Young UJ cricketer shares West Indies U19 Cricket World Cup experience

The International Cricket Council U19 Cricket World Cup featured 16 participating national teams with 48 matches played in a round-robin and knockout format that saw India being crowned champions.

It was an international limited-overs cricket tournament. The two University of Johannesburg cricketers, Liam Alder and Ronan Hermann, who are still in high school, represented South Africa at the highest level in the West Indies.

Liam shared that the experience was great as he learnt of various countries’ playing styles and how to be patient under pressure.

He added, “Our biggest competitor in the World Cup was the Indian team. I went into the tournament wanting to win against them because I know that they have great players that can spin. This taught me how to bowl to batsmen that are better than me in the tournament and then come use that here at home.”

The young SA side finished in 7th place in the World Cup.

The 18-year-old Liam is a learner at King Edward VII School and lives in Alberton. He believes it is important for young players to take such opportunities with both hands and make the most out of them.

“I learned that the game can change within a ball or two, to be patient in pressure situations and overcome fear. So, I played 10 games and I felt that my performances were to not bowl with an economy of 4.”

He adds that each cricket player needs to remain calm and wait for any given opportunity that they must use to change the game at any moment.

Speaking on how UJ has helped him grow in the sport, Liam says the UJ Cricket Club environment has helped him improve his skill set and thinking by creating a good team environment and the opportunity to milk information from older players.

He also appreciated the mutual relationship between the players and coaches and their playing style, saying it contributed to his personal performances in the World Cup.