Bangladesh prepares to raise the curtain

It is appropriate that Bangladesh should be hosting the Under-19 World Cup in an Olympic year, because when the dust has settled and the 16 competing nations have gone their separate ways, the benefits to the country's sporting infrastructure should be every bit as lasting as the memories of the tournament.

The fifth U19 World Cup is officially launched tomorrow evening in an opening ceremony at Dhaka's Bangabandhu National Stadium, before the show gets fully underway on February 15. For Bangladesh, who open their campaign against New Zealand in Dhaka, it is the second part of a hugely important month in their development, with a senior tour of Zimbabwe taking place concurrently.

There had never been much doubt that public interest in the World Cup would be huge, but already ticket sales have exceeded demand. All the original 28,000 tickets for the group matches in Bogra sold out well in advance, including 10,000 for the opening fixture between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe on February 15. Even the less fashionable match-ups have attracted strong support, with 9000 tickets for Zimbabwe's games against Australia and Canada having been snapped up.

"I have been very impressed with the enthusiasm that cricket fans in Bogra have shown for these matches," said Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the ICC. "I hope that the feats of these international players will inspire local youngsters to try and follow in their footsteps." Their chances of following those footsteps will have been significantly enhanced by the creation of Bogra's District Stadium, one of several Government-funded projects to promote the infrastructure of Bangladeshi cricket.

"It is always exciting to return to a country where cricket is the No. 1 sport," said Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, who was in Dhaka last November for the media launch of the event. "I know that there is a lot of interest in the U19 World Cup throughout the country and I look forward to witnessing this with my own eyes."

Mani and Speed will attend the opening ceremony, where the chief guest will be Bangladesh's Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. All 16 competing nations will attend the show, before flying off to compete in four group stages in different parts of the country. Mani was enthusiastic about what lay in store, saying: "I am sure the opening ceremony will provide a spectacular start to what promises to be an intriguing event."

For England, the tournament provides a chance to emulate the class of 1998, who won the cup in South Africa by beating New Zealand by seven wickets in the final. In the two subsequent tournaments, however, they have managed a solitary victory over Test-playing opposition, but this time round have had the best possible preparation, with access to the new Academy in Loughborough, and a full fortnight in Malaysia to acclimatise to the heat and humidity. They are drawn alongside South Africa, Uganda and Nepal in the Chittagong-based group, and must be a safe bet to progress to the second round.

This year's defending champions, as befits their era of effortless dominance, are Australia, for whom the wicketkeeper Adam Crossthwaite is the only player to have taken part in the 2002 event in New Zealand. On that occasion, he kept wicket in all eight matches, claiming 11 catches - including two in the final - and four stumpings. He also scored 102 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 129.62.

Future international cricketers will abound at the event, but there will also be a smattering of current stars. The West Indian fast bowler, Ravi Rampaul, is flying out directly from the senior tour to South Africa, while three of the Bangladeshi squad - Nafis Iqbal, Talha Jubair and Enamul Haque - have also played international cricket.

With 54 matches crammed into three weeks, it promises to be a bustling tournament, and one which goes some way towards putting Bangladesh firmly on the international map.