Top 5 U19 Players who can become legends

One of the reasons why U19 cricket is played is to foresee talent and to identify young players who can represent their countries in the years to come. Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli, Mitchell Marsh and Kane Williamson are a few who have gone on to make it big for their respective countries. Thus, the U19 World Cup is a mere preview to the future of world cricket. That said, here is a list of 5 U19 players who could possibly go on to become legends of the game. 1. Sarfaraz Khan (India): Sarfaraz Khan of India batting against Ireland. (Photo Source: ICC) Sarfaraz Khan’s talent has been noticed since an early age. He became the youngest ever to play U19 cricket when he turned out in the Indian tri-color in the 2014 U19 World Cup. In the recent edition, however, Sarfaraz has displayed class as well as aggression, the desirable traits of a modern day batsman. Sarfaraz shot to fame when he played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and became the youngest player to feature in the IPL. He smashed 45 off 21 balls against the Rajasthan Royals. He became the second highest run-scorer in the U19 World Cup scoring 355 runs in 6 innings. He also holds the record for the most 50+ scores in U19 cricket. 2. Alzarri Joseph (West Indies): (Photo Source: ICC/Mumit M) The West Indian fast bowler was instrumental in the Windies securing its first ever U19 World Cup title. With the West Indies side on the brink of turmoil, Alzarri Joseph will perhaps provide the beleaguered WICB with the perfect answer. Apart from his brilliant out-swingers, Joseph can clock extremely high speeds. He picked up 13 wickets in the 6 matches that he played in the World Cup with best bowling figures of 4/30 was the 4th highest wicket-taker in the tournament. 3. Dan Lawrence (England): England vs Zimbabwe in Chittagong Dan Lawrence finished what was a highly successful World Cup as the highest run-getter. With 3 centuries to his name, the English batsman compiled 420 runs in 6 innings at a massive average of 84. With the England selectors looking for the right opening combination in both Tests and ODIs, the name Dan Lawrence will be a hard one to miss but a lot would depend on how he complements his U19 performances with other opportunities that he gets here on. 4. Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka): (Photo Source: ICC/Mumit M) The selectors have viewed the Sri Lankan skipper as a potential replacement for the retired Kumar Sangakkara. Charith Asalanka is a left-handed batsman with the ability to bowl right-arm off breaks. While his off breaks will come in handy, his technique has been closely compared to that of Sangakkara. Asalanka has been in fine form with both bat and ball and has been integral in both departments that helped Sri Lanka reach the semi-final of the World Cup. He scored 276 runs with an average of 46 in 6 matches and was the leading run-scorer for his team in the tournament. 5. Hasan Mohsin (Pakistan): (Photo Source: ICC/Mumit M) One of the standout performers for Pakistan, Hasan Mohsin definitely has the ability to become one of the greats of Pakistan cricket. While he is viewed by most as a batting all-rounder, Mohsin has the ability to extract swing and bounce from the surface. He also scored three 50’s, a hundred and ended the tournament with 293 runs apart from his exploits with the ball. Hasan Mohsin can certainly go on to become the next Abdul Razzaq of Pakistan should the PCB give him a chance at the highest level.