The full experience

A refreshing aspect to my early days in Colombo has been the attitude of the players and management that I have so far come across. It is fair to say that, at times, dealing with full international teams can be a frustrating and impersonal affair, as you are directed through one official channel then another before being told there is ‘no comment’. Nothing of the sort here, those I've met have been happy to talk and ensure the World Cup is shown in the best possible light.

These players have yet to put up their guard – they have no reason to – they are not weighed under by ongoing pressure on them. Whether it is milling around at the hotel or having a chat with some of the players during a lunch break, they are relaxed and confident. It is all part of the experience and they also realise that good coverage of the tournament gives them more exposure and can be a boost to their careers. Relationships with the media won’t always be so cordial, but while they are life is so much easier.

Working with the media is just one of a host of other roles that those players who progress through the ranks will find become a part of their everyday life. The days leading up to the start of the tournament, on Sunday, have not only been filled with the warm-up matches, but an array of administrative commitments – a small taste of what will await a few in the future. And don’t think, for one minute, they get an easy ride because they are youngsters. This is a full-on ICC tournament and comes will all the associated bells and whistles.

Probably the most eye-opening of the tasks for each team will have been their meeting with the ACSU – the anti corruption unit – an hour-long talk about how to ensure the players avoid any unscrupulous activities. This is the serious part of the day, as there is an ongoing campaign to ensure the sport stays clean and fair. Some of these players will be around for the next 15 years, so they may as well get into good habits early.

The teams are then herded into a large room, for the mini-bat signing session. There are 75 for each team to scrawl their signatures on, the difference here as opposed to the full national sides is that you can often make out the names – they haven’t been overworked as yet and had time to resemble more a wiggly line than an actual name. However, they are asked before hand to resist the temptation to include “any hearts, kisses or little doodles”.

But the players are serious about why they are here and quickly complete the two tables of bats – the Australians apparently were the fastest, although the Indians didn’t hang around. Despite the fact that most of them would probably rather be fitting in some last-minute training, the two squads that were involved while I was knocking about the hotel – Australia and Namibia – were clearly aware of their responsibilities. But they are also young enough to enjoy it without any preconceptions.