A squad of 18 players from the Under-19 team was selected this week for a training trip to Trinidad in preparation for the World Cup in Malaysia in February.

While coach Andre Manders was not able to release the names as the squad has yet to be submitted to the Bermuda Cricket Board for approval, it is a squad from which the 15 players for the World Cup will be selected.

Manders did stress that the rest of the players in the 27-man training squad will continue to train to provide options should any player pick up an injury before the tournament. And with the Under-19 World Cup being held every two years (the 2010 event will take place in Kenya), the youth coaches are also looking ahead to the next tournament by keeping the eligible players together for the next two years.

Rodney Trott and Malachi Jones, two players fresh off a tour of Kenya with the senior national team, will lead the squad to Trinidad as captain and vice captain. Also expected to be on the plane to Trinidad for the 10-day training camp ¿ departing December 12 ¿ are many of the island's top teenage cricketers, such as Kyle Hodsoll, Chris Douglas, Stephen Breamar, Jordan DeSilva, Terryn Fray, Tamauri Tucker, Gregory Maybury and Stefan Kelly who is abroad in school but is expected back in time for the trip.

The team, placed in the same group as England, Bangladesh and Ireland, have had their training over the last couple of months hampered by the unavailability of the National Sports Centre and recent bad weather which has forced them indoors. Still, Manders says the youngsters have been committed to the cause with an average of 22 players attending the sessions.

"It's hard to pick a team just from training," said Manders who welcomed the training camp to Trinidad which national coach Gus Logie helped set up. Four matches have been arranged.

"There will be a lot of physical and mental training with some of the top players in Trinidad," said Manders.

After the Trinidad trip the World Cup squad of 15 will fly out again in late January – this time to India to an academy where some of the Indian Test players are expected to be present to lend a hand. Bermuda will play three or four more matches there before heading straight to Malaysia for the World Cup, arriving on February 10 and playing practice matches prior to their first game on February 18 against Bangladesh. Their other two group matches are against England (February 19) and Ireland (February 21).

Manders admits Bermuda will receive a stern test in Group B where they will also meet fifth-seeded Bangladesh and Ireland, seeded 13. A plate competition will involve the eight teams that fail to advance from the four groups.

"It is not going to be an easy group – I think now Bangladesh are going to be one of the surprise teams," Manders predicts. "Some of their players played in the World Cup. They had one of the youngest teams in the World Cup so Bangladesh are going to be tough opponents. Bangladesh had a game a couple of months ago and we were lucky enough to get some footage of their bowlers and we have been showing it to the players. Ireland are probably the team we will be looking to beat because they are one of the teams that had to qualify too. However they are going to be strong too – they won't be pushovers."

The 2006 finalists, Pakistan and India, are seeded one and two in the tournament as defending champions Pakistan seek to become the first team to win three straight tournaments when they open their account against the hosts Malaysia.

The tournament was officially launched in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday as the ICC announced the schedule.

Pakistan are the only team to have won back-to-back titles at this level, having triumphed in 2004 and 2006 in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka respectively and start as top seeds and favourites. India, the winners from 2000 and beaten finalist last year, are seeded second, with Australia (winners in 1988 and 2002) seeded third and England (winners in 1998) fourth.

The 16 nations will be battling for a place in the final on March 2 in Kuala Lumpur. As well as the ICC's 10 full members and hosts Malaysia, five qualifiers – Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, and Bermuda – will take part in the two-week long tournament.

"I am looking forward to what should be a great tournament," David Morgan, the ICC president-elect, said this week on the cricinfo website.

"Over the years, the Under-19 World Cup has proven to be a great breeding ground for some of the best players in the world. Many have progressed from this level into their respective senior teams and I've no doubt the experience of playing at this event helped them no end when they got their chance at the top level.

"For the first time, the event is being hosted by one of our Associate Members – and it is great to see Malaysia staging another ICC tournament. Another first is the fact that apart from hosting the tournament, Malaysia will be participating in their first World Cup. It will also be the debut performance of Bermuda, which qualified for this event through the Americas Region earlier this year."

YAM Tunku Imran, president of the Malaysian Cricket Association, stated on the website: "We thank the ICC for recognising the development programmes that we have implemented and seeing the potential that Malaysia has as a cricketing nation.

"Through the years we have been able to host many international events and we believe that we will be able to host an event of this magnitude and prestige successfully. Furthermore, we have impressive cricket grounds of international standards complete with necessary facilities to accommodate an event of this nature."

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Groups (seedings in brackets)

Group A (to be based in Johor): Pakistan (1), Zimbabwe (8), New Zealand (9), Malaysia (16).

Group B (to be based in Kuala Lumpur): India (2), West Indies (7), South Africa (10), PNG (15).

Group C (to be based in Penang): Australia (3), Sri Lanka (6), Nepal (11), Namibia (14).

Group D (to be based in Kuala Lumpur): England (4), Bangladesh (5), Bermuda (12), Ireland (13).

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Major dates

February 10: Teams arrives

February 11-14: Warm-up matches

February 15: Opening ceremony

February 17-22: First group stage

February 24-March 1: Super League and Plate competitions

March 2: Final