While many talented cricketers have gone on to bigger and better things after being Players of the Tournament at the U19 World Cup, others have not been so successful. We take a look at each of the winners of the award and where they are now.

Chris Gayle (West Indies – 1998)

Gayle became an all-format giant over time, playing a big part in West Indies’ Champions Trophy win in 2004 and runner-up finish in 2006, and their T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016. Widely regarded as the greatest Twenty20 batter of all time, he became the first T20I centurion and the first to hit a hundred in T20Is, a double in ODIs, and a treble in Test cricket.

Yuvraj Singh (India – 2000)

Yuvraj quickly embedded himself as an ODI mainstay. In the 2007 T20 World Cup, he famously struck six sixes in an over against Stuart Broad and made the fastest fifty ever in the format, off 12 balls. When India won the World Cup in 2011, he was Player of the Tournament. He took time out of the game in 2012 after being diagnosed with lung cancer, but returned to play for India until 2017.

Tatenda Taibu (Zimbabwe – 2002)

At the World Cup, Taibu averaged 50 with bat and 10.75 with ball, and had eight dismissals. At 20, he became the youngest Test captain, but was forced to retire in 2005 amidst turmoil in Zimbabwe cricket. He intended to qualify for South Africa, but returned to Zimbabwe. When Test cricket returned to the country, he became the fifth Zimbabwean to reach 3,000 runs in the format. He retired at 29 to join the church.

Shikhar Dhawan (India – 2004)

After making three hundreds at the World Cup, Dhawan had nine inconsistent years, averaging mid-40s in first-class and List A cricket for Delhi. When he finally played, in 2013, he scored a hundred against Australia off 85 balls, the fastest century on Test debut. It was in ODIs that he found his mojo, making 6,793 runs at 44 and a strike rate of 91. An active IPL player, he has not been selected for India since 2022.

Cheteshwar Pujara (India – 2006)

Even before the World Cup, where he averaged 116, Pujara had been making big scores in youth set ups for years. Once he played Test cricket, he became the fastest Indian to 1,000 runs (11 Tests); in 2013, he became the ninth to score three career first-class triple centuries, and holds the Indian records for most double tons in the format. While not yet retired, he has not played for India since June 2023.

Tim Southee (New Zealand – 2008)

After coming runner-up in the 2006 World Cup, Southee came into the 2008 edition more experienced, averaging 6.64 and going for 2.52 an over. On Test debut against England later that year, he had a five-for and smashed a 40-ball 77. Currently the captain of New Zealand and their second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, he currently holds the world record for most wickets in men’s T20Is.

Dominic Hendricks (South Africa – 2010)

Despite making a hundred and three fifties at the World Cup, Hendricks was unable to break into the South African senior side. He is the Lions’ first-class captain and has more than 9,000 first-class runs with 16 hundreds, along with over 3,000 runs in List A and nearly a thousand in T20.

Will Bosisto (Australia – 2012)

Having represented Western Australia U17s and U19s, Bosisto captained Australia to the World Cup final and topped the averages chart. He made his first-class debut in 2013/14, but a dip in form meant he never represented Australia. WA did not renew his contract after 2018/19, and failures at South Australia set him back. He now lives in Adelaide as first-grade captain at the university and the junior high performance coach for Southern District Cricket Club.

Aiden Markram (South Africa – 2014)

Markram led South Africa to their only ICC trophy in the 21st century, but it took three years in domestic cricket before international opportunities arose. Named Domestic Newcomer in 2017 at Cricket South Africa’s awards, he made his Test debut, fell just short of a hundred in his maiden innings, and got one in his next game. The current South African T20I captain, he is a regular across formats.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh – 2016)

After captaining Bangladesh to a third-place finish at the World Cup, Mehidy went straight into the Test team against England later that year, where he became the youngest Bangladeshi player to take a five-for on Test debut. He followed the 6-80 with 6-82 and 6-77 in the next Test to become the Player of the Series. Since then, he has evolved as the legendary Shakib Al