5 players you didn’t know played the Under-19 World Cup with Harry Brook ft. Prithvi Shaw
Harry Brook has grabbed the headlines by becoming the World No.1 batter in the ICC Test Rankings. The England batter rose to the helm of the batting charts on December 11, overtaking his compatriot Joe Root.
It is pertinent to note that Harry Brook is just 25. He has played only 23 Tests but his performances have been so brilliant that he holds the number one position in the ICC Test Rankings.
Shedding some light on his numbers in Test cricket, Harry Brook has scored 2,280 runs in 38 innings at an average of 61.62 and a strike rate of 88.57. He already has eight centuries and 10 half-centuries to his name.
Not many fans would know that Harry Brook played in the 2018 U-19 World Cup for England U-19s. Brook scored 239 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 119.50 in that tournament.
India U-19s won that mega-event in New Zealand and here's a look at five players you might not remember played with Brook in the U-19 World Cup.
#1 Prithvi Shaw
Opening batter Prithvi Shaw was the captain of the India U-19s squad that won the 2018 U-19 World Cup. Shaw scored 261 runs in five innings at an average of 65.25 and a strike rate of almost 95.
Soon after, the BCCI drafted him into the Indian senior squad for the Test series against West Indies, where he won the Player of the Series award. However, Shaw could not continue in the same vein. He has lost his place in the Indian team and also remained unsold at the IPL 2025 mega-auction.
#2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Another explosive opening batter to feature on the list is Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The wicketkeeper-batter amassed 134 runs in five innings for Afghanistan U-19s, averaging 26.8.
Gurbaz is now a regular member of Afghanistan's senior team. He is also in demand in T20 leagues across the world. Notably, he has won two IPL trophies - one with Gujarat Titans in 2022 and one with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024.
#3 Nathan McSweeney
Nathan McSweeney recently made his Test debut for Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 series against India. McSweeney has been playing as an opening batter for the Aussies and he has managed 59 runs in four innings so far.
While McSweeney is yet to play a big knock at the senior level, he was fantastic for Australia U-19s in the 2018 U-19 World Cup. He scored 211 runs in just four innings at an average of 70.33 and a strike rate of 107.10.
#4 Will Jacks
England's explosive all-rounder Will Jacks belongs to the same U-19 batch as Harry Brook. Both Jacks and Brook represented England U-19s at the mega-event in 2018.
Jacks scored 193 runs in six innings and also scalped two wickets for England U-19s. He has established himself as one of the top big hitters in T20 cricket right now. Mumbai Indians signed him for ₹5.25 crore at the mega auction.
#5 Shaheen Afridi
Pakistani speedster Shaheen Afridi led the Pakistan U-19s' pace attack in the U-19 World Cup 2018. Afridi stole the show by taking 12 wickets in five innings, including a dream spell of 6/15 against Ireland U-19s.
The left-arm pacer is one of the top match-winners for Pakistan at the senior level of international cricket now. In fact, he became the first Pakistani bowler to complete 100 wickets each in all three formats of international cricket on December 10.