The U-19 final is just a day away and another batch of future legends have surely embarked on their journey as cricketers. The tournament produced and helped the world to witness young, talented, and dedicated individuals who have not just made their nation proud but have also made their presence felt on a grand stage.
Today, we'll have a look at five players who stamped their authority at the ICC U-19 World Cup.
1) Dewald Brevis (South Africa)
Already hailed as the next AB De Villiers, Brevis was on a whole new level since the tournament commenced. His innings would've been a huge relief for the Proteas cricket fanatics, who would feel concerned about the future of cricket in their nation.
Despite South Africa finishing outside the top 5 in the World Cup, Brevis is most likely to conclude the major event as the competition's highest run-getter with 506 runs in just 6 matches at a staggering average of 84.33.
Brevis has the most fours, most sixes joint-most tons, and 50s in the tournament and it's very unfortunate to see just one player doing so much work for his side.
However, the best part is that we have a lot more to see from this youngster in the coming years.
2) Dunith Wellalage (Sri Lanka)
A Sri Lankan who has been immensely influential for his side, Wellalage had a great tournament. He was sensational with the bat and stood up amongst his teammates when it came to delivering with the bat as well.
Most likely to end the competition as the highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets, he has only Joshua Boyden and Vicky Ostwal to catch him, who are at 13 and 12 wickets respectively.
Both of them are likely to play their last match which is the final and it will require some effort to surpass Wellalage's tally. The Lankan is also the highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka in this World Cup, something that speaks volumes about his potential and also prompts a sign of worry as no one managed to reach close to his 264 runs in the competition.
Just like Brevis, Wellalage would be an exciting prospect and the world will be eager to see more coming from the Lankan.
Tom Prest (England)
The 18-year-old English talent has been a leading light for his nation to succeed in the tournament so far. England plays India in the final of the 2022 U-19 World Cup on Saturday.
Prest is England's highest and third in the tournament run tally with 292 runs in five matches. His average of 73 shows how disciplined he is with the bat, while his 154-run knock against UAE is evidence that he knows how to capitalize on the situation.
The same is also the second-best individual score in the tournament and that would encourage him to produce another fine knock in the match that will matter to him the most. Can he surpass Haseebullah Khan and conclude the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer by scoring a 90+ knock? What do you think?
4) Angkrish Raghuvanshi (India)
Another finalist who has been India's most consistent player with the bat, Angkrish deserves more credit because he is at the top among his teammates.
India have been one of the most composed teams in the tournament and the reason for that has been different players turning up on different occasions. Angkrish has done it more often but the final test is yet to arrive.
The youngster has the second-most fours in the competition and we may see him going past Brevis if he manages to fire more than 24 runs via fours.
He is not the hardest hitter of the ball but he's surely a wise player who takes calculated risks. He's only 15 short of going past Prest and the final meeting between India and England would settle the deal for now.
Will he play a huge role in helping India win the final and the trophy?
5) Teague Wyllie (Australia)
One of Australia's most important players with the bat, Wyllie was the biggest reason why Australia's chances to make it to the finals reduced drastically.
Wyllie was exceptional with the bat in the entire tournament and could've scored over 300 runs easily had he not lost his wicket cheaply in the semi-finals against India.
He could've finished way higher in the table of the run-scorers but most importantly helped Australia make a place in the final, getting a step closer to claiming the competition they last won in 2010.
Just like the others, we are assured that we'll see Wyllie show more of his talent in the coming years, sadly not anymore in this tournament.
Let us know your thoughts. Stay tuned with Cricwizz for more updates.
Cover Credits: Wisden
