Ipl 2018 letest updates

An enchanting under-19 World Cup in South Africa has already hit the headlines for some outstanding performances by teenage cricketers. There have been brilliant individual performances and some mind-blowing matches in this tournament with India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand the last four teams standing.

As the semi-finals beckon, it's time to look back at the tournament with another eye on the future of these prodigiously talented under-19 cricketers. As is often the case with these tournaments, the focus is also on which of these young players would go on to make the step up to national colours.

Here, we identify 10 players who took big strides in this youth World Cup.

Kartik Tyagi (India)

As India were all set to take the World Cup by storm, Kartik Tyagi gave a timely reminder of what he is capable of when he ran through Afghanistan's top-order in the very first over of the warm-up game. With a hat-trick to warm himself up to the tournament, Tyagi went on to take nine wickets in four matches as India raced to the semi-finals of the tournament.

After taking five wickets in the first three matches against Sri Lanka, Japan and New Zealand, Tyagi sparkled in the big knockout game against Australia. The pacer cleaned up the Australian middle-order to finish with a four-wicket haul as India defended a par total against a rather strong batting outfit. What has stood out in Tyagi so far is his impressive mindset and ability to execute under pressure. With pace hovering around the 140kmph mark and consistency a trademark of his bowling, Tyagi appears ready to make the step up. A great IPL — where he is teamed up with Rajasthan Royals — should help him get into national reckoning soon.

Nyeem Young (West Indies)

With the experience of another under-19 World Cup behind him, Nyeem Young has shown he is capable of making the step up to the national team with a sparkling showing in this year's youth World Cup.

In the group of death, Young produced outstanding all-round performances in the two big games — Australia (1/20 and 61 off 69) and England (66 off 41 and 5/45) — to help Windies top the group stages. His half-century and five-wicket haul in the game against England made him just the fourth player in under-19 World Cups to score a half-century and take five wickets in the same match.

Young has four half-centuries in his last seven games and is a reliable batsman capable of upping the ante when required from down the order. He also produced impactful performances with his pace bowling and appears good enough to have a long international career ahead of him given his temperament under pressure.

Bryce Parsons (South Africa)

We are well into the latter stages of the tournament and the top run-scorer is still from a team that was knocked out in the quarter-finals. Bryce Parsons has led a South African outfit that has looked well below par this World Cup with panache.

The left-hander, who has modelled his game around newly anointed South African ODI skipper Quinton de Kock, made 259 runs in five matches at an average of 51.8 including a century against Canada, 84 against UAE and a valiant 40 in a total of 129 against Afghanistan.

A natural captain, Parsons is more mature than a lot of his compatriots and it shows in the manner in which he took it upon himself to resurrect South Africa's shortcomings in other departments. A handy tweaker with the ball, Parsons' all-round quality is something that the Proteas senior side will be eyeing. With the national side in a transition period, a couple of good seasons with a franchise side could propel Parsons into the senior team.

Ravi Bishnoi (India)

A wicket-taking leg-spinner with a miserly economy rate is gold in any format and Ravi Bishnoi appears the real deal from his performances in the under-19 side so far. The Rs 2 crore recruit by Kings XI Punjab is a tall leggie with a good leg-break, a well-disguised googly and a handy flipper.

Bishnoi has already played a couple of Syed Mushtaq Ali games and has learnt the art of leg-spin from Anil Kumble, albeit by watching his videos online. In four matches so far in this under-19 World Cup, Bishnoi has picked up 11 wickets at a miserly average of 9.55. Coming in behind a potent pace attack, Bishnoi has stood out with his control and wicket-taking skills.

He was overshadowed in a 2 for 44 against Sri Lanka but went on to destroy Japan with a spell of 4 for 5. He followed that up with another four-wicket haul against New Zealand in the final league game. In the all-important quarter-final against the Aussies, Bishnoi kept one end tight with his leg-spin. He was the most economical Indian bowler on the day and also bagged the key wicket of Liam Scott just as he and Sam Fanning were putting up a big partnership.

A good season with the Kings XI outfit, where he will be overseen by Kumble himself, could just be the boost Bishnoi's career needs. In the long run, he definitely appears to be a prospect for the national side, at least in the limited-overs formats.

Rakibul Hasan (Bangladesh)

No bowler has a better bowling average than Rakibul Hasan in this under-19 World Cup — a sizzling 5.8 after taking 10 wickets in 20 overs of left-arm spin. Bangladesh love their left-arm orthodox spinners and Rakibul Hasan appears to be another talent from their never-ending production line.

