Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Fiji have their opportunity to become the fourth non-Test country to qualify for next year's Under 19 World Cup when the three contest the East Asia Pacific Under 19 Championships in Nadi, Fiji next week.

The teams will play each other twice in a round robin, before the top two teams meet in the final on Saturday, August 25, to decide who will compete at the Under 19 World Cup in New Zealand, joining Namibia, Scotland and Canada at the second such event.

Arguably, Hong Kong, with its players fine tuned by a superior development programme, would start favourite for the title, ahead of Fiji. The squad has been training for the last three months, full-time for the past two weeks.

Its batting will be headed by opener, Dyutish Chaudury, who smashed a quick 50 against Ireland for the senior national team in the recent ICC Trophy in Canada, described by Hong Kong coach Lal Jayasinghe as 'very explosive'.

The stars of the team, however, are possibly two spinners, 'leggie' Jignesh Tailor and off spinner Zaran Vachha. They may arrive in Fiji with a psychological advantage, word having already reached the islands about their prowess.

The home squad was selected in May, but due to the distance between the bases of the players, it has been difficult for them to train together. Coach Seci Sekinini has overcome this through regular visits to the centres.

Their preparations have been aided by Neil McDonald, a coach from the New South Wales Cricket Association, who has assisted in the squad's selection, as well as skill and practice drills.

Fiji will be captained by all-rounder, Colin Rika, who has represented the senior national side at the ICC Trophy and the Pacifica Cup.

Inia Namua is an all-rounder from Nadi who bats at number three and is another expected to stand out for Fiji.

Papua New Guinea's preparations have been typically chaotic, with the squad only being finalised today (Tuesday, August

Coach Tony Ely, one of the more respected people in PNG cricket, rejected the initial squad selected by the PNG Cricket Board, and selected an alternative squad and gave it back to the Board for ratification. A decision should become known today.

The team's most experienced player is captain, Gimapau Keimelo, who played at the ICC Trophy, as well as the last Under 19 World Cup in South Africa. Batsman Mahuru Dai is also regarded as one of PNG's main hopes.

The squad has been training four days a week for the past fortnight.

The draw -

Sunday 19 August	Fiji v Papua New Guinea
Monday 20 August	Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea
Tuesday 21 August	Fiji v Hong Kong
Wednesday 22 August	Fiji v Papua New Guinea
Thursday 23 August	Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea
Friday 24 August	Fiji v Hong Kong
Saturday 25 August	Final 1 v 2

The Asian Under 19 titles, the final qualifying tournament, will take place in Nepal in October.

© CricInfo Ltd