MARTYN Moxon has backed Yorkshire pair Azeem Rafiq and Joe Root to have a major future in the game as they prepare to shine with England at the forthcoming Under 19s World Cup in New Zealand.

Off-spinner and national captain Rafiq and opening batsman Root have flown out to Wellington ahead of the start of the competition on Friday, January 15.

England have been placed in a group with defending champions India and minnows Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

They play two warm-up matches against Papua New Guinea and the hosts early next week before opening their Group A campaign against Hong Kong in Christchurch a week on Saturday.

Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, said: “Both Joe Root and Azeem Rafiq are really exciting prospects, and I’m sure they’ll have huge parts to play for Yorkshire in the years to come.”

The top two teams in each of the four groups will qualify for the quarter finals.

England had a tough tour of Bangladesh earlier this winter, one in which Root was named player of the one-day series, but Moxon says that counts for nothing now.

“Yes they struggled in Bangladesh, but there will be more English type conditions over there in New Zealand. Having said that, I don’t really know what the quality of the opposition is going to be like,” he continued.

“All the reports that came back about our two lads (from Bangladesh) were that they equipped themselves well.

“They’ve put a hell of a lot of work in to prepare for this competition, so they won’t be underprepared.

Hopefully they will have a decent shot at winning it.”

SQUAD: Azeem Rafiq cpt (Yorks), Adam Ball (Kent), Michael Bates (Hants), Paul Best (Warwicks), Danny Briggs (Hants), Nathan Buck (Leics), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Chris Dent (Gloucs), Matthew Dunn (Surrey), Ateeq Javid (Warwicks), Jack Manuel (Worcs), David Payne (Gloucs), Joe Root (Yorks), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Vince (Hants).