 251-9 with 10 balls remaining.
Opener Sadisha Rajapaksa top-scored for the Sri Lankans with 76 and he got support from Anjala Bandara (40) and Shevon Daniel (34).
McKenny Clarke led the West Indies bowlers with 2-38 off his 9.2 overs while Isai Thorne took 2-41 off 10 overs.
Sri Lanka Under-19s and Australia Under-19s will now advance to the Super League stage as the top two finishers in Group D.
The tournament hasn’t ended for the West Indies Under-19s, however, as they will now compete in the plate quarterfinals.
