5 players who you didn't know played the U19 World Cup with Kagiso Rabada ft. Shreyas Iyer 

South Africa’s pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada has built a formidable reputation for himself across formats with his fiery bowling. His skills were once again on display on Day 1 (Wednesday, June 11) of the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s.

Put in to bat first, Australia were bowled out for 212 in 56.4 overs, with Steve Smith (66) and Beau Webster (72) being the only major contributors. Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa, delivering a brilliant spell and finishing with figures of 5/51 in 15.4 overs.

In reply, South Africa finished Day 1 at 43/4, with skipper Temba Bavuma (3) and David Bedingham (8) at the crease, facing a challenging task ahead.

As the Proteas aim to win their maiden ICC senior men’s title, Rabada stands out not only as their current pace leader but also as someone with past success in ICC tournaments. He was part of the South African squad that clinched the 2014 ICC U19 World Cup under the captaincy of Aiden Markram in the UAE.

Kagiso Rabada was a key figure in that campaign, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets in five matches at an impressive average of 10.28. His standout performance came in the semi-final against Australia, where he returned with figures of 6/25.

Apart from Rabada, several other players from that U19 World Cup went on to represent their countries and make a mark on the international stage. This article looks at five players you might not know featured alongside Kagiso Rabada in the 2014 U19 World Cup.

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5 players who you didn't know played the U19 World Cup with Kagiso Rabada

#5 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson was part of India’s U-19 squad in the 2014 World Cup, where the team was knocked out by England in the quarterfinals and finished fifth after the playoff matches.

Samson emerged as India’s top run-scorer in the tournament, amassing 267 runs in six innings at an average of 44.50 and a strike rate of 96.73, which included three half-centuries.

The 30-year-old made his international debut in July 2015 and has played 58 matches across the white-ball formats, scoring 1,371 runs at an average of 31.88 and a strike rate of 127.29, including five half-centuries and four centuries.

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#4 Ben Duckett

England’s current all-format opening batter, Ben Duckett, represented the country in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. England lost to Pakistan in the semifinals but bounced back to defeat Australia in the third-place playoff.

Duckett made a strong impression, finishing as England’s highest run-scorer in the competition. He scored 266 runs in just four innings at an impressive average of 66.50 and a strike rate of 93.99, including two half-centuries and a century.

The southpaw made his England debut in October 2016 and has featured in 78 matches across formats, scoring 4,113 runs at an average of 41.13 and a strike rate of 97.11, including 24 half-centuries and eight centuries.

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#3 Kuldeep Yadav

Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was also part of India’s squad for the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. He finished as India’s leading wicket-taker and third overall in the tournament. Kuldeep played six matches, claiming 14 wickets at an average of 16.42 and an economy rate of 4.14, with best figures of 4/10.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep made his international debut in March 2017 and has played 166 matches for India across all formats, picking up 306 wickets at an average of 22.86 and a strike rate of 28.45, including eight five-wicket hauls.

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#2 Nicholas Pooran

The explosive batter Nicholas Pooran also featured in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup for the West Indies. The Caribbean side didn’t have the best tournament, losing to Australia in the quarterfinals and finishing sixth.

Despite the team’s performance, Pooran enjoyed a brilliant campaign, scoring 303 runs in six innings at an average of 60.60 and a strike rate of 99.34, including two fifties and one century.

The 29-year-old bid farewell to international cricket on June 10, 2025. He represented the West Indies in 167 matches in the white-ball formats, amassing 4,258 runs at an average of 31.08 and a strike rate of 116.08, with 24 half-centuries and three hundreds to his name.

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#1 Shreyas Iyer

Mumbai cricketer Shreyas Iyer represented India in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. The right-hander played three matches in the tournament, scoring 161 runs at an average of 53.55 and a strike rate of 105.22, including two half-centuries.

He made his senior India debut in November 2017 and has featured in 135 matches across formats. Iyer has accumulated 4,760 runs at an average of 40.68 and a strike rate of 96.29, registering 35 fifties and six centuries in his international career.