The leading figures of the U19 World Cup

Mahak Mannan 12:08 02/03/2014
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  • Leading trio: Shadman Islam (l), Nicholas Pooran (c), Anuk Fernando (r)

    Now that the U19 World Cup has reached its conclusion and South Africa have been crowned champions, we decided to take an in-depth look at the players who lit up the tournament.

    There have been a number of fine individual performances and eye catching displays but these are the players who topped the tournament in runs, wickets and big-hitting.

    TOP BATSMEN

    Shadman Islam (Bangladesh): 406 runs in six innings

    His 126 not out from just 142 balls helped Bangladesh claim their first victory at the Abu Dhabi Oval and the left hand batsman continued to score heavily throughout the tournament. The 18-year-old twice kept his wicket intact leading to a quite stunning average of 101.50.

    Imam-ul Haq (Pakistan): 382 runs in six innings

    Being the nephew of former Pakistan captain and batting maestro Inzamam-ul-Haq, the 18-year-old was under huge pressure to perform in the UAE. Fortunately, his calm manner and immense talent helped him become the second-leading run scorer in the tournament with 382 runs to his name.

    Ul-Haq recorded the second highest score of the tournament, firing 133 off just 137 balls in Pakistan's match against Scotland, and smashed 37 fours and two sixes.

    Aiden Markram (South Africa): 370 runs in six innings

    The South African captain comes in third with an outstanding average of 123.33. The right hand batsman scored two centuries in the tournament; the first coming in their third fixture against Zimbabwe – where Markram scored 120 runs in 150 balls – followed by a brilliant performance in the quarter-finals where he fired 105 in 140 balls.

    His 66* in the final against Pakistan underlined his quality as he performed under intense pressure to help lead his side to victory.

    TOP SIX HITTERS

    Nicholas Pooran (West Indies): 13

    The highest score of the tournament was achieved by this West Indian youngster. He fired a brutal 143 runs, hit 14 fours and six sixes. But it was not just this innings that caught the eye as Pooran recorded a total of 13 sixes in the tournament and boasted an impressive strike rate of 99.34.

    Sanju Samson (India): 7

    Despite falling to a first ball duck against England, the Indian vice-captain still managed to smash seven sixes in the tournament. The majority of the damage being done against Papua New Guinea when he scored 85 runs off just 48 balls, and consistently cleared the boundary by some distance thanks to his wonderful timing.

    Robert O’Donnell (New Zealand): 6

    The New Zealand skipper has had a mixed tournament but made the most of some rather poor bowling from the United Arab Emirates to knock 107 against the hosts, a century that included four sixes.

    TOP BOWLERS

    Anuk Fernando (Sri Lanka): 15 wickets in six matches

    The Sri Lankan was a constant threat as he never failed to pick up less than two wickets in all six matches. He even saved his best performance for last as he claimed four wickets against Afghanistan. His economy rate was rather high at 6.12, and despite always looking dangerous he conceded the most runs of any bowler at the tournament – 331 from his 54 overs.

    Kagiso Rabada (South Africa): 14 wickets in six matches

    The South African posted the best bowling performance in the tournament during a sensational semi-final in which he dismissed six Australian batsmen for just 25 runs in a frankly brutal spell of fast bowling. Rabada’s sheer pace caused all sorts of problems and his average of 10.52 was the best in the competition. Expect big things from the paceman's future.

    Kuldeep Yadav (India): 14 wickets in six matches

    Yadav made history by claiming the first and only hat-trick of the tournament and in doing so became the first Indian to achieve that feat at a World Cup. His best bowling performance came against Papua New Guinea as he picked up four wickets for the loss of only 10 runs in his 8.2 overs.

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