U19 World Cup 2022: Combined Best Playing 11 of the Tournament

Yash Dhull leads a fantastic team as we look at the combined best playing 11 of the tournament for ICC U19 World Cup 2022. 

Talk about talent and opportunity on a big stage, and the U19 World Cup would be the first name that would come to our mind. Players across the countries who are taking their baby steps in the world of cricket get an opportunity of a lifetime to make a solid first impression. As they say, your first impression is always a highlighting point for a promising career. 

The U19 World Cup 2022 that was held in West Indies saw Team India emerge as the winners of the tournament for the record fifth time defeating England in a tight finish. Such has been Team India’s dominance that this was their fourth consecutive final in the U19 World Cup. While they have won two, they lost two of their last 4 finals. 

Overall, Australia finished in the third position having won the third-place match against Afghanistan. Whereas Pakistan finished fifth having won the fifth-place match against Sri Lanka. Having said that, which players impressed the most in the tournament? Let’s find out in this article by looking at the combined best playing 11 of the tournament for U19 World Cup 2022. 

Methodology:

As usual, we have removed any biases or perceptions while selecting the best performing 11. Our robust methodology gives precedence to ‘Performance Rating’ to select players in the playing 11. Given the plethora of talent and performance that was uncovered during the tournament, selecting the final XI was a seriously tough job.

Openers

#1: Haseebullah Khan (WK) (Pakistan) 

Inns: 6 // Runs: 380 // Avg: 76 // SR: 80.8 // Rating: 10

The leading run-getter for Pakistan and the wicket-keeper of the squad, Haseebullah has been another talent that has been unearthed from Pakistan. Haseebullah played two outstanding knocks in the tournament even as they came against minnows. Overall, Haseebullah scored a total of 380 runs at an average of 76, a strike rate of 80.8, and also accounted for 10 dismissals.  

#2: Thomas Prest (England) 

Inns: 6 // Runs: 292 // Avg: 58.4 // SR: 102.5 || Rating: 7.7

Amidst the flood of good openers in the U19 World Cup, Thomas Prest was the second-best opener of the lot. He had competition from Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Teague Wyllie, and Campbell Kellaway, but was slightly better than the other 3. An attacking batter that he is, Tom Prest managed to score a total of 292 runs from 6 innings at an average of 58.4 and a strike rate of 102.5.   

Middle-order

#3: Dewald Brevis (South Africa)

Inns: 6 // Runs: 506 // Avg: 84.3 // SR: 90.2 // Rating: 10

Undoubtedly the player of the series. ‘Baby AB’ as they call him has been the find of the tournament. Such was his staggering performance that he managed to score a total of 506 runs in 6 innings; the highest across all U19 World Cups. What’s more, he also took 7 wickets with his brilliant leg spin.

A rating of 10 for his performance would still be an understatement. Such has been the range of his shots at the age of 18, that you would just stand still in awe. As they say, AB de Villiers was not even half of what this guy is at the age of 18. Watch out for this talent as he is definitely expected to take the cricketing world by storm. 

#4: Kevin Wickham (West Indies)

Inns: 4 // Runs: 243 // Avg: 81 // SR: 83.5 / Rating: 10

The only West Indian in the squad, Kevin Wickham played for only 4 matches, but performed well in 3 of those 4 innings. His strike rate may not be on the higher side, but his temperament and consistency was something that stood out. With 243 runs from 4 innings, Kevin Wickham ended as the leading run-getter for the West Indies. A solid middle-order batter for West Indies to come in the coming years.

#5: Yash Dhull (C) (India)

Inns: 4 // Runs: 229 // Avg: 76.3 // SR: 85.4 // Rating: 10

Missed half of the tournament due to COVID-19, but still managed to be the third-highest run-getter for Team India. Apart from Yash Dhull’s leadership, what stood out was his key knock in the semis against Australia. Having scored a century, he became a part of the elite list of Indian captains to have scored a century in the World Cup. Overall, Yash scored a total of 229 runs from 4 innings at an average of 76.3 and a strike rate of 85.4.   

