U19 World Cup is a brilliant platform for young budding cricketers worldwide to showcase their skills on a global platform. A team’s success testifies to the brilliance of its players and the domestic age-group circuit in the country. The exposure of the global level serves the players well in their future careers. In the list below, we will see the Top 10 Most Successful Teams in U19 World Cups-
1. India (78.4%)
India is undoubtedly the most successful team in U19 cricket history, both in terms of match wins and U19 titles. The Indian youngsters have won the U19 World Cup five times and have stood as runners-up in three editions. Since the inception of this trophy in 1988, they have won 69 out of 89 matches, with one match yielding no result. This amounts to a success rate of 78.4 %. Indian senior players like Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and many more have been a part of victorious Indian U19 teams.
2. Australia (74.39%)
Australia has won the U19 World Cup in 1988, 2002, and 2010. The Australian boys have played 85 matches in the World Cups and have won 61 of them with a success rate of 74.39 %. Many senior Australian players like George Bailey, Shaun Marsh, Dan Christian, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa have emerged from triumphant Australian teams.
3. Pakistan (72.61%)
Pakistan follows India and Australia to be the third-most successful team in terms of the number of titles achieved and the proportion of matches won. It is the only team to have won two consecutive U19 World Cups. The young Pakistanis earned so in 2004 and 2006. They have prevailed in 61 out of the 85 matches. Players like Abid Ali, Wahab Riaz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim were part of the teams which won the titles. Babar Azam is the second-highest run-getter (585 runs) in U19 World Cup history.
4. Bangladesh (69.37%)
Bangladesh stunned India in the 2020 U19 World Cup Final to win its only title. Since their debut in 1998, the Bangladeshis have played 82 matches and have won 55 of them (69.37 % success rate). Many Bangladesh players like Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza have played U19 World Cups for Bangladesh.
5. South Africa (66.66%)
In the 2014 U19 World Cup, South Africa defeated Pakistan in the final match. Aiden Markram was the captain of this victorious squad that also included Andile Phehlukwayo and Kagiso Rabada. This remains the young Proteas’ only U19 World title so far. South Africa has won 52 out of 79 matches, with one match washed away. This amounts to a victory percentage of 66.66%.
6. England (61.62%)
Players like Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff have represented England in the U19 World Cups. The English Lions won the trophy in 1998 in South Africa. The squad included the likes of Owais Shah (captain), Rob Key, Graeme Swann, and umpire Michael Gough. The English colts have won 53 out of 87 matches and were runners-up in the 2022 edition in West Indies.
7. West Indies (61.36%)
In 2016, West Indies defeated India by 5 wickets to win its maiden U19 trophy. This victorious team was captained by Shimron Hetmyer and included players like Odean Smith, Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph, and Obed McCoy. Since West Indies’ debut in 1988, they have played 89 matches and have won 54 out of those (success rate of 61.36%).
8. Sri Lanka (55.29%)
The Sri Lankan team has never won the U19 World Cup but was runner-up in 2000. The teenagers from this South Asian Island nation have played 86 matches and have won 47 of them, a success rate of 55.29%.
9. New Zealand (46.66%)
It is surprising to see New Zealand at the bottom of this list. The young Kiwi team has never won the U19 World Cup. Their best performance came in 1998 when they were the runners-up. Famous players like Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Stephen Fleming, and many more have donned the New Zealand U19 jersey. They have competed in 77 World Cup matches and have won only 35 (46.66%) of them.
10. Ireland (36.88%)
The Irish team made their U19 World Cup debut in 1998. Since then, they have played 61 matches and have won 22 of those amounting to a win rate of 36.88%. The famous players who later represented the senior team are Paul Stirling, Andy McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Harry Tector, and many more. Current England captain Eoin Morgan, too, has played U19 cricket for Ireland and holds the highest individual score by an Irish batter.
