Cricket Sports Vice-captain Van Lange optimistic ahead of the World Cup Kurtis Hinds09/01/2026027 views West Indies Under-19 vice-captain, Jonathan van Lange is eagerly looking forward to the upcoming ICC World Cup in Africa. The squad departed the region earlier this week and the first timer believes they can go all the way to the final. “It’s my first Under-19 World Cup, you could say my first major tournament, so I am just looking forward to putting on some good performances for the team. “Due to the weather in Guyana there hasn’t been much outdoor practice, but I have been utilizing the indoor nets with our pathway coaches. Again I’m just looking forward to the challenge,” van Lange said. Van Lange, who excelled in the two Youth ODI series against Sri Lanka and England, is expected to play a key role and is confident he can succeed thanks to his multifaceted approach. “With both bat and ball I think I am calm under pressure. That also brings something to the team that they can rely on. No personal objectives as yet, just whatever the team needs me to do at the set time, just doing what the team needs to win,” he said. When quizzed about the West Indies’ chances for success in the tournament, Van Lange was emphatic in his response. “I think we could go all the way because we have a good bunch of men. It has been shown in the two previous series, the quality of players that we have and I think we can go all the way. To win you have to beat everyone, so I’m not looking forward to any team in particular or anybody in particular,” van Lange explained. Competing in his first World Cup, van Lange says he intends to seek the advice of players who would have previously competed at the highest level, such as Jewel Andrew and captain Joshua Dorne. “Yeah, definitely, those guys are their second World Cup. They’ve had first class experience, a lot of CPL experience, so definitely looking to feed off of their experience a lot. I would not say I have any nerves going into the World Cup, just looking forward to the challenge,” van Lange said. West Indies open their World Cup campaign against Tanzania on January 15th.