I’m not quite sure how many of the youngsters in the current West Indies Under – 19 team follow basketball or how much they know of Kobe Bryant but I’m certain they are aware of his recent passing and the depth of his iconic influence as an athlete; such is the reach of social media.
To put things into perspective, the juniors could do well with embracing Kobe’s ‘Mamba Mentality’ – that fearless and attractive championship flamboyance – when they come up against New Zealand today in the second quarter-final of the ongoing ICC Under – 19 World Cup in South Africa.
There is only one way for West Indies to play and it’s with that Caribbean flair and enterprising zeal which saw them coming out of Group ‘B’ atop the points table ahead of Australia who lost to India in the first quarter-finals (yesterday), England and Nigeria.
But in New Zealand, Kimani Melius and his men will find a tricky and unpredictable opponent, much like themselves. The `Kiwis’ advanced from group ‘A’, behind India and ahead of Sri Lanka, and Japan.
The road to the quarter-final was a bit bumpy; it was affected by rain which prevailed – no result – against Japan, however, they showed character against Sri Lanka in a one-wicket, last-over win over the Asian side.
It was a must-win fixture for both sides but the win for New Zealand was orchestrated by Rhys Mariu (86) and Beckham Wheeler-Greenall (80) who came up trumps for
their side. They were then defeated by India by 44 runs in another rain-affected match.
The Caribbean youngsters, on the other hand, were tested by Australia in their first encounter but were guided to victory by the immensely talented Nyeem Young who played a mature hand (61) and bullied the Aussies into submission.
Seamer Jayden Seales was also impactful with the ball, snapping up 4-49 to limit Australia to 179. West Indies, in their second encounter, got past England by 71 runs, a win set up by Guyanese Kevlon Anderson’s fine knock of 86 and Young’s all-round (66 and 5-45) brilliance.
Their final group encounter against Nigeria was not expected to go the distance and it didn’t. They won by a massive 246 runs.
Those events paved the way for the West Indies/New Zealand clash which may turn out to be one of the most exciting matches of the tournament. New Zealand will depend highly on its leading runs scorer Mariu who has so far amassed 179 runs from four matches inclusive of two half-centuries.
On pure potential, Wheeler-Greenall and Fergus Leelman are the other batsmen to watch out for.
The fate of the Young Windies rests squarely on the shoulders of Young. The weight of his match-winning and game-changing pedigree could decide the outcome.
The combination of Skipper Melius and Leonardo Julien at the top of the order can take the game away from the Kiwis while Anderson’s stubbornness in the middle will allow the all-rounders at the bottom to express themselves.
The bowling department will be led by Seales who can unsettle the New Zealand batsmen while Ashmead Nedd’s holding role with the ball is an important cog in Windies’ bowling success.
