XAVIER VOIGT-HILL reflects on the star performers of three weeks of Youth ODI action in South Africa, picking two Englishmen and a miserly spin contingent
400 runs @ 133.33 (1 100, 4 50s)
The 18-year-old opener was in the spotlight early on after earning an eye-watering IPL contract, yet he delivered on his extensive promise by picking his battles well and finishing 114 runs clear of his nearest competitor in the tournament’s final tally. The haul was second only to Shikhar Dhawan’s 2004 campaign among Indian batsmen in a single edition, and comprised a whopping 38 per cent of India's runs.
In six matches, the only time Jaiswal did not pass 50 was when India bowled Japan out for 41 and chased it down 4.5 overs – and even then he finished unbeaten on 29 from 18 balls. The first name on our teamsheet in more ways than one, such effortless performances bode well for the country’s top-order hopes and Rajasthan Royals will hope he can continue the form on debut next month.
241 runs @ 80.33 (1 100, 2 50s)
England’s quest for the World Cup crown ended in a heartbreaking last-ball group stage defeat to Australia, but things would have come to a head far sooner if not for a blistering late half-century from Dan Mousley, who then earned a chance to continue that form at the top of the order during the quest for consolation silverware in the Plate competition.
The Warwickshire product then sealed that trophy with a match-winning 111 against Sri Lanka in the final, which ended up the second-highest individual score of the 48-game competition.
265 runs @ 44.16 (1 100, 1 50)
The group stage efforts of captain Parsons were a rare bright spot for South Africa in an otherwise underwhelming three weeks on home soil, with an elegant top score of 40 against Afghanistan on the opening day followed by 121 and 84 against Canada and the United Arab Emirates to save blushes and salvage a quarter-final place.
While a string of single-figure scores in the Super League rounded out his run, the 18-year-old nevertheless finished with a stellar record and his runs came at a brisk strike rate of 106.42 – a figure third-highest in the competition among top-order batters.
Blackcaps batsman Beckham Wheeler-Greenall made fantastic solo efforts against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
186 runs @ 62.00 (2 50s)
New Zealand's fourth-place finish was perhaps the most surprising placing on the final standings, particularly as the side's poor pre-tournament form did not actually change all that much once they arrived in South Africa.
The existence of India in Group A essentially left Sri Lanka and New Zealand to scrap it out for second place, and that his side even had a chance to steal a final-over thriller was testament largely to the work of Beckham Wheeler-Greenall. After coming to the crease at 47 for 2, he held firm for over two hours and only departed after making 80 and leaving Kristian Clarke and Joey Field 14 to win from nine deliveries.
Clarke and Field's ninth-wicket stand then did the deeds against a flustered West Indies in the quarter-finals, but 17-year-old Wheeler-Greenall was the lone resistance with a stoic 80 when the side faced Bangladesh in search of a first final trip since 1998.
69 runs @ 69.00, 6 dismissals
Star wicketkeepers were a rare breed across this tournament, with raw numbers making this slot perhaps the trickiest to fill in our combined XI.
Canada ended up with the most runs courtesy of glovemen, with their trio of Nicholas Manohar, Benjamin Calitz and Eshan Sensarma sharing an average of 65.33 for their 196 runs, but our side does not have room for such a combination.
In the shape of United Arab Emirates opener Vriitya Aravind, Group D was also responsible for the highest scoring individual gloveman, though his 96-ball 61 in a loss to Scotland was more of an exception than emblematic of a prolific habit.
But no performance will be remembered quite like the match-winning 43 from Bangladesh captain Akbar to complete his side’s first ever Cricket World Cup victory. After leading an energetic and precise fielding effort, including his own spectacular leg-side catch to remove Kartik Tyagi, he came to the crease with the side staring down the barrel of defeat at 65 for 4 but calmly faced out 55 dot balls, steadied his troops and remained unbeaten on 43 when a famous victory was achieved.
140 runs @ 28.00, 8 wickets @ 26.75
Stunning wins over Australia and England saw the West Indies set the tournament alight in its opening week, with Barbados allrounder Young earning player of the match honours in each fixture for contrasting half-centuries and five middle-order wickets with his bristling pace.
Though the West Indies’ campaign then fizzled out at the quarter-final stage, with Young himself bowling as New Zealand’s ninth-wicket pair sealed a remarkable comeback victory with two balls to spare, he nevertheless made a significant impression in both core disciplines. A graduate of Whitgift School, which currently boasts international regulars in Jason Roy, Dom Sibley and Rory Burns, Young will certainly be a player worth following as he progresses towards senior honours.
Nyeem Young almost single-handedly propelled the West Indies into the Super League lineup
12 wickets @ 9.58
The Somerset allrounder was one of the tournament’s surprise success stories, regularly choking batting lineups with his miserly left-arm orthodox spin and finishing with an economy rate good enough for second-best in the entire competition (2.34, with India seamer Vidyadhar Patil’s 2.00 coming from just four overs against Japan to Goldsworthy’s 49).
Though his role was primarily one of control – he bowled 217 dot balls, second only to UAE captain Aryan Lakra – Goldsworthy also finished level with off-spinning colleague Hamidullah Qadri at the top of England’s wicket table, with his tally taking a significant late boost as four lbw victims were among five Sri Lankan wickets in the Plate final for only 21 runs.
17 wickets @ 10.64
Bishnoi’s unpickable googly made him the outstanding pick of the wrist-spinners in this year’s competition, with the variation responsible for the majority of his tournament-best wicket tally.
The Rajasthan youngster’s haul of 17 wickets has not been bettered in an Under-19 World Cup since Reece Topley collected 19 for England eight years ago. Four-wicket bags against both Japan and New Zealand contributed to a remarkable individual campaign, and a vicious display in Sunday's final (including an opening spell of 4-15 that took Bangladesh from 50 without loss to 65 for 4) threatened to spin the game right back in India's favour.
He also offers our XI the promise of some vital late-order hitting, as a vital late partnership of 61 with Atharva Ankolekar in the quarter-final derailed Australia's rampant progress through India's hitherto untried middle and late-order batters and set the platform for a 74-run win in a high-stakes rematch of the 2018 trophy decider.
11 wickets @ 13.90
Though Tyagi's efforts never quite reached the heights of India teammates Jaiswal and Bishnoi, the highly-touted right-arm paceman showed fleeting glimpses of why he hopes to follow small-town Uttar Pradesh stablemates Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar to higher honours in the coming years.
No more obvious was that than against Australia in the Super League quarter-final, where star opener Jake Fraser-McGurk appeared desperate to run himself out on the first ball of the chase rather than face Tyagi himself (before flying home the next day to be treated for a monkey scratch on his face) and two more wickets followed in the bowler's name before the over was complete.
His stay in South Africa had started in similar fashion with a first-over hat-trick in a warm-up fixture with Afghanistan, and overall his tournament rewards came at the best economy rate for any of India's regular bowlers (3.45 v 3.48 for Bishnoi) and frontline seamers as a whole.
Star leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi will soon join Kings XI Punjab on a lucrative IPL deal
16 wickets @ 7.00
Ghafari was the star of the tournament's opening fixture, tearing through South Africa as Afghanistan set out to improve on 2018's fourth-place finish with a stunning curtain-raiser win in Kimberley.
The leg-spinner's spell of 6-15 threw down a marker that no bowler was able to better throughout the tournament – only other bowler managed a six-wicket day, and Afghanistan's rained-off group match with Canada was likely the only thing preventing him from finishing the competition above Bishnoi and perhaps even challenging Enamul Haque's record of 22 wickets in eight games in the 2004 edition.
Not content with dismantling the hosts once, Ghafari did so again to close out his country's stay with 4-15 in 8.3 overs, earning a tournament-leading third player of the match award in five completed fixtures. His numbers are not simply astonishing for this competition alone – only one bowler in U19 World Cup history has taken 10 or more wickets in a single edition at a cheaper rate: Tim Southee in 2008.
9 wickets @ 15.77
The gangly left-arm quick has been a key member of Bangladesh’s side throughout this World Cup cycle, leading all bowlers globally with 44 Youth ODI wickets since the conclusion of the 2018 tournament in New Zealand
But, like Akbar, Shoriful saved his most important performance for the biggest game of all, conceding only 31 runs in his 10 overs while also claiming the essential wicket of Jaiswal. Athletic fielding efforts and an infectious intensity helped set the tone for the team’s stunning success, and if not for the steady batting heroics of his captain he would have been a worthy pick for player of the final.
Despite a wicket count that pales in comparison to some of his seam-bowling peers – most notably Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka (13 at 18.46) and Akhil Kumar of Canada (16 at 15.37) – the 18-year-old completes our XI having taken vital wickets in each of Bangladesh’s outings and leading the way for powerplay bowlers in conceding under three per over throughout this period.
Images: ICC / Getty
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.