Top 5 batting performances of U19 World Cup 2024 ft. Musheer Khan
The ICC U19 World Cup, which came to an end on Sunday, was won by Australia. The Kangaroos beat India in the final and picked up their fourth trophy, inching closer to the latter, who have five in their kitty.
The tournament, famously labelled as being where the future stars of the sport play, threw up a slew of performances with both bat and ball from all teams who participated.
Some of these performances resulted in victories for the teams involved whereas some of the others ended up on the losing side.
Bat, on more than one occasion, ended up dominating the ball, and that is where our interest is when it comes to this piece. In this listicle, we bring to you the top five batting performances of the tournament.
#1 Snehith Reddy (147* vs Nepal)
Vijaywada-born Snehith Reddy, who plied his trade for New Zealand in this U19 World Cup, piled up the highest individual score of the tournament when he scored 147 against Nepal in East London.
Coming in at No.3 after the fall of opener Luke Watson, Reddy put the Nepalese bowling to the sword and made them pay for all the mistakes that they made.
He took 125 balls to get to this landmark score and ended up unbeaten when the fifty overs got bowled. His knock helped the Kiwis put up a score of 302-9, which they defended by 64 runs in the end.
#2 Musheer Khan (131 vs New Zealand)
India's Musheer Khan comes second on this list owing to the massive 131 he scored against New Zealand in a match in the Super Six stage of the tournament.
Batting first against the Kiwis in Bloemfontein, India ran up a respectable 295/8 thanks to Musheer's splendid knock. He took just 126 balls to get there at a strike rate of 103.
He hit 13 boundaries in this innings and three sixes. Musheer came back to pick up two wickets in the second innings when India bowled New Zealand out for a mere 81.
#3 Jewel Andrew (130 vs South Africa)
In true Caribbean style, Jewel Andrew scored one of the most swashbuckling knocks of this tournament when he notched up a 96-ball 130 against South Africa in a Group B match in Potchefstroom.
Chasing a modest total of 286, the Windies faltered at the start of their innings, which meant that the bulk of the scoring was left for wicket-keeper batter Andrew to do when he walked in at number six.
Andrew responded in classic fashion, hitting 18 boundaries and three sixes in his knock. Unfortunately, he got out slogging towards the end, and that meant that the Windies lost to the hosts by 31 runs.
#4 Hugh Weibgen (120 vs England)
Australia's title-winning captain Hugh Weibgen scored his team's highest individual score against their bitter rivals England in a Super Six match in Kimberley.
Batting first, Australia lost their opener Sam Konstas cheaply. Weibgen walked out to bat at No.3 and combined with the other opener Harry Dixon to build a big partnership.
He got to three figures eventually and got out after scoring 120. Weibgen took 126 balls to score his runs which included fifteen boundaries. With rain playing a big role in the second dig, Australia beat England by 110 runs with the DLS method.
#5 Musheer Khan (118 vs Ireland)
India's star batter Musheer Khan features on this list for the second time owing to the brilliant 118 he scored against Ireland in Bloemfontein in a Group A match.
Musheer walked out to bat at No.3 and hit nine boundaries and four sixes in this knock of his. He took just 106 balls to get there and ensured that his team put up a score of 301/7.
Musheer looked all set to get a big one in this match but his innings was cut short when he was run out. India eventually bowled Ireland out for a paltry 100 and won the game by 201 runs.