From one World Cup to another

For almost all the players involved, the Under-19 World Cup is the most publicised event they've been part of on the international circuit. But there's one who has had a bigger experience: this is Malachi Jones' second World Cup but unlike others who played the U-19 tournaments in 2004 and 2006, Malachi's prior World Cup experience was in the Caribbean in 2007.

Bermuda have just been thrashed by ten wickets in their Group D match against England at the Royal Selangor Club. Malachi scored 2 and didn't take a wicket in 5.4 overs. Believe it or not, he feels the heat more in Malaysia than he did in the West Indies, both literally and figuratively.

He was the youngest member of the Bermuda squad in the Caribbean and not much was expected of him then but he's one of the senior boys in the U-19 team with international experience. "I have to produce more than I did at the senior level, so I feel a little more pressure on my game," Malachi says. "I think it's getting to me a little bit. I'm trying to settle down and not worry about the team looking up to me so much."

Malachi's World Cup debut in 2007 was magical. Seventeen at the time, was given the new ball against India and ran in to bowl at Robin Uthappa.

"I was the youngest in the team so nobody was really expecting much from me," Malachi said. "So I didn't have many nerves in my system. So I freed up and tried to just get the ball as close to the stumps as possible."

It was a full delivery just outside off stump, Uthappa poked at it nervously, the ball flew towards first slip where the massive Dwayne Leverock defied gravity by diving full stretch to his right to pull off a stunning one handed catch. The players converged on Malachi, and after he emerged from the bottom of the heap, you could see that he had tears in his eye.

"It was a good catch," Malachi said. "I thanked him [Leverock] for the catch and the effort he put in. I took it as a stepping stone in my career."

So what was that World Cup like for Malachi? He says it was a great experience from which he learned a tremendous amount from all the Test players - Sachin Tendulkar in particular - around him. "I took it as a training camp and took the opportunity to learn as much as I could about the game."

Malachi spent his time between that World Cup and this one training and going on a few senior tours. He's 18 now and by the time the next U-19 World Cup comes around he might be too old. However, he would have to play a part if Bermuda harbour hopes of qualifying for another senior World Cup. Malachi, who wants to study liberal arts, will be striving to mix it with the big boys once again.