Sri Lanka Under-19 coach Naveed Nawaz said that the just concluded Sri Lanka Under-19 tour of Bangladesh was a tough one and it tested the character of individual players who will be making the country’s team for next year’s ICC Youth World Cup.

“It was a tough tour. In view of next year’s Youth World Cup, it was a good preparation,” said Nawaz in reply to a query by The Island after the team returned to Sri Lanka yesterday.

“We faced good teams. The conditions were tough and the tour tested the character of our players,” he said.

The team, captained by Prince of Wales College batsman Kusal Mendis, won the five-match Youth ODI series 3-2 after drawing the two-match Youth Test series 0-0.

After trailing 2-1 in the One-dayer, the tourists bounced back winning back-to-back matches to clinch the series. Gurukula College speedster Roshan Anuruddha made a valuable contribution in the batting department to record a series deciding 62 runs win in the fifth Youth ODI on Monday. (By Reemus Fernando)

Source: The Island (Sri Lanka)