The Under-19 tour to Bangladesh ended last week in a three wickets/two overs win for the hosts in the final ODI and a 4 -1 series thrashing of the Sri Lanka U-19 team.

The main reason for this was the poor batting of the U19 team in the series. They made the following scores (in 50 allotted overs): 274, 204, 221,197 and 227 with an average of only 224 runs. They failed to complete their 50 overs in every match of the series- a loss of 14 overs (an average of nearly 3 overs per match).

The top five batsmen produced the following runs: 245, 132, 185, 103 and 91- an average of 151 runs. The opening partnership made: 28, 4, 14, 0 and 6 runs (average of 10 runs) in the series.

One would expect better results and a series win against Bangladesh but instead, as the stats show, our U-19 team were not only defeated but rightly so. This is not an isolated occasion but it is the latest of a string of poor results.

The U-19 teams have performed poorly for nearly a decade and have not reached the semi-final stage of the U19 World Cup in a long while. Whilst it may be pardonable to be beaten by other teams, it is unpardonable to perform below potential. It’s a crime to be bowled out over and over again with overs to spare.

How can a country such as this, so richly endowed with batting history and natural batting talent, have a U-19 team with this poor record and more importantly with this lack of talent and commitment?

The low totals reflect poor technique, soft resolve, no mental strength, poor coaching and management or wrong selection. The disgraceful opening stands (highest total of 28 and an average of 10 runs) show either wrong selection, lack of application or inadequate batting coaching.

This is the squad that would provide the core for the U-19 World Cup next year. Some of these players should be in line for the national teams in the near future. Can anyone realistically believe that this lot will have any chance in the World Cup or hope to get into a national squad on merit?

We are in this mess because the selection process considered players only from a knockout school tournament. Further, mediocre players are picked by the ridiculous process of basing national selection on easy runs in soft school matches, rather on high pressured, evenly matched district and provincial games as practiced in other cricketing nations.

Aravinda de Silva is being drafted in by SLC as the batting consultant to the U-19 team in the belief that the experience of this icon of a batsmen can remedy the ailments of the youth team. It is not the first time Aravinda has been sent for.

It seems this is the standard response whenever the U-19 is thrashed – send an SOS for Aravinda: "Hello Houston (Maitland) we got a problem." "Roger, we will beam up Aravinda to you."

But what is Aravinda expected to do? Perform miracles? After a similar pathetic batting display last year the U-19 coach said, "I can’t understand why they don’t put their heads down and bat responsibly." If the coach does not know why they don’t, who would? More to the point is: why are they not listening?

If they don’t listen to their coach, would they listen to Aravinda? He is the embodiment of all that was good in SL cricket: sound technique, solid defense, superb stroke player, with mental strength and character to consolidate and rebuild, with a heart of steel and a burning fire in his belly.

Why can’t school coaches instill these skills and aptitudes in these players and more importantly, can all the coaches from 11 years squads upwards "sing from the same hymn sheet?"

Has the SLC coaching section produced and implemented any consistent batting standards to be taught in schools and districts? And why isn’t there any U-11 squads and tournaments as in every other major cricket country?

How can Aravinda somehow transfer his special magic to the lucky selected few who happened to be at the well resourced "top" schools and so get into the national U-19 team? This team is really a "Select Schools U-19" team and not the national team.

The coaching system should stop burying its head is the sand and start identifying genuine cricket talent in the streets and playgrounds of the country from an early age.

Their coaches should be trained (Aravinda would be better used here), to coach batting skills. There is hardly any youngster in the system who is being coached properly in the modern batting skills that are needed at the top. These skills should be instilled as an integrated strategy from the U-11 (Stage 1) and it’s not right the SLC head coach saying that they "Do not change techniques – only refine it."

Aravinda should train the coaches in the mental approach to batting. There is hardly any coach who coaches mental preparation either in schools or districts. If we do not teach our youngsters when to apply mental discipline, how to apply it and why, they will continue to be "crash-bang" batsmen. No wonder they crash more than they bang when playing for their country.

Those coaches and selectors who may know about the four C’s in mental approach coaching should pay more attention to the first "C" when assessing players for the U-19 teams. This is Commitment.

It is only with total commitment to their game and their country can a young player give their total concentration, control and consistency to their performance. Selectors who base selections only on easy performances in soft matches are missing out on the prime requirement for a successful national player.

Selectors should look for players and select them - no matter how humble their background, school or team; who have complete commitment to their team, coach and country and who have the mental strength to stand up to pressure.