ICC World Cup 2019: Team-wise youngest player in the tournament

There is no bigger stage than the World Cup for any player to showcase their talent. It is a dream of every cricketer to feature in this tournament that comes once every four years. However, there are only selected fortunate ones who actually manage to realise this desire and represent their nation is this biggest of cricketing events. While many cricketers take their entire lifetime to feature in this event, some of the players have been lucky enough to get there at a very young age.

Many youngsters are set to make their debut in this edition of the tournament. Although they are inexperienced, most of them have been excellent in whatever we have seen of them thus far. They’d all be eager to make their mark in the tournament and cement their spots for a long time. The tournament will also witness three impressive teenagers take part in it which adds up to the excitement.

Here is the youngest player team-wise in this World Cup:

1. Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the youngest player who will be featuring in this edition of the tournament. Making his debut in the World Cup at such a young age, there will be a lot of nerves for the 18-year-old. Having made his mark in various T20 leagues around the league, Mujeeb has also established himself as an important member in the Afghanistan side.

However, the challenge will be much tougher for him this time around in the English conditions. Also, there is a lot of video footage available now and the batsmen have been picking him well of late. Thus, he needs to bring about new variations to his bowling as a surprise element to succeed. Having played in the T20 Blast is an added advantage for him.

DOB – 28/03/2001 | Age – 18

2. Pat Cummins | Australia

Jhye Richardson could have been the youngest player for Australia this tournament. But now that he is injured, it will be Pat Cummins who will take that spot. The Aussies are fielding a highly experienced squad this time and most of the players are either in their late 20s or the early 30s. At 25 years of age, Cummins thus is the youngest player in this side.

He is an exceptional talent and is just about cementing his spot in the limited-overs side. Moreover, Pat Cummins is more than a handy batsman and can strike a few lusty blows down the order. He is lightning quick on the field and is a complete package for any team. Cummins was also a part of the winning team in World Cup 2015.

DOB – 08/05/1993 | Age – 26

3. Mehidy Hasan | Bangladesh

A highly talented off-spinner, Mehidy Hasan will be making his World Cup debut soon. At a very young age, he has become an important part of the Bangladesh team and features in all the formats for his team. Even before he turned 19, the Khulna born cricketer had a five-wicket haul in Tests to his name.

Mehidy is a very economical customer and played 28 ODIs for his team thus far. He picked up 29 wickets at an average of 35 and economy slightly above 4. He is decent enough with the bat as well and can play the supporting role quite well. With the age on his side, Mehidy will only get better with time and this World Cup will be an excellent learning curve for him.

DOB – 25/10/1997 | Age – 21

4. Jofra Archer | England

The latest recruit in the England team and their least experienced cricketer Jofra Archer is the youngest player in the England team. While both Jofra and Tom Curran are 24, the Barbados-born cricketer is about 20 days younger than Tom. He has showcased his talent in various T20 leagues all around the world. Archer has been so exceptional that the ECB actually changed its policies to have him in the team.

He made his England debut just in May 2019, the same month when the World Cup begins. Yet, the selectors have shown enough confidence in him and picked him over David Willey who has been quite an integral part of the English team. Archer bowls express pace and knows how to handle the pressure. Also, he can hit the ball long and hard.

DOB – 01/04/1995 | Age – 24

5. Kuldeep Yadav | India

With 29.5 years of average age, the current Indian team is the oldest to have ever played at a World Cup. Thus, one wouldn’t expect many rookies in this side. 7 out of the 15 players in this squad are above 30 and no one else except Kuldeep Yadav is below 25. The chinaman bowler, ever since he made his debut, has cemented his spot in the limited-overs set-up and is progressing that way in the Test team as well.

Kuldeep Yadav is one of the canny customers around and makes excellent use of his variations. Even though he wasn’t at his best in IPL 2019, the team management has got enough faith in him and he’d be critical in the England conditions. The youngster will be hoping that he will come back strong in the upcoming tournament after the recent failures.

DOB – 14/12/1994 | Age – 24

6. Ish Sodhi | New Zealand

For the World Cup 2019, New Zealand has trust in Ish Sodhi and back him to do well in the tournament. A lanky leg-spinner, Ish Sodhi isn’t someone who turns the ball miles. He makes the most of his height to extract bounce and manages to get just enough amount of spin that places a doubt of uncertainty in the batsman’s mind. Even though he’s been around for about six years now, Ish Sodhi is yet to make his mark in New Zealand cricket.

Thus far, he has just featured in 17 Tests, 30 ODIs and 33 T20Is. In the 50-over format, he picked up 39 wickets at an average of 36 and economy rate just under 6. With some turn on offer on the dry England pitches in June and July, Sodhi is expected to play a massive part for his team and pick up some important wickets in the middle overs.

DOB – 31/10/1992 | Age – 26

7. Shaheen Afridi | Pakistan

Pakistan is fielding two teenage sensations in this edition of the World Cup. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain are both 19 years old. However, the left-arm pacer is younger than Hasnain just by one day. Shaheen is an exceptional talent and impressed everyone with his performance in the PSL. Moreover, he’s had an impressive start to his international career as well.

But in the recent series against England, he has struggled and has conceded a lot of runs which is a huge concern for his team. He hasn’t been able to adapt to the right lines and lengths to be bowled in England. Hence, it is important for him to learn and correct his mistakes soon if he is to make an impact. Both these youngsters will gain immensely from this experience at such a massive stage.

DOB – 06/04/2000 | Age – 19

8. Lungi Ngidi | South Africa

Yet again, Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada are both 23-years-old in the South African team. But these two are differentiated by a matter of a few days and Ngidi is the younger one. The young pacer will be making his return from an injury and his team will have high expectations on him for the World Cup.

He bowls at an amazing pace and manages to find some swing early on with the new ball. Moreover, Ngidi also nails the yorkers well at the death and can complement Rabada really well. But the competition for the pacers in the South African team is extremely high and Lungi Ngidi needs to fight his way out to make it into the starting eleven.

DOB – 29/03/1996 | Age – 23

9. Avishka Fernando | Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan cricket has been undergoing a crisis of sorts and the team has been struggling a lot in recent times. The transition period has taken too long for the team and they have been struggling to find the right set of players. Also, the team has been shuffling around with its captains a lot and Avishka Fernando seemed to be some light at the end of a dark tunnel for them.

At just 18 years, he was picked right out of school cricket with no first-class or List A experience. Hailed as a child prodigy, Avishka had to face the harsh realities of international cricket at quite a young age. He has featured in 6 ODIs thus far and will be making his World Cup debut. Given the instability around the Sri Lankan batting order, Fernando might get a go at some stage of the tournament to prove his talent.

DOB – 05/04/1998 | Age – 21

10. Oshane Thomas | Windies

The Windies team that will be taking part in the World Cup 2019 is a great blend of both experience and youth. The team have got someone like Chris Gayle who is 39-years-old as well as Oshane Thomas and Shimron Hetmyer who are 22-years-old. Most of the players in the Windies squad are around 30 years old and it is a team full of entertainers.

With some of the biggest hitters of the cricket ball in their side, the Windies are the underdogs in this edition of the tournament and could surprise even the best of teams. Oshane Thomas is one of the important members of their bowling attack who is known for his raw pace. At quite a young age, he has gained quite some exposure and will look forward to putting it all in practice in the upcoming event.

DOB – 18/02/1997 | Age – 22

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