Thanks New Zealand Cricket for putting together a successful event in a short lead-up time
Mr Morgan thanked New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for the successful hosting of the tournament and the match officials for their invaluable contribution. “This has been a hugely successful tournament which has been thoroughly enjoyed by the players and officials.
“There are so many quality cricket grounds in New Zealand and you do need quality playing surfaces for an event as important as this one. I think this has been an extremely successful World Cup also considering the fact that NZC put it together in a short lead-up time.”
Mr Morgan also complimented the volunteers for their efforts in making this an event a memorable one.
“The contribution of the volunteers has been really excellent. They worked tirelessly and today if we can look back at the success of this tournament it is also because of the devotion and commitments of the volunteers.”
Spirit of Cricket a highlight of the event
ICC President David Morgan has praised the cricketers for upholding the Spirit of Cricket during a highly successful ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2010 which concluded in New Zealand on Saturday.
“The most impressive aspect of the event has been the spirit in which the tournament has been played. I think the behavior of the players on the field was exemplary and is really something to note as the Spirit of Cricket was very much evident in the competition,” Mr Morgan said.
“The players showed utmost respect for their opponents and the umpires without compromising their desire to play as hard as possible. These players have been great ambassadors for their countries which clearly indicates that the future of our great sport is bright and in safe hands.
“I’m sure these extremely talented cricketers have returned home after making lots of friends, many of whom they will come across during their international careers.
“This event was designed to be a finishing school for these very fine young cricketers. It was an opportunity for them to test their skills in a full ICC tournament environment against their peers from around the world and I think they have risen to that challenge.”
He also thanked ICC’s commercial partners, Reliance Mobile, LG, Yahoo!, Fly Emirates, Reebok and Pepsi, and members of the media including the host broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports for televising many of the matches live around the world.
An overall success
The tournament saw a total of 240 players from 16 teams play 48 matches. Between them, they bowled a total of 22,610 balls, scored 16,816 runs, and took 683 wickets.
In the final, Australia defeated Pakistan by 25 runs to win its third title after having won the tournament in 1988 and 2000. Australia recovered from 23-3 and 82-5 to reach 207-9 and then bowl out the 2004 and 2006 winners for 182 in 46.4 overs.
South Africa’s Dominic Hendricks was named the player-of-the-tournament. He was nominated as man-of-the-match three times during the competition, more than any other player. He was also the tournament’s highest run-scorer, amassing 391 runs in six innings, at an outstanding average of 97.75. The 19-year old left-hander hit an unbeaten 107 against New Zealand in the play-off semi-final, and scored three half-centuries including 75 not out against the USA, 94 against Australia and 63 playing India.
The leading wicket-taker at the 2010 event was Raymond Haoda from Papua New Guinea, taking 15 wickets at an average of 17.26. His figures included 5-34 against Afghanistan.
