By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
Skipper of the Sierra Leone Under-19 Cricket Team, John Bangura, is rallying his teammates to man their respective offices as the country dusts off malignant spirits to face five other bulldog nations at the ICC U-19 Men’s World Cup Qualifier Africa Division 1 Tournament in Dar Es Salaam Tanzania later this month.
The Under-19 Captain is calling on colleagues ‘to work on their trade to help the unit achieve its [desired] goals’.
With Coach Kenneth Masinga here, Skipper Bangura says his squad is alive. “We saw some significant vacuum during the Abuja battle to reach this stage. Those are behind us now. We are happy to get ourselves out there, execute the needful, and have fun,” he adds.
On the new phase, the Under-19 Skipper lavishes compliments on the dutifulness of Coach Masinga, who, he says, has rebranded their playing style and has worked on their mental toughness. “We had these abilities last year, but we were unable to put them together as a unit. Right now, it’s different,” he explains.
On whether his opponents are bulldogs, Captain Bangura says all teams are tough. “I mean you cannot rate someone because of rankings and all. My boys and I are gonna treat each team the same. We do not recognize any team as a small side or a big side. For us, they are all equal,” he remarks.
Last year at the ICC World Cup Qualifier Africa Division 2 held in Abuja, John scored above 150 runs in three decisive innings and made headlines in the foreign press, bringing Sierra Leone to the centre of global attention.
Facing Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda (all tough sides), John hopes to replicate an improved version of the Abuja performance.
To get this done in time, fourteen players along with Coach Masinga and a Team Manager will depart the shores of Sierra Leone on July 16 for Tanzania for a week-long training before the qualification commences. The squad will undergo further workouts on foreign soil and will play a series of matches with local clubs before the start of the six-nation tournament.
CSL Media Department