All-rounders

#6: Dunith Wellalage (Sri Lanka) 

Inns: 6 // Runs: 264 // Wkts: 17 // Rating: 10

Probably the second-best player of the tournament, Dunith Wellalage has been Sri Lank’s best player and one of the finds of the tournament. Not only did he end as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament but he also managed to score in excess of 200 runs. Known for his left-arm spin, Wellalage took a stunning 17 wickets from 6 innings at an economy rate of 4.2. In addition, he played anchor knocks in a lot of innings. 

#7: Raj Bawa (India) 

Inns: 6 // Runs: 252 // Wkts: 9 // Rating: 10

The second-best all-rounder of the tournament, and also the player of the final, Raj Bawa has been one of the top finds of the tournament. Raj Bawa’s stunning performance in the final vs England was the highlight of the tournament. Not only did he take a 5-wicket haul but scored a valuable 35 runs to help India chase a tricky total. Pace all-rounders are rare in India, and Raj Bawa has a stunning future if he keeps the consistency.  

#8: Qasim Akram (Pakistan) 

Inns: 6 // Runs: 203 // Wkts: 10 // Rating: 10

The talented Pakistani all-rounder, Qasim Akram created history when he became the only player in the U19 World Cup to have scored a century and also accounted for 5 wickets in the game. Overall, the off-spinner took 10 wickets and scored 203 runs to finish as one of the top all-rounders of the tournament. He was also preferred ahead of the likes of Vicky Ostwal and Nangeyaliya Kharote for his off-spin as the other two are left-arm spin bowlers.  

Bowlers: 

#9: Joshua Boyden (England)

Inns: 6 // Wkts: 15 // Avg: 9.9 // ER: 3.2 // Rating: 10

The best pacer of the tournament, Joshua Boyden of England finished with a total of 15 wickets from just 5 innings. That’s astonishing 2.5 wickets per innings. What’s more interesting is that Joshua Boyden managed this with an economy rate of just 3.2. Joshua was consistent throughout the tournament with a consistency of 83.3%. Overall, Boyden gets a performance rating of 10. 

#10: R Ravi Kumar (India) 

Inns: 6 // Wkts: 10 // Avg: 13.2 // ER: 3.7 // Rating: 9.5

Undoubtedly, the best pacer for Team India with key performances in the knockouts, Ravi Kumar’s sensational swing bowling has been the highlight of the tournament. While his partner, Rajvardhan Hangargekar focused purely on pace, Ravi Kimar’s strength was more on the swing. With a consistency of 100%, Ravi Kumar took a total of 10 wickets from 6 innings at a superb economy rate of 3.7. 

#11: William Salzmann (Australia)

Inns: 6 // Wkts: 12 // Avg: 19.4 // ER: 4.7 // Rating: 8.4

Even as Australia finished in the third position, it was only William Salzmann who managed to be a part of the best playing 11 of the tournament. The talented pacer from Australia just managed to beat Awais Ali for the third pacer of the squad. Overall, William Salzmann took a total of 12 wickets from 6 innings at an economy rate of 4.7. Overall, Salzmann gets a rating of 8.4 for his performance. 

So, that completes the best performing playing 11 of the tournament for U19 World Cup 2022. Apart from the above 11 players, the ones that also impressed the most include Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vicky Ostwal, Suliman Safi, Teague Wyllie, Brian Bennett, Campbell Kellaway, Shaik Rasheed, Awais Ali, Ripan Mondol, and Nangeyalia Kharote. 

U19 World Cup 2022 Combined Best Playing 11 of the Tournament

Haseebullah Khan (WK), Thomas Prest, Dewald Brevis, Kevin Wickham, Yash Dhull (C), Dunith Wellalage, Raj Bawa, Qasim Akram, Joshua Boyden, Rajendra Ravi Kumar, William Salzmann.

Thanks for reading! Which player impressed you the most in U19 World Cup 2022? Please email your comments to business@cricalytics.com 

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Adesh Kothari

Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.

Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.

Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.