WEST Indies Under-19 cricket coach Andre Coley has called for the current crop of regional youth players to be put in a programme where their skills can be further developed.

The team placed third at the recent International Cricket Council (ICC) Youth World Cup, and Coley asserts that proper guidance would help their cricket even further.

“Going forward, if we can get these boys into some kind of programme for the next year or two where they actually play under pressure… there are also technical issues to work on, but just playing matches under pressure is also important for these boys at this stage of their career,” said the man who guided Jamaica to both the regional three-day and limited-over 2009 Under-19 titles.

According to Coley, the West Indies showed notable progress throughout despite being under-prepared heading into tournament.

“Moving into the competition, we were not a 100 per cent, but with every game we showed improvement and we got better as the tournament went on.

“I think the key for those players is that they need to be in a setting for two years to further develop and get them playing under pressure to prepare them for international level. They got a taste during the World Cup and from what I saw, they’re up to it,” Coley told the Observer.

The Caribbean youngsters, after going down to Pakistan in their opening game, got back on track with victories over Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea to progress to the quarter-final stage, where they beat England.

They lost again to Pakistan in the semi-finals, but managed to pull off a successful run chase in the third-place play-off against Sri Lanka.

Set a target of 292, the young West Indians sped to 294 for six with nine deliveries to spare, with Trinidad and Tobago’s Yannic Cariah scoring an undefeated 110 and 16-year-old Jamaican John Campbell making 77.

In the meantime, Australia defeated Pakistan in the final to secure the title.

The former Jamaica wicketkeeper batsman contends that his team was as talented as any other at the tournament, but believes developmental programmes are necessary to hone them into effective senior level players.

“If not better we’re on par because I think we were more consistent than most of the other teams. We could have been better in some of the departments. But it’s what happens after this that counts. If you think back to all our Under-19 squads that we have had, we have pretty much been on par with the rest of the world and have done well.

“But if you name how many of those players who played Under-19 and are now in their senior teams, compared with the other countries, you’ll see the difference,” he reasoned.

The Shell Cricket Academy of St George’s University in Grenada was one such entity, launched in 2001, to provide young Caribbean prospects a chance to develop their cricket.

It was heralded as the way forward for the region’s cricket that has been in decline since the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, by 2005 the West Indies Cricket Board were forced to dispense with the Academy because of lack of funding.

Said Coley: “The cricketing world wants to see West Indies back on top. Our brand of cricket is exciting when we play well and this group of players represent what West Indies cricket can be again.

“The confidence, the ability to hit the ball, players who can field and catch and the quality of fast bowlers. In general, we should be very optimistic.

“But if you don’t give these players opportunities for the next year or two to further develop… they may be lost to the system again. Now is the opportune time,” Coley emphasised.