All smiles for the visiting Aussie team

On Sunday,when the SGFI team defeated the visiting Australian team to win the U-16 Commonwealth Cricket Series at Tau Devi Lal Stadium,there were all smiles on the face of the winning team.

The Australian under-16 team,here in India ,as a part of the series organized by the Commonwealth Youth Sports Development Council,lost all their respective matches against the Indian counterparts but the experience of playing under different conditions and way from home at a young age is largely seen by the Australian authorities as a test to hone skills and improve the physical and mental conditioning of their under-16 team.

James How from Perth,whose son Callum was also the wicket keeper of the under-16 Australian team,says,”The series is taking place just before the season begins in Australia . It is probably the best pre-season training we could have got. It is important to build the technical skills as well as life-skills like team-building and pushing themselves to the limit to realise their true potential.” How himself is an entrepreneur and the director of the sports management firm MoreThan Sports. He is also an accredited Level II coach certified by Cricket Australia .

Sam Davis,the coach of the team,who has been to India before,proudly says,”We had our National Championship in March and the final match was between Western Australia and Victoria. The best players were selected for this tour to India. Prior to coming here,we had won both our games against the Delhi Public School in Delhi,”

Harish Mehta,general secretary,Commonwealth Youth Sports Development Council,says,”We organise the under-16 Commonwealth cricket series every two years not only to promote cricket but also to facilitate cultural exchange and interaction between the young players of the two countries.”

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