Bangladesh Under-19 coach Navid Nawaz has said that winning the World Cup in South Africa has given him more satisfaction than might have been the case had it been in the subcontinent. Nawaz, who took over the job in 2018, has been instrumental in the side’s progress during this period, in which they also dominated New Zealand and England in their backyards.
“For me as a coach, it is not just winning the World Cup, but winning it in South Africa which has made me most proud,” Nawaz told Prothom Alo. “It is the biggest achievement. It wouldn’t have been this surprising if we had won the World Cup in the subcontinent. For the batsmen especially, it is tough to play in South Africa. We were helped by the two series in England and New Zealand, where we played in bouncy wickets. We also came to South Africa to adapt to the weather. I don’t remember anyone in the team saying they were having trouble adjusting to South African conditions.”
The boys are the toast of the town at the moment, but Nawaz stressed that it should be understood that the youngsters could not be expected to be of international standard overnight.
"There is a huge difference between an Under-19 cricketer and an international cricketer,” he said. “We prepared them to meet the demands of Under-19 cricket. But I believe with more training and fitness, they will soon become of international standard. They have the mental and cricketing ability to reach that level.”
