Hamilton-Brown defends Under-19 cricket
England's Under-19 captain Rory Hamilton-Brown has leapt to the defence of junior international cricket after Adil Rashid was removed from the squad to continue playing for Yorkshire
Jenny Thompson
25-Jul-2007
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Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire's coach, said earlier in the week: "I asked whether it was better for Adil to be bowling against the likes of Stuart Law and Brad Hodge and batting against Muttiah Muralitharan or playing Under-19s cricket?"
Hamilton-Brown agrees with the decision to keep Rashid playing for his county - but he says this is an exception to the rule. "It's a massive thing to play Under-19s, the next step up is playing for the A-team. He's already done that, he's already at the next level. He's a special case."
And, of course, Rashid's absence gives someone else a chance to impress: U-19 has a definite value as a shop window, not to mention the representative honours it entails. This year, for example, Hamilton-Brown's opportunities at Surrey have been limited to the extent where he can't even get a bowl in the seconds now that his fellow slow bowlers Ian Salisbury, Steven Smith and Simon King are all featuring.
Giving up his second-team spot for a month means that his first-team chances are ever decreasing. But with first-class opportunities looking unlikely in the foreseeable future, Hamilton-Brown knows that it's a shrewd move - not to mention an honour - for him to play youth international cricket in the interim.
"There may be no first-team opportunities anyway, and the Under-19s is a fresh and enjoyable period of the summer. If you do well, a lot of people take note."
And then, of course, is the challenge presented by the visitors. He welcomes the stiff test that Pakistan, the World Cup holders, will present: "It will be a massive challenge. I'd expect them to be a very, very, very good side."
After India gave them a sound working over last year, he says that lessons have been learnt. "The India series helped massively," he said, putting a positive spin on England's failure to win a game against them in either Tests or one-dayers. Then again, age-group cricket is about learning for the higher game.
Hamilton-Brown will be too old for next year's U-19 World Cup, but he still hopes to be a part of laying the foundations. Even so, the emphasis this series won't be on the one-dayers alone. The emphasis will be on victory. "It's about winning every match, getting the younger players into the winning mentality. Tactics will be important of course, for the one-dayers, as will the game-plan."
This is his first series as captain, after a shoulder operation prevented him from taking up the reins in Malaysia last winter. With that previous announcement - and the fact that he's captained England U-16, Surrey seconds and Surrey at all age groups - his appointment this time shouldn't have come as any revelation, but he takes nothing for granted. "I was a little bit surprised."
He's pleased with the side. "I'm very happy with it, it's a strong squad." Opportunities for them to practise together will be few and far between, but he's not fazed: "Everyone's been playing a lot of first and second team cricket. It's a case of getting together and seeing what we need to achieve as a unit."
The first Test begins on August 4 at a yet-to-be-determined venue after New Road's floods
Jenny Thompson is assistant editor of Cricinfo