Shimron Hetmyer (right) and Tevin Imlach during their 77-run partnership against Pakistan in the ICC Youth Cricket World Cup on Sunday.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (CMC) — West Indies Under-19s coach Graeme West is hoping his players can use their knowledge of Bangladesh Under-19s to exploit them, when the two teams face off in the semi-final of the Youth Cricket World Cup here on Thursday (tonight Caribbean time).
The Caribbean side earned the right to play the host in the penultimate round after their five-wicket quarter-final victory over Pakistan on Saturday.
West says his charges are fully aware of the strengths of their opposition after playing a three-match warm-up series against them and losing.
“We are very lucky we played them three times, so we know their side, we know their strengths. Their top six are all very well-organised and their spin attack is very good and very skilful in the conditions here in Bangladesh,” said West.
“They also have two good seam bowlers, but they are not a non-quantity to us. We are very familiar with them. We know what to look out for.”
Half-centuries from Tevin Imlach and Shimron Hetmyer topped a hundred from Umair Masood to guide the Windies Under-19s past Pakistan Under-19s at Cox Bazaar.
Chasing 228 for victory, Imlach, opening the batting, hit the top score of 54 and put on 77 with fellow Guyanese, captain and regular opener Hetmyer for the second wicket to put the Caribbean side on course for victory.
West says their semi-final clash against Bangladesh will serve to measure the progress of the Caribbean side in the tournament thus far.
He is hoping that huge hometown support for Bangladesh would work in favour of the West Indies.
“There is a huge amount of support for Bangladesh here, first time they reach the semi-finals of an ICC competition. So we are going to hope that gets them a little bit. Obviously there are going to be huge expectations,” said West.
“They are a good side. We would certainly be the underdogs, but it will be a great test in terms of the progress we have made since we arrived in Bangladesh in January.”