Cricket news round-up – January 1: Naseem Shah to miss Under 19 World Cup

Trevor Penney joins West Indies team as the assistant coach for the white-ball cricket. Naseem Shah has not been included in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming ICC Under 19 World Cup.

Trevor Penney joins West Indies management

West Indies men’s team appointed Trevor Penney as the assistant coach for the limited-overs cricket. Penney with a two-year contract will join the team on January 2 and West Indies will start preparation for the Ireland series which will feature three ODIs and three T20Is scheduled to begin on January 7.

Penney has experience of serving high profile teams in international level and the leagues. He was the head coach of Sri Lanka, the fielding coach of India, and a consultant coach to the Netherlands. He was also involved with Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, with St Lucia Zouks and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Barbados Trident in the Caribbean Premier League.

Phil Simmons welcomed his colleague and said, “Trevor is an excellent coach and has demonstrated this everywhere he has worked. He has huge experience with Sri Lanka and India at the highest international level and in most T20 leagues around the world including the CPL. He brings enormous energy and is very well respected by all the players.

“I was unprofessional,” Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar decided to end the year on a happy note. On ESPNCricinfo’s video interview he regretted his mistakes made during the pink-ball Test between India and Bangladesh. Manjrekar had taken a dig on Harsha Bhogle which was eventually criticised a lot.

He called this year as the worst one in his career as an analyst and commentator and said, “With that particular comment, it was me losing control and I was unprofessional, I was wrong. It is something that I regret, it was wrong of me so that is what really bothers me that I let my emotions get the better of me.”

He further added, “So mostly being unprofessional and to an extent indecent as well. First thing that I did was apologise to the producers because I was wrong. People who have read my book know that I have actually made plea for production companies to have good commentators, doesn’t matter whether they have played cricket or not.”

Naseem Shah to miss ICC Under 19 World Cup

Pakistan teen-sensation Naseem Shah has been kept out of the Pakistan team for the upcoming ICC Under 19 World Cup. The sixteen-year-old has already played three tests for Pakistan and created a good impression with his pace and also got a five-wicket haul.

His inclusion would have definitely strengthened the Pakistan Under 19 but the PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan opined, “The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup is a stepping stone for future stars and a platform for budding youngsters to graduate to international cricket. Naseem has recently broken that glass ceiling and has established his credentials as an international cricketer.”

The head of the Pakistan junior selection committee, Saleem Jaffar has announced Mohammad Wasim Junior as a replacement for Shah. Wasim Junior has played for Pakistan Under 19 in Youth Asia Cup and also in their tours of South Africa and Sri Lanka.