Defending champion India is opening its Youth World Cup campaign against qualifier Afghanistan in front of the ESPN Star Sports (ESS) cameras at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Christchurch on January 15.

Worldwide broadcast coverage will carry many of the major matches to a global audience of millions from January 15-30. The U19's are a huge deal for India who won the 16-team tournament last time.
I spent time in India with the India U19 head selector Sanjeev Sharma. Their players are paid a lot of money and receive large fees on tour and very big bonuses for winning important events like this.
From these U19's boys a certain number must be selected in IPL squads each year. The politics are immense. For instance, I was in New Delhi with Sanjeev. There the initial selection cut for their state team started at 130 players. These are 130 hungry cricketers all trying to make it with fathers in various positions of power or without powerful backing.
They have trials and tournaments and matches and eventually whittle it down over months to two teams and finally to one side for the national tournament. This is only one of the 26 first class sides they have in India, so in all the other states the same process takes place. From this you get one very strong national side, although they could probably have five more.
At the U19 World Cup the teams are split into four groups with Groups A and C being based in Christchurch, Group B in Queenstown and Group D in Napier and Palmerston North.
In addition to the 10 Full Members, there are six Associate and Affiliate teams taking part. The six qualifiers were determined by a final series in Toronto in September 2009. Afghanistan, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the USA qualified. Before the final series there were global groups to determine who made the Toronto finals. The major surprise was that the Netherland U19's, which Ben Williams had a lot to do with, came eighth in the finals. They lost six of nine games.
There are 10 full members, 35 associate members and 59 affiliate members of the ICC who compete.
Full Members are qualified to play official Test matches (10 Members).

Associate Members do not qualify as a Full Member, but where cricket is firmly established and organised and carried out according to ICC rules (35 Members). Examples of Associate countries are Kenya, Scotland and Netherlands. Cricket is played but is not strong enough to get to the top level consistently.

Affiliate Members are countries where the ICC recognises that cricket is played in accordance with the Laws of Cricket (59 Members). For instance, Sierra Leone made the finals in Canada, but was unable to make the tournament. Money is not an issue with all events paid for. Rotorua's former coach, Alistar Stevic, is now coaching affiliate country Tonga. Grant Bradburn, the Northern Knights coach, spent time with another affiliate nation in the Cook Islands.

The Bay representative in the NZ U19's training squad is Brett Hampton. A former tennis player, he is one of the best natural timers of the ball I have seen. Much like a good golfer he has a beautiful swing. He can bowl quickly but his run up will get better as he gets access to straight bowling coaches. He has this now with Lance Cairns taking the reins.
He has only played cricket for three or four years so he is learning all the time. He is getting used to the skills of cricket and the way guys operate in a team sport where everyone has to try to contribute, even if they are not bowling or batting. A lot of pressure in cricket comes from the feeling of intensity generated by the fielding unit. However, only two guys are really doing any skill work which is the bowler and keeper and occasionally a fielder.