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2026 ICC Men’s U-19 50-Over World Cup…West Indies vs. Tanzania: Windies U-19 Head Coach Nurse says team ready for World Cup challenge
– Praises centurions Apple, Francis performances ahead of today’s opener
Kaieteur Sports – Rohan Nurse, the West Indies U-19 Head Coach has praised the brilliant pre-World Cup performances from centurions Shamar Apple and Tanez Francis, adding that his team is firing on all cylinders ahead of their opening match today versus Tanzania.
West Indies demolished Japan by 229 runs during their World Cup warm-up match, with the Guyanese Apple signalling his intentions early with a brilliant knock of 124 off just 65 balls.
All eyes will be on Guyanese Shamar Apple following his breathtaking century.
Batting at 6, Apple spanked 10 fours and 8 huge sixes which was one of the better knocks at this level. The opener Francis got his 122 runs off 148 balls (6×4 3×6) after playing a more composed innings.
A rampant Windies racked up 346-6 before rattling the Japanese for just 117 all out, thanks to the combo of medium-pacer R’jai Gittens who bagged 4-8 with left-arm spinner Vitel Lawes snaring 3-28 to help seal an emphatic win but more importantly gaining additional momentum ahead of their battles versus the Tanzanians today.
Speaking with journalist Andrew Mason during his Mason and Guests show Tuesday, Head Coach Nurse said he was pleased with the recent string of performances leading up to this moment.
“Quite happy with the batting performance,” said Nurse who also credited his bowlers for their exceptional work during the Japan match.
West Indies U19 Coach Rohan Nurse said the team is prepared for their ICC 50-Over World Cup campaign and wished his team all the best ahead of the tournament.
Speaking specifically about the 16-year-old batting sensation Apple, the coach credited the Guyanese for his “Natural striking ability”.
The Coach said his current form would have been a result of his recent growth which includes being selected by his senior national team, the Guyana Harpy Eagles for last season’s Super50.
He added that despite the young batter not playing, his mere presence around the senior regional structure would have played a role in his current understanding of how to apply himself on the international scene.
Apple was also selected for the West Indies U-19 team recently, promoting his Coach to state, “He’s shown a very good capacity to score, he’s modelling himself after Sherfane Rutherford, who he said is his mentor and wants to be like him.”
“Ultimately, we’re just happy with his natural strokeplay and it’s just about guiding that raw talent that he has,” said Nurse.
Speaking on the growth of young opener Francis, the coach outlined his deep work ethics dubbing him a “very hard worker”.
Tanez Francis will look to continue his form come today.
Nurse spoke on his growth and his progression through the respective levels, adding that Apple, Francis along with the entire squad has been growing from strength-to-strength over the last few series.
The coach wished his boys the best heading into the Cup, but highlighted the importance of getting fully acclimatized as they settled in.
Speaking of the mood in the camp, Nurse said the boys were “Well prepared”, but due to the weather which caused them to miss some bowling previously, they were happy to regroup during Tuesday’s game as the bowlers got in some overs while getting an opportunity to assess the conditions.
Coach Nurse described the place as very humid and hot, adding that the high altitude presents a thinner air, which will take some time to get acclimatized to but added that the staff is currently working on getting the team in the right space.
Touching on the last match before the World Cup against Japan, Nurse credited the team while stating that it was interesting to play them.
He noted that most of the players reside in England and Australia, with just a few players actually coming from Japan.
“It was interesting to play Japan, it was a good experience, they have some talented players and I think many of the players are eligible for the next World Cup.”
Nurse, in closing, said the support has been good and heartwarming, citing the appreciation and happiness from the players, ahead of their first game.
West Indies and Tanzania will open Group D today at 3:30am, at the High-Performance Oval, Windhoek in the capital of Namibia.
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