ICC U19 Men's CWC England captain quotes
You are the two undefeated teams in the tournament. How is the mood in the camp?
Tom Prest: We’re all really excited to play the game tomorrow. A World Cup final is something you dream of. India look a very strong side. We are the two sides left in the competition who are undefeated so we are all very excited to play.
Any area that you have noticed in the Indian team that you can target?
TP: They have got a few really good spinners, left-arm and right-arm off-spin. They are quite a well-rounded attack with right-arm seam and a left-arm swing bowler at the top of their innings. They look a pretty well-rounded side but it’s quite similar to us. We’ve got a leg-spinner, a left-arm spinner and myself as an offie. And then our seam attack is pretty varied as well. They are two pretty well-matched sides so we’re looking forward to playing.
There is talk in the media that India will be the slight favourites. Does that remove some pressure for you?
TP: I think coming into the tournament they were favourites that everyone tipped to win the tournament. We’re very excited to get the opportunity to play in the final. We’re really looking forward to it and feel that we are as prepared as we can be.
Any particular Indian batsman that you would like to target with the new ball?
TP: Their batsmen are a talented group. Their captain Yash Dhull played really well in the semi-final so there are a few key wickets that we will be looking to take early.
Spinners have been India’s strength in this tournament, particularly when playing against non sub-continental sides, so they will definitely target you with spin. What is your counter-plan?
TP: They have obviously got some very good spinners but we’ve had experience playing sub-continental sides, we went to Sri Lanka just before Christmas. We’ve all got our own individual plans, whether that is sweeping or using our feet. But we are confident we can put up a good show.
You must be very excited. What sort of an achievement is it for this group to get to this stage? The first final England have reached in this tournament in such a long time.
TP: It’s the first time in 24 years that England have been in this final. I don’t know if we can believe it at the moment, we’re going to be playing in a World Cup final. It’s something you dream of growing up, so we’re all really excited and can’t wait to play.
You may have heard the debate about the balance of red and white-ball cricket. As someone who is coming through the system right now, how do you see the balance?
TP: I see Test match cricket as the pinnacle and having spoken to a lot of the lads, Test match cricket is what we want to play in the future. You need good, fundamental basics to play Test cricket, to play against the swinging ball as a batsman. I guess if you are practising red-ball and your red-ball game is in good order, then those skills definitely transfer to white ball and you can start expanding your game from there.
Do you feel you’ve had enough exposure to red-ball cricket?
TP: Yes, coming through the Hampshire pathways, we’ve played three-day cricket for Under-17s and slightly younger than that in Under-15s you play two-day, multi-day games. Then there are second team Championship games, I’ve played quite a few of them now so I feel I’ve definitely been exposed to red-ball cricket as well as quite a lot of white ball.
How much would it mean personally to get one over on India and win this tournament?
TP: It would be incredible. To be a World Cup-winning captain would be special and a very proud moment for myself and my family. It would be an incredible feeling to do that.
What has this experience been like so far?
TP: It’s been amazing, not only with the cricket, playing the best players from around the world but the whole media exposure that we are getting as well, whether it is with press conferences or social media, it’s a great platform for us to showcase our skills and show everyone what we can do.
What has the support from back home been like?
TP: We have had loads. At the start of the tournament, Hannah, our analyst, got our parents to give us good luck messages and tell us how proud they are of us, which was pretty nice. This morning we had messages from quite a few of the England senior team, saying that they had been following it and been really impressed with us. So it’s nice to know we have so much support from back home.
Which players were giving you those messages?
TP: Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, quite a few.
What were they saying?
TP: They were saying that how impressed they have been with us and proud of what we have done getting to our first Under-19 final in 24 years. It’s amazing to know they have been watching and following from whatever they have been doing.
How do you remain calm and composed before the final?
TP: It was good to have the tight game against Afghanistan in the semi-final. All our games previously had been pretty convincing wins so to have the experience of winning a close game in the knockout stage of the tournament will probably serve us well for tomorrow.
Graeme Swan has been on comms and was part of the 99 group. Has there been any discussion about what is was like 24 years ago?
TP: When we were in the hotel in St Kitts, they were staying at the same place. We had a Q&A on the bench. He’s always good fun to listen to and he shared a few of his stories. Obviously he won the T20 World Cup with the England senior squad too so he knows what it is like to win these kinds of tournaments. To tap into some knowledge from his was really good.
What were some of the insights?
TP: How big momentum is in these tournaments and to not get complacent. He said in our game against Canada, we won it convincingly but our last ten overs looked a bit slack because we knew we had already won the game. Hearing that from him that it didn’t look great from the outside gave us a kick in the right direction that we can’t get complacent regardless of the stage or situation of the game.
How has the intensity of the World Cup matches compared with the Blast and One-Day Cup?
TP: The crowds at Finals Day at Edgbaston was unbelievable. So it was great to have that experience. I’ve been able to transfer some of the skills and know what performing under pressure is like. Most of the games have been on Sky so there have been lots of people watching back home and all over the world. So it’s been a great experience for us all to have that kind of exposure. Hopefully we have done ourselves proud.
What are your experiences of facing Rehan Ahmed in the nets? Can you pick his googly?
TP: We’ve faced him quite a lot throughout last summer and this winter. Luckily we can pick him now. It’s been great practice for us to face a mystery spinner when we played Afghanistan. I know there’s no mystery spin for the Indian side but we have got some really good finger spinners as well who we have been able to practice against.
What do you think about Joshua Boyden and Rehan Ahmed? They have been decisive for you. What are you expecting from them in the final?
TP: Josh has been amazing for us all tournament, taking early wickets in the powerplay and showing he can handle the pressure bowling wide yorkers at the end. Rehan Ahmed has been great for the three games he’s come in, taking three or four-wicket hauls. It’s always great to have a couple of bankers you can use at the end.
What are the takeaways as an England Under-19 cricketer here?
TP: I think we can be very proud of what we have done so far. Playing in conditions that not many of us have played in out in the Caribbean. We’ve done amazingly to get to the final and hopefully we can use the experience we have got in playing in this ground to go one step further and win it.
Is there a little bit of performance pressure that the senior guys are watching, or is it a confidence booster?
TP: For me personally, it’s a confidence booster to know those established international players are taking an interest and watching. They have won the 50-over World Cup so they know what it is like to play in a final. I don’t really feel there is any added pressure, if anything it makes us want to do better because we know they are watching us.
You have tried to emulate Eoin Morgan’s team. Winning the World Cup three years after they did it would be the cherry on the top?
TP: Yeah, we’ve tried to play that attacking brand of cricket that Eoin Morgan instilled in that squad. Whether that is with the bat, ball or field, we always try to take the positive option. That was one of the messages they were saying in their video they sent this morning – to not back down from the bgi occasion in the final and still play with that positive intent.
