Handling pressure key for U-19s

It is accepted wisdom that the ability to withstand pressure-filled scenarios can make a sizeable difference in cricket. The Bangladesh national team, for instance, struggled for more than a decade for a want of this capability, before they began churning out wins on a regular basis.
At the moment, the lack of this ability seems to be the biggest concern for Bangladesh Under-19 coach Richard McInnes, who returned to the country yesterday following his side's premature exit from the Asia Cup.
Blaming his side's poor batting for the early exit, Richard said, “We simply did not bat well throughout the tournament. I thought they felt the pressure. Not being able to bat 50 overs against Afghanistan, for me that is probably what cost us a place in the finals in the end. Had we made ten more runs in that game, we probably could have gone through."
The junior side beat Afghanistan despite being bundled out for just 169. They also faltered against Sri Lanka, posting 203 in a game which they eventually lost. The three teams were tied at four points a piece and at the end it was Sri Lanka and Afghanistan who went through by virtue of better net run-rates.
"We have to hit a lot of balls in the next month so the players feel confident under pressure. We need to put them into scenarios and make them practise them under pressure, for them to deliver in these games. They need to get more experience," said McInnes.
The Australian felt that the cancellation of the Under-19 series against the West Indies, due to security concerns, also had a negative affect.
"It did not help at all. That was eight matches that we missed out on. And we were not allowed to use the Academy facilities after that as well because of the World T20 preparations. The boys did not get the volume of balls that they had to. It was not great preparation," said McInnes.
The junior side's next project is likely to be the Under-19 World Cup in February, where they will face Australia, Afghanistan and Namibia in the group stages.