From Vaibhav Suryavanshi to the future of Pakistan batting; meet the stars of Under 19 World Cup

ICC Under-19 World Cups give a glimpse into the future stars with several top stars emerging through the tournament. From Yuvraj Singh to Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli to Shaheen Shah Afridi to Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Joe Root, the Under-19 World Cup is where the world got to see them first. The upcoming edition set to begin later this month is no exception. Here is a look at some of the talents to watch out for in the tournament to be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The 14-year-old needs no introduction as he is already a household name in India. Ever since he started his IPL career with a six and scored a century for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans, he has made jaws drop worldwide. But even before that, he scored a century on Under-19 debut at the age of 13 against Australia. A destructive batter, he scored 262 runs in the recent U19 Asia Cup, averaging more than 50 with a strike rate of 182, breaking the record for the quickest Youth ODI century on his way to 171 from 95 balls against the UAE.

The name is not new to Indians as he scored 172 in the final of the Asia Cup recently, taking apart the attack of the arch-rivals. At a time when Pakistan has been struggling to unearth promising batting talents, the arrival of Minhas is seen with plenty of interest. The 172 he made against India is the highest score for a Pakistan batsman at this level and heads into the World Cup with huge expectations. In the Asia Cup he racked up 471 runs in five innings with two hundreds and a fifty, nearly 200 more than any other player.

He is no stranger to the Under-19 World Cup, having been a last-minute addition two years back when Australia won the title beating India in the final. Son of Clinton Peake, who holds the record for the highest-ever individual score in a Youth Test (304 vs India in 1995), Oliver is an enterprising batsman who bats in the top-order. Having already been exposed to Big Bash, Oliver has also been part of Australia’s Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka last year. This time he will be leading Australia in the tournament.

When it comes to young prodigies emerging from Afghanistan it is mostly the spinners. But Faisal is an exception. Batting at the top of the order, in the recently held Asia Cup U19 tournament, scored a century against Bangladesh, a solid outfit. He scored a hundred against Bangladesh last year as well and was part of the Afghanistan team that toured India towards the end of 2025, to feature in a tri-series. In that tournament, where they emerged as joint-winners, he scored two fifties against a strong India side.

Younger brother of England spinner Rehan Ahmed, Farhan is another young talent who has already made heads turn with his performances back home. At 16, he made senior debut for Nottinghamshire in the County circuit, to become their second youngest player ever. In 2024, he became the youngest player to take 10 wickets in a first-class match, breaking a record that had belonged to WG Grace since 1865. Unlike India which bars players from featuring in two Under-19 World Cups, England has no such rules in place. It means, Farhan will captain the side this time after being England’s second highest wicket-taker two years ago.

Like most talents from the Caribbean, he is a multi-sport athlete having emerged as a national table tennis champion. One of his elder sister Britany van Lange, a swimmer who represented Guyana at the London 2012 Olympics in the 100m freestyle category. Though he hasn’t had plenty of exposure in the Under-19 cricket, he does have some impressive outings against England. A top-order batsman, he is expected to shoulder West Indies batting alongside captain Joshua Dorne.

In recent years several players with Indian connection have made it to the New Zealand side and the story is no different in the Under-19 team as well. A wicketkeeper batsman, he made his first-class debut earlier this season for Northern Districts scoring half-centuries in both the innings. A player who has come through their age-group system, the Under-19 World Cup is just another ladder for him to climb to the top.

Another prodigy who is already making heads turn in the Rainbow nation. He began the summer by breaking a 25-year-old record, by scoring 164 in a Youth game, which was the highest score for a South African batsman at this level overtaking Jacques Rudolph’s tally. He then wrote his name into record books by scoring a double century against Zimbabwe, becoming the first batsman to do so in the U-19 level. It paved way for his first-class debut and heads into the World Cup with aim to be the third successive South African to be named Player of the Tournament after Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka.

The second name should give enough hints into who he is. Son of former Zimbabwe all-rounder Andy, his twin brother Michael Jan is also part of the Under-19 team for the World Cup on home soil. He is a top-order batsman who has shown promises at the age-group levels and is looking to emerge from the shadows of his father who had an outstanding career for Zimbabwe. Capable of bowling leg-break as well, he is thin on experience at this level.

The Under-19 tournament hasn’t been particularly good for Sri Lanka, which has struggled to make the semifinals for 10 years now. While there are a few exciting prospects in their batting ranks, it is their seamer Seneviratne who is generating plenty of interest. In the Asia Cup, he was among the standout performers, picking up 8 wickets at an average of 15.75 at an economy rate of just over four. It came on the back of an impressive outing against West Indies in the Caribbean. A capable lower-order batsman, Seneviratne will have a huge role to play should Sri Lanka look to go beyond the group stages.