The 2024 Under-19 (U-19) World Cup is being played in South Africa and cricket fans are keeping their eyes on young players representing their respective teams. In the past, the distinguished junior International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament has delivered a lot of legendary players to international cricket.
Illustrious names such as Kane Williamson, Steven Smith, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Shaheen Afridi, who are ruling international cricket nowadays, showcased their cricketing skills in this distinguished tournament. Apart from current eminent names, some retired legends and veterans are also in record books for performing extraordinarily in this tournament. Discussing more, let’s know five players who rocked this junior-level international tournament before starting their careers in their respective senior national teams.
Here are five legends who performed exceptionally in the Under-19 World Cup:
5. Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Sarwan. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Former West Indies player Ramnaresh Sarwan was an excellent batter of his time. He served the Windies cricket team from 2000 to 2013 and during this period, he scored more than 11000 runs for his team across all formats. In September 2016, he brought down the curtains to his international career.
Before starting his international career in May 2000, Sarwan represented the West Indies U-19 team and became the joint-leading wicket-taker with Zimbabwe’s Mluleki Nkala. Playing seven games, he amassed 16 wickets in seven matches with his leg-break bowling. As a batter, he looked decent, scoring 175 runs in five innings at an average of 58.33.
4. Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
England’s World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan made his international debut in Ireland colours in August 2006. Before breaking into the international circuit, the southpaw exhibited his remarkable batting talent in the 2006 U-19 World Cup held in Sri Lanka.
Representing Ireland’s U-19 side, Morgan exuded confidence with his bat and ended up as the second-highest run-scorer with 338 runs in six matches at a notable average of 67.60. He also smashed a superb ton against New Zealand and two fifties in the competition.
3. Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Alastair Cook played for England for 12 years from 2006 to 2018. The left-handed opener couldn’t do much for his side in white-ball cricket but in the longest format of the sport, he became the first batter from his nation to score more than 10000 runs. The iconic opener brought down the curtains to his international career in 2018, accumulating 12472 Test runs in 161 matches. He is the leading run-scorer for the English side in red-ball cricket.
He failed to become a huge name for England in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) but back in 2004, he showcased his batting mettle in the 2004 U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh and received appreciation for his stunning performance. Cook, who was 19 then, hit 383 runs with two centuries and a fifty in seven matches and emerged as the second-highest run-scorer.
2. Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith. (Photo Soruce: X(Twitter)
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith served South Africa efficiently as captain and batter. The dynamic left-handed batter was known for his aggressive opening batting. In April 2003, he became South Africa’s youngest captain at the age of 22. The stylish Protea southpaw called time on his international career in March 2014.
Smith became a renowned name in cricketing circles for the first time after his scintillating batting display for South Africa in the 2000 U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Notching up 348 runs with four fifties in six matches at an average of 79.27, he was the leading run-scorer in the competition.
1. Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Chris Gayle is known as the ‘The Universe Boss’ of T20 cricket. However, his ODI and Test careers reveal that he is a dangerous batter in the longer forms of the sport as well. The star Caribbean player hasn’t announced his retirement from international cricket but he played his last game for the West Indies in 2021.
The fierce left-handed batter played his maiden international game in September 1999 but before making his debut for the Windies side, Gayle grabbed attention for his outstanding batting in the 1998 U-19 World Cup in South Africa. The Jamaican cricketer hit 364 runs with a hundred in seven matches and concluded the competition as the batter with the most runs.