Date-stamped : 10 Jan98 - 14:39 9 Jan 1998 South Africa youngsters face stiff exam Trevor Chesterfield Centurion - South Africa's long-term future as a top Test cricket playing country faces a stiff examination over the next three weeks during the under-19 World Cup tournament. Just as some members of the current national side in Australia reach the stage where retirement is close, so will their places be filled by those players who have come through the A team ranks. But now the next group is emerging to move up a rung or two on the international ladder when they appear in this important MTN sponsored tourament which has drawn 16 countries as diverse in cultre and climate as Papua New Guinea and Denmark. Led by Matthew Street, a batsman wicketkeeper with a growing reputation for spotting errors in the batting team's game plan, the South African team has been moulded into a competitive unit by coaches Anton Ferreia and Vincent Barnes. South Africa have been training together since Seeptember, a move which both coaches felt was ideal as it gave the players a chance to get to know each other and develop a bonding process which has given the side an extra competitive edge. Although the two "tests" against England were drawn, South Africa were close to winning the first while a flat, pudding Fochville surface contrived to force a tame draw in the second. South Africa went on to comfortably win the two limited-overs matches. "Our performances in the games was ideal preparation for this tournament," said Ferreira. "We have a remarkable team: five non-whites, with Goolam Bodi a left-arm wrist-spinner from Gauteng, an intresting prospect. "Then we have some Afrikaans speaking lads along with several English-speaking players as well. A genuine rainbow nation cocktail making up the side," he added. South Africa play India in the opening game of the tournament at the Wanderers on Sunday morning in the Gavaskar Pool. Other fancied sides are Australia, coached by Alan Border, the former Australian Test captain now ploughing something back into the game and Pakistan, the only side with a Test player in Hasan Raza, the youngest player to scored a double first-class century. The final is to be played at the Wanderers on February 1 Trevor Chesterfield Cricket writer Pretoria News tche@ptn.independent.co.za Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)