The Black Caps colts will be coached by former Kiwi international off-spinner Paul Wiseman.
Wellington’s spinning-all-rounder Jesse Tashkoff was selected to be New Zealand’s captain for the U19 World Cup team. The tournament is set to take place in South Africa from January to February of next year. The team will be coached by former cricketer Paul Wiseman, a former international player for New Zealand.
Until his appointment as captain, Tashkoff hasn’t played that much cricket for the U19 team. The left-arm spinner played in two series: one against the Aussies on their home turf and against Bangladesh at home. In eight matches from those series, he’s picked eight wickets. He scored an unbeaten 66 in one of the matches against Bangladesh and a 45 against Australia.
New Zealand’s U19 team are in the same group as Japan’s, Sri Lanka’s, and defending champion India’s, all in Group A. They will play their against Japan Potchefstroom on January 18 which is the second day of the tournament. The contest will have 16 teams divided into four groups with the top two from each advancing to the Super League. The bottom two teams will go to the Plate League.
New Zealand finished in eighth in the previous U19 World Cup which was held on their home turf. This time, the Black Caps boys will look to improve their track record, even that of their seniors if possible. The final will be played on February 9.
‘These boys should be proud of their selection in the U19 side but they will know the hard work is ahead of them. We saw how strong the Bangladesh U19 side were that toured here recently, and we’re expecting a highly competitive World Cup’, said Wiseman in an interview. ‘We’re very happy with the squad we’ve selected and believe the group will give us the best chance of success, but we’re under no illusions how tough it’s going to be’.
The lineup for New Zealand’s U19 squad is as follows: Jesse Tashkoff (captain), Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Hayden Dickson, William O’Rourke, Joey Field, Quinn Sunde, David Hancock, Beckham Wheeler-Greenall, Nicholas Lidstone, Simon Keene, Fergus Lellman, Rhys Mariu, Ben Pomare, Oliver White.
New Zealand is currently facing Australia in a three-match Test series. The odds for that match are Australia with -1250 and New Zealand with 740. They will then face India in five T20Is followed by three ODIs. To find out more about New Zealand’s upcoming match, visit Betwala’s page.
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