Bangladesh Under-19 National team head coach Naveed Nawaz, who has returned to the role after 2020 for his second stint, decided to keep his expectations in check as a preliminary camp with 39 players began on Friday.
These players will undergo a three-week camp at BKSP, which will be Nawaz鈥檚 first assignment after being re-appointed.
He returned to the role after the Bangladesh Cricket Board decided not to continue with Stuart Law, who guided the young Tigers to an Asia Cup title and a Super Six finish in the 2024 U-19 World Cup.
Nawaz guided Bangladesh to their first U-19 World Cup title in 2020 as they beat India in the final to clinch the trophy.
His tenure as head coach produced quite a few players who are now featuring for the national team such as Shoriful Islam, Towhid Hridoy, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
With Nawaz returning, the goal for BCB appears to be winning the next edition in Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2026. However, the Sri Lankan opted to focus more on the development of youngsters to keep a check on expectations.
鈥業t鈥檚 a long time from now. We have a two-year period to get the best out of the cricketers. Most of these players have not toured outside Bangladesh. It鈥檚 an opportunity for us to develop them, not only cricket, but develop their personality and develop them holistically. And see what comes out of it,鈥� he said.
鈥業t鈥檚 too early to say anything and also I think it鈥檚 not the right thing to say that we are going to win the World Cup. It鈥檚 about developing the group and developing their capabilities. We know what capabilities are required to compete with the big teams. So, we will use the next 18 months to push our players and get their capabilities up so that we can challenge and push any team in the world.鈥�
