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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Under-19 cricket team coach, Prosper Utseya, wants his players to have high levels of fitness for the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa in January.

The youth team were drawn to face Pakistan, Scotland and Bangladesh at the tournament which begins on January 17 with the preliminary group games.

However, there is a chance they could play more games, in a short space of time, and the technical team have emphasised the need for proper conditioning ahead of the gruelling contests.

Zimbabwe fitness and conditioning trainer, Walter Karimanzira, this week took the players through fitness drills and was impressed by their response.

“According to the standards that we set, 80 percent of the guys have done pretty well considering that they have been on a break for the school exams.

“I am actually quite happy,” Karimanzira told the ZC website.
The team resumed their official training camp last week following the school examinations break.
Utseya said they wanted to do better than how they performed in their previous appearance.

“It was very important for the guys to go through the test so that we see where they are in terms of their fitness levels,” said Utseya.

“I am very happy that we are not far off and in the next few days the few that were a bit behind can work on meeting the required standard.

“These guys are going to play lots of cricket, one game after the other, and it’s going to take a lot out of them.
“So, if they are fit, I believe they can compete at high intensity because it’s a high-intensity tournament.”
The Zimbabwe cricket youth team has been preparing for the event for the past few months.

They will open their campaign at the 16-team tournament against Bangladesh at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on 18 January.

Zimbabwe will then face Pakistan and Scotland on 22 and 25 January respectively at the Witrand Oval, also in Potchefstroom.
The top two teams from each of the four groups at the tournament will advance to the Super League, while the remaining teams will feature in the Plate championship.

Zimbabwe’s final squad of 15 for the tournament is set to be announced on December 7.
The players have posted some good scores during practice games.

Less than 24 hours after undergoing the fitness test, the side put on a commendable show in a practice match against Mountaineers at Old Hararians on Wednesday.

Despite going down to their experienced opponents by 88 runs, Utseya should have been especially pleased with Milton Shumba’s brilliant century.

Shumba racked up 111 runs, including six boundaries and five maximums, off 125 deliveries.
Kudakwashe Macheka was the pick of the Under-19 bowlers, claiming three scalps for 64 off his seven overs.
ICC Under-19 World Cup Groups:
Group A: India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Japan
Group B: Australia, England, West Indies, Nigeria
Group C: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Scotland
Group D: Afghanistan, South Africa, UAE, Canada