5 cricketers you probably didn't know played the Under-19 World Cup

The Under 19 World Cup has been the perfect stepping stone for young cricketers to make a mark for themselves and get into the senior side.

Since 1998, the tournament has been held every two years. India has been the most successful team in the world cup with four titles to his name.

What many people don't know is that the first edition of the U-19 World Cup was held way back in 1988, and it was known as the Youth World Cup.

The tournament was held in Australia and was won by Australia as well, who defeated Pakistan in the final.

In this article, we take a look at 5 cricketers you may not know have played the Under-19 World Cup.

#5 Nasser Hussain

The former England cricket team captain made his mark in the 1988 Youth World Cup before he was called up to represent the national side in 1989.

Hussain showed what he was capable of in the Youth World Cup as he ended up as England's highest run-getter with 330 runs to his name in eight innings at an average of slightly above 40.

He made his ODI debut in 1989 and Test debut in 1990 and continued to be an integral part of the squad till 2004. He led the England side between 1999 and 2003 as well.

#4 Andy Caddick

The former England cricket team pacer made his ODI and Test debut in 1993. However, what many people don't know that he represented New Zealand at the Youth World Cup back in 1988.

He played only one match in the tournament where he failed to take any wicket and conceded 39 runs. Unfortunately, he wasn't given too many chances after that and did not get to represent New Zealand in international cricket.

He then moved to England and achieved a lot of success at the domestic level before getting selected for the national side.

He played a 62 Tests and 54 ODIs for England in his career which lasted over a decade.

#3 Inzamam-ul-Haq

The former Pakistan cricket team captain was arguably one of the best batsmen to have played for them. He was even rated as the best batsman in the world against pace by the legendary Imran Khan.

He represented his nation in the Youth World Cup in 1988 and ended up as the highest run-getter for Pakistan with 223 runs in nine innings at an average of 37.16

He was called up to represent the senior side three years after the Youth World Cup and ended up becoming an extremely integral part of Pakistan's team for more than 15 years.

He was the captain of the side from 2003-2007 and led Pakistan to a lot of success at the time. He is currently the chief selector of the Pakistan cricket team.

#2 Sanath Jayasuriya

Arguably one of the best batsmen to have played for Sri Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya had an extremely poor start to his career.

He represented Sri Lanka at the Youth World Cup in 1988 and ended up as one of the lowest run-getters for his side. In the six matches he played, he scored only 70 runs at an average of 14 with one half-century to his name.

However, he proved his worth at the domestic level and made his debut for the senior side in 1989. He played a total of 110 Tests and 445 ODIs for Sri Lanka and captained the side as well.

He is the only player to score over 12,000 runs and capture more than 300 wickets in One Day International cricket.

#1 Brian Lara

Regarded as one of the best batsmen of all time along with Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara was an inspiration to thousands across the world.

Before entering the senior circuit, Lara captained West Indies at the Youth World Cup as well and led them to the semifinals.

He had an average tournament, scoring 222 runs in eight matches at an average of 27.75. He made his ODI and Test debut in 1990 and went on to represent West Indies in 131 Tests and 299 ODIs.

He holds numerous records to his name, including the record for the highest ever score in international cricket (400), which came against England. He also holds the record for the highest ever score in first-class cricket, when he scored 501 against Warwickshire.