ICC Under19 Cricket World Cup Teams & Groups

England Team Profile

Alex Wakely's side head to Malaysia hopeful of repeating the exploits of the 1998 England side which under the captaincy of Owais Shah captured the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup.

The side has experienced some indifferent form in the past year, including a 3-1 ODI series loss in the summer of 2007 to Pakistan U/19. But the team will take some invaluable experience of playing in Malaysian conditions with them having toured there last year, where they played a series against the hosts, Sri Lanka and India. The side has also made extensive preparations at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough and on a three-week tour to Sri Lanka prior to the event.

Wakely, who made his first-class debut for Northamptonshire last year, scoring 38 and 66 on debut against Somerset, is hopeful that his side will be able to turn around their form and achieve some real success.

He said: "My ultimate goal and realistic goal is to captain the team to World Cup glory. The team behind me is one of incredible talent and desire and bringing the World Cup home is a real possibility."

Key batsmen for England will include Billy Godleman, who scored an unbeaten 149 against Pakistan in an ODI last year, and Kent's Sam Northeast.

On the bowling front, much will be expected from six foot eight inch Steven Finn, who became the youngest player since Fred Titmus in 1949 to make his county debut for Middlesex, aged just 16 years old, and who spent the latter part of 2007 in India with the England Performance Programme squad.

Glamorgan's James Harris, who became the first 17-year-old to take a seven-wicket haul in the County Championship, will probably share new ball duties with Finn, while the likes of Chris Woakes and Liam Dawson may also fill a useful role with the ball.

This competition has been the testing ground for a number of international cricketers for England, including the likes of Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Mark Ramprakash, Ravi Bopara and Liam Plunkett.

And the roll-call of players who have gone onto represent their country at senior level after taking part in an ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup is something that inspires Wakely.

He said: "It is great knowing that great players such as these names have gone through the World Cup system. To see where they are now gives me great inspiration to get to where they are now and I am looking to do everything in my power to make this happen."