A four for 20 in the second game Bangladesh played in this tournament was followed by a match-winning haul against South Africa in the quarter-final. At 56 for 1 chasing 262, the Proteas were dealt telling blows as Rakibul dismissed their two key batsmen — Parsons and Jonathan Bird. He went on to add a couple more scalps before taking out the half-centurion to finish with a five-wicket haul. With Bangladesh's spinners often accused of not doing well overseas, Rakibul has shown with his performances in South Africa that he has the tenacity to succeed on any surface. A couple of good seasons back home should see him in the national setup.

Tanveer Sangha (Australia)

Tanveer Sangha has been Australia's standout performer in the World Cup so far. As much as his potent leg-spin, the undying spirit he showed in resisting and then hitting a crucial six in the penultimate delivery of the innings against Afghanistan makes Sangha a player to watch out for in the coming years.

After a four for 30 in Australia's first game against West Indies went in vain, Sangha grabbed a five-wicket haul against Nigeria and did a good holding job against England in the final group game. In the Super League quarter-final against India, he dismissed the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal and finished with figures of 8-1-39-1. In the fifth-place play-off against Afghanistan, Sangha once again came to the fore, this time in an all-round capacity.

In a game where his batting and resilience under pressure overshadowed his bowling, Sangha still managed to grab a four-wicket haul. In five matches this tournament, the leggie has 15 wickets and his rise in a country obsessed with leg-spin will be something to look out for. If he does show similar temperament in the domestic scene, that baggy green may not be too far away.

Shafiqullah Ghafari (Afghanistan)

Another in the long production line of Afghanistan's mystery spinners, Shafiqullah Ghafari grabbed headlines in the tournament opener when his six-wicket haul skittled the Proteas out for a measly 129. The leg-spinner has a great stock ball and a brilliantly disguised googly that most teams couldn't figure out. Four of his six wickets in the game came off googlies that befuddled batsmen.

He added a further 5 for 23 in his next game against UAE, taking home back-to-back Man of the Match awards. Even a wicket-less spell against Pakistan in the quarters was impressive as the leggie conceded just 36 runs in his quota of overs. He was also the most economical bowler for the Afghans in their fifth-place play-off against the Aussies. While the senior team has Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Qais Ahmad and Zahir Khan, Afghanistan have promoted young talent and Ghafari could be into the setup by the end of the year if not immediately after this tournament.

Abbas Afridi (Pakistan)

Pakistan adore their young fast bowlers and another one coming through the ranks is the sensational Abbas Afridi who has already made his first-class debut two years back for Habib Bank Limited. He impressed in the lead up to the World Cup with a good showing in the bilateral against South Africa's youth side in mid-2019 and has been the sharp edge in Pakistan's bowling attack this tournament.

A 2 for 33 against Scotland in the first game was followed by three-wicket hauls against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He was eye-catching yet again in the quarter-final against Afghanistan in two short spells and will be a key player for Pakistan as they play India in the semi-final.

Afridi was equally good in the warm-up matches prior to the World Cup too, bowling with heat and finding good rhythm. Given Pakistan's tendency to back young quicks, Afridi could well be in the national reckoning by the end of the year where he has a potential opportunity to tie up with his former under-19 bowling partner, Naseem Shah.

Hamidullah Qadri (England)

This Afghanistan-born England off-spinner is a rare breed in England's talent line and has made the under-19 World Cup his own with 12 wickets five matches at an average of 13.83. Raised in Derby, Qadri made his first-class debut in 2017 for Derbyshire, grabbing a five-wicket haul against Glamorgan in the game.

He has been signed on for a three-year deal by Kent this year and has 23 wickets in 10 first-class matches already. A remarkable showing in the youth World Cup further enhances his credentials as an up and coming spinner in England's ranks. He was consistently among the wickets in the under-19 World Cup this year and picked up a four-wicket haul against Nigeria.

Prior to the tournament, Qadri had also shone in the tri-series in the Caribbean involving England, West Indies and Sri Lanka youth sides. With England's spin cupboard near-empty perennially, Qadri could be fast-tracked should he replicate these performances in county cricket.

Sam Fanning (Australia)

A typical thick-skinned Aussie cricketer, Sam Fanning will probably be remembered more for his two demerit points for elbowing Akash Singh in the under-19 World Cup quarter-final against India, but is a super talented batsman with a sound temperament.

As the top-order fumbled against India in the big knockout game, Fanning stood like a rock to lead Australia's charge in the run-chase. The opener was the seventh batsman to be dismissed as he made a valiant 75 off 127 balls to keep the team afloat. In four matches at this World Cup, Fanning has 198 runs at an average of 66. He followed up the half-century against India with another fifty in the fifth-place play-off against Afghanistan.

Fanning had a reasonably good outing against the New Zealand youth side in the build-up to the World Cup, making back-to-back forties at Brisbane in mid-2019. While Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey and Tanveer Sangha have grabbed the limelight, Fanning has performed admirably and will be a certain superstar to watch out for in the future.

Posted in Labels: Firstpost Firstcricketnews Latest News