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U19 Cricket World Cups have never been as big an extravaganza as other multi-team International tournaments have been. But nonetheless, the event gives us a glimpse of the upcoming sensations of World Cricket.Some of them go on to make it big like Cook or Gayle while others fade into obscurity like Mohd. Kaif did.Transitions are not always smooth, as was the case with Shikhar Dhawan while some of these youngsters are quick to adapt to international cricket, as was the case with Smith.Some of them have to be moulded to play the same role in the senior team, like Kohli; while others take their game to another level in the minutest chance they get, thriving on whatever challenge comes their way; Jadeja is the classic example of that.With the U19 World Cup already catching the headlines, we look at some of the best cricketers who first shot into the limelight at the U-19 World Cup:
#1 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, a name that's putting world cricket on fire for more than half a decade now. Touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket and a great upcoming leader of the Indian Cricket Team when he was still very young, and being the prodigy that he was, Kohli had impressed one and all not just by his batting skills in U19 Cricket World Cup 2008, but as a leader as well when he lead his team to the World Cup triumph. His batting exploits at the International level is known by one and all, but lesser known is his success at the U19 World Cup 2008, in which India stayed undefeated.
Being the flamboyant batsman that he has always been, his blitzkrieg innings of 100 runs of 74 balls was adjudged innings of the tournament. He scored 235 runs at an impressive average of 47, in 6 matches. He was the third highest run-scorer in that tournament, with a difference of less than 30 between him and leading run scorer of the tournament and his teammate, Tanmay Srivastava.
#2 Graeme Smith
Former Saffie captain Graeme Smith indeed had a quick rise. From being an U-19 star, he soon became the captain of the senior team. After being was marred by controversies, thanks to the match-fixing scandal, South Africa slumped to a low, failing to qualify for the Super Six during the 2003 World Cup, that’s when Smith took hold of the reigns; he was only 22 back then.
However, under Smith, South Africa was quick to recover to become a force to reckon in World Cricket. Though they couldn't shed the chokers tag, but if any side dominated World Cricket in the past decade after Australia, it was South Africa under Smith. He retired at an early age and passed on the baton to more talented cricketers in Amla, de Villiers and Steyn who all became world class players under Smith.
He featured for South Africa in the U19 Cricket World Cup 2000. He ended up being the highest run scorer in that tournament, scoring 348 runs in 6 matches at an average of 87.
#3 Chris Gayle
The hard-hitting batsman hailing from the Islands of the Carribean who has been tumbling records in International Cricket for quite some time now, was a phenom since his teenage years. The general perception is that he is a limited overs specialist, but in 2010, he became the fourth batsman to score a triple ton in Test Cricket for the second time, after Sir Donald Bradman and Virender Sehwag.
He was selected for the team to represent West Indies for the U19 Cricket World Cup 1998. Though West Indies couldn’t qualify for the Super League (top 8), but riding high on Gayle’s explosive batting up-front, they topped their group in Plate Competition (a competition between the non-qualifiers). Chris Gayle was the leading run scorer in that tournament, scoring 364 runs in 7 matches at a whopping average of 72.8, with one century plus score and three half centuries to his credit.
#4 Alastair Cook
The stalwart from England made the cut to the senior team when he was not even 22. Many expect him to break a lot of Tendulkar’s record of most runs in Test Cricket, owing to an early debut, Alastair Cook is well on his way to becoming the first English cricketer to score ten thousand Test runs. With age on his side, he has a long road ahead given that he does not lose form; and if that happens, he will definitely shack some new records to his name.
But Cook’s debut didn’t come by chance, he was the star of the English side during the 2004 edition of U19 Cricket World Cup, where at an average of almost 75, he scored 383 runs in 7 matches, scoring two centuries and one half-century. He led his team to the semi-finals, where they were handed a drubbing by the West Indies, but keeping in mind England’s record in World Cups, that was indeed a remarkable performance as a captain by Cook.
#5 Yuvraj Singh
The winner of Man of the Series award in the victorious 2011 Cricket World Cup for India, and the victorious 2007 T20 World Cup; Yuvraj Singh had been the pillar of strength for the middle order in the Indian batting line-up for some time during the end of the past decade and during the World Cup. But in 2007, it wasn’t the first time for Yuvraj when he earned the prestigious award in a Cricket World Cup.
Back in 2000, during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, he was adjudged player of the tournament for his outstanding all-round performance with 203 runs in 7 innings and 12 wickets to his name in 8 matches. He was economical as well, giving away runs at a meagre 3.39. He scored a quickfire 58 off 25 balls against Australia in the semi-final.
He could have broken quite some records in ODI Cricket, but fate had other plans. After being plagued by injuries, he did make a strong comeback in 2011, only to succumb to lung cancer. He made several comebacks but we never saw the batsman in Yuvraj again.
#6 Tim Southee
Quick to rise among the ranks, it wasn’t the first time when Southee tasted success at the Internation level when playing for New Zealand senior cricket team. At 27, he has been leading the Kiwis pace attack for quite some time now. Though his bowling average isn’t too impressive, his 163 wickets in just 46 Test matches speaks volumes about the immense talent that he possesses.
Featuring twice in U19 Cricket World Cups, first in 2006 and then in 2008; Southee took 22 wickets in 10 matches at an impressive average of 13.95; he was adjudged the player of the tournament in the 2008 edition of the tournament. He wrecked havoc in New Zealand’s opening match in that tournament, taking 5 wickets for just 11 runs against Zimbabwe U19. By the end of the tournament, he had scalped 17 wickets at an unbelievable average of 6. No wonder that he earned his Test debut in less than a month.
#7 Eoin Morgan
The Irish-born English cricketer is one of the rare cricketers to have played International Cricket for two teams, Ireland and England. Speculations are that he switched to England to give himself a chance to play Test Cricket at the highest level. His sublime form earned him his Test debut in 2010, after staying on the fringe warming the benches for more than two years. Though his record in Test Cricket isn’t too impressive, but the English limited overs captain is a man to fear for any side in one-day internationals and T20s.
He is the all-time leading run scorer in U19 Cricket World Cups. He featured in two of them, first in 2004 and then in 2006. In total, he notched up 606 runs at an average of 50.50, and a strike rate of 80. He was Ireland’s highest scorer in 2004 edition, and in 2006, being the captain of the side, he was the second-highest scorer in the tournament.
#8 Quinton de Kock
A lot of us would have first heard about him when he scored twin centuries against India in an ODI Series in South Africa and then following it with another century in the game which eventually got washed out, but then the 20-year-old youngster had already turned the tide on for South Africa U19.
Though still a budding cricketer, the way de Kock goes around with his job of scoring runs, he's a name to watch out for. He has already scored 1993 runs in 52 matches averaging almost 40, and given that he did it carrying the added responsibility of keeping the wickets on his shoulder, further adds a feather in his cap. He already has two Player of the Series awards.
His claim to fame came when he butchered the Namibian U19 side scoring 126 runs off 106 balls. He proved his metal with the gloves on during the U19 World Cup 2012, effecting 18 dismissals in just 6 games as a wicketkeeper and also scored enough runs to ensure his spot in the side purely as a batsman as well.
#9 Shikhar Dhawan
Even after making a name in the U19 World Cup 2004, things didn't work out for him initially, and he couldn't debut at an age as young as some of the other U19 stars did. Transitions are not always smooth, as was the case with him. After finding immense success in U19 Cricket, it has been a bumpy ride since for Dhawan. After struggling in the limited opportunities that he got in the Indian team, he couldn’t make a permanent spot for himself until 2012, when finally Gambhir and Sehwag had lost all form, and Dhawan was having all guns blazing.
He was the leading run-scorer in the only edition of the tournament he played, scoring an enormous 505 runs at an average of 84.16, which is still a record for most number of runs in a single edition of the tournament. His runs came at a strike rate of 93.5, which was unmatched among the leading run scorers.
#10 Nasser Hussain
If anyone had been in the squad more for his captaincy than for anything else since Mike Bearly, it was again an Englishmen, Nasser Hussain. He was Mike Bearly of the modern era, but his place was never in question since he was a decent batsman in the test format; Nasser Hussain is more known for his shrewd captaincy than anything else.
He is a hustler as a leader, and never shied away from on-field controversies and other brawls, and he instills the same energy in the whole team which made him one of the best captains in the history of England Cricket team. Though he never broke many records with the bat, under him England went on to win four consecutive Test series in the year 2000.
Though Nasser Hussain struggled with his career early on, he did have a successful Youth Cricket World Cup 1988, the pioneer of U19 World tournaments, where he scored 330 runs in 8 innings at a decent average of 42
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