CHENNAI: It has been over a year and a half since the inaugural U19 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa. Of the ten sides that will compete in the senior T20 WC, which begins in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, only Australia will have no representation from the U19 WC or have given any debut to players from their junior WC squad.
From New Zealand's Izzy Gaze to Bangladesh's Marufa Akter to Sri Lanka's Vishmi Gunaratne to Seshnie Naidu of South Africa, the next generational talents will be displayed in UAE. While a few from the generation that kick-started the T20 game are still around, these and many new faces are ready to make their mark.
The inaugural U19 World Cup in South Africa was a step long overdue from the ICC. However, the two-week-long tournament showcased the talent and mastery over the skills these players possessed and it was not surprising to see them leapfrogging to the senior team quickly. While the likes of India's Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh, Pakistan's Aroob Shah, and Gunaratne were already familiar with the senior team setup, the competition just gave the boost to the inclusion of more of these players in the senior side.
"I think this is a smart move. In my opinion, once you start exposing youngsters who have already been involved in World Cups they can gain more experience alongside the senior players," Former South Africa cricketer and current Girl's U19 and National Academy Head Coach, Dinesha Devnarain, told this daily. "If you look at Australia, yes they have a good structure in place and have a lot of money invested in the system. But it is the experience that wins them the World Cups. That is probably why they don’t have the U19 World Cup players in the squad. If we start introducing U19 players at the senior level, and by the time your senior players start to phase out, that U19 players would have the experience of international cricket for 3-4 years. Whereas before, you take a 25-year-old to make a debut, and by the time they get their share of experience, they are close to retirement," she added.
Devnarain also believes that if the young players have the skills to match up at the senior-level and are considered ready for the leap, they should be trusted more to take up more responsibility. After all, they are the ones who will push the game forward. "First and foremost they (U19 players) need to be the best based on their merit and skill level. Just being around the national camp, regardless of country, you mix in along with players who have played for a long time. They get to experience different conditions and different conditions. And I do believe that your youngsters are your modern-day cricketers. They bring a new flare to the game and make it exciting."
With the women's game following the data analytics part of men's cricket, the South African thinks there is more attention being paid to the player-to-player match-ups. And if a team is able to bring someone whom a lot of players have not faced at the international level or even at the franchise level, it can provide them with the X-factor necessary to win the games. "Having these youngsters around who have not played a lot of international cricket sort of does bring the X factor in the team. We are talking about T20 cricket and you select the bowler that no one knows, and you could potentially get four overs from that bowler, the opposition is busy trying to figure out plans during the World Cup could be difficult," she explained.
While the advantage may not last for long, it is something the teams would want to try sooner than later. "At one stage, the more the youngsters play the international game it will phase out but in the initial stage, it will work out. There are few youngsters to watch out for in this World Cup and I am excited to see how they go."
With every passing year, the way women's game is perceived at the global stage is changing. The younger talent coming into the game is more aware of what they need to do to make a meaningful impact on their teams. Starting today, the stage equally belongs to the young guns.
Young stars on the rise
After the inaugural U19 Women's World Cup last year, a number of next-gen players have moved up the ranks. A look at some of them who can set the tournament alive in the UAE...
Marufa Akter (19, BAN)
The pace sensation is not new to the senior level. She was there in South Africa last year and lit up the stage with her raw pace. The pacer has only upskilled since the last edition and has the ability to take conditions out of the equation.
Vishmi Gunaratne (19, SL)
From making headlines in school cricket to becoming one of the rising stars of Sri Lanka, Gunaratne has grown leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. The opening batter provides perfect foil to the skipper's aggression at the top.
Seshnie Naidu (18, SA)
The leg-spinner from South Africa is one of the talents to keep an eye on. Still very young in her international career — she made her senior debut in Pakistan last month — will be complementing Nonkululeko Mlaba in the middle-overs.
Ayanda Hlubi (20, SA)
Another U19 WC star from South Africa, the pacer has already made her debut in all three formats. Breaking into the Proteas pace attack will not be easy. It all will depend on the conditions and balance they want to maintain during the WC.
Zaida James (19, WI)
The left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder was the leading wicket-taker for West Indies in the U19 WC. In the year after, she has already played 12 ODIs and 14 T20Is for WI. In all likelihood, she will share the new ball with Hayley Matthews.
Katherine Fraser (19, SCO)
From the age of 15 when she made her T20I debut, the offie has been earmarked as one for the future. Whether it is the RHF Trophy in England or for Scotland, wherever she plays, Fraser makes a mark. Will be crucial for Scotland's chances of causing upsets.