da heads bet： On a sultry evening in Colombo the Under-19 World Cup was launched withtypical Sri Lankan flair
Andrew McGlashan in Colombo04-Feb-2006
Special applause was reserved for the host’s captain, Angelo Mathews © AFP
On a sultry evening in Colombo the Under-19 World Cup was launched withtypical Sri Lankan flair. The town may have been lashed by someunseasonably heavy rain, but that didn’t put a damper on the event as 16teams and numerous dignitaries descended on the Taj Samudra hotel.This is the second time Sri Lanka has hosted the tournament, and alongwith the 2002 Champions Trophy, they know how to put on a decent show.Tonight that involved traditional dancing and the appearance of a verywell behaved elephant.The Under-19 World Cup has grown in stature since the 1998tournament, and there were some heavyweight figures on the top table.Malcolm Speed had flown in this morning and was joined by the Sri LankanMinister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Jeewan Kumaranatunga, the chairmanof Sri Lanka Cricket, Jayantha Dharmadasa and Ian Frykberg, directorof the Global Cricket Corporation.First of all, the captains were paraded onto stage preceded by a group of drummersand lively dancers. Moises Henriques, the Australian captain, led the wayaccompanied by his flag bearer. A special round of applause was saved forthe host country and their skipper, Angelo Mathews, and the two tables ofUSA players greeted their captain with hearty applause. The widest smileswere also worn by the players from some of the lesser known countries,with the Ugandans clearly soaking up the atmosphere.
The World Cup trophy arrives on an elephant © Cricinfo Ltd
Digital cameras were not in short supply, as players grabbed memories ofthe biggest moment in their life. There was one player, however, who willhave been fairly used to the situation: Nepal’s captain, Kanishka Chaugai,is appearing in his third Under-19 World Cup – an impressive feat.As the captains lined up on stage, they lit up a world map behind them witheach of their countries. Asia was aglow – five nations are involved in theWorld Cup – but the British Isles was also shining strongly, and the USAbeaming brightly. The ICC want a global game and this tournament iscertainly not lacking for diversity. It would be a success if not only a clutch of young players came onto the scene, but a couple of developing cricketing nations made steps to establish themselves.The `big’ attraction then made its appearance; a huge elephant – withrider – plodded into the marquee, carrying the trophy and presenting it toSpeed. It was an impressive addition to the show, certainly not somethingyou would see at Lord’s or the MCG, but you just sat there hoping it wasnot an easily spooked animal. The master of ceremonies couldn’t resist anobvious pun as the elephant plodded away, claiming this was going to be a”jumbo tournament.”Speed’s opening speech followed and showed he still had a sense of humour,despite a number of testing situations he has had to deal with around theworld of late. “The ICC are often blamed when things go wrong ininternational cricket,” he said, “so it was no surprise that as I drovefrom the airport in the heavy rain I was told it was the first time in 12years it had rained in February.”There certainly isn’t much that can be done about the weather and it justhas to be hoped that it doesn’t affect the tournament to any great extent.Despite the untimely rain, however, thoughts are now firmly turningtowards the real action with the build-up now complete. As Speedadded, “may the best team win.”