5 U-19 superstars who failed to make it big in international cricket

Under-19 cricket is considered the breeding ground for successful cricketers and has given the game some of its biggest names in recent years. Players like Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh and Alastair Cook among others had made an impact at the Under-19 level before making it big in their eventual careers.

However, the history of cricket also has a number of stories about players who were touted as future greats while playing under-19 cricket but could not make it big in their careers. Although there were different factors which contributed to their failure, what these names shared in common was the fact that they couldn't perform as expected.

Here are 5 U-19 superstars who failed to make it big in international cricket:

#5 Wayne Parnell (South Africa)

Wayne Parnell is currently part of the South African ODI team

South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell made his international debut back in 2009 and has played 6 Tests, 65 ODIs and 40 T20Is so far. The left-armer has been a decent limited-overs bowler with 94 and 41 wickets in ODIs and T20Is respectively. However, his career never took off to the levels that were expected from him.

In the 2008 Under-19 World Cup, though, Wayne Parnell was a star performer for the South African team and emerged as their leading wicket-taker. He picked up 18 wickets in just 7 matches with best figures of 6 for 8 and a miserly economy of 3.04 per over.

#4 Hamish Bennett (New Zealand)

Bennett got very few chances to play for New Zealand

Hamish Bennett is a pace bowler who has represented New Zealand in a single Test and 19 ODIs since making his debut in 2010. To be fair to him, though, the Kiwi has managed to perform quite decently in the limited opportunities he has received by claiming 33 ODI wickets at an average of under 25.

Bennett was among the best bowlers in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup as he grabbed 14 wickets in only six matches and boasted of an economy rate of 3.52. However, with chances to represent the national team being few and far between, his career has failed to live up to its promise.

#3 Xavier Doherty (Australia)

Doherty was part of Australia’s 2015 World Cup-winning squad

Left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty made his international debut for Australia in the year 2010 and has played 4 Tests, 60 ODIs and 11 T20Is ever since. Doherty's performance during his career so far has not been great in either format, and at 37, there is little to no chance of him playing for Australia again.

Back in the year 2002, Xavier Doherty was the most successful bowler in the Under-19 World Cup. In 7 matches during the tournament, Doherty notched up an impressive tally of 16 wickets with best figures of 4 for 15 and a brilliant economy of under 3.

#2 Cameron White

White could never cement his place in the Australian team

In an international career which lasted nine years, Cameron White kept venturing in and out of the Australian team. Prominently a limited-overs cricketer, White has played 91 ODIs and 47 T20Is for his country but has not managed to do enough justice to his talent. The Victorian cricketer has scored slightly over 2000 ODI and 984 T20I runs.

As an under-19 cricketer, though, Cameron White enjoyed great success and was the top run-scorer of the 2002 U-19 World Cup. His 423 runs came in just eight innings at a staggering average of 70.50 and a quickfire strike-rate of just under 98.

#1 Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu is mostly considered for second-string Indian squads these days

For the promise that he showed during his early years as a cricketer, it is quite a shame that Ambati Rayudu has played just 55 ODIs and 6 T20Is for India so far. Although he has scored more than 1600 runs in the 50-over format and averages above 47, his career did not reach the expected levels of success.

As a teenager, Rayudu was earmarked to follow in the footsteps of Sachin Tendulkar when he starred in India's win in an under-19 one-day series against England. Two years later, he skippered the Indian team to the semi-final of the 2004 Under-19 World Cup. However, his chances of making it to the senior squad suffered severely due to his move to the ICL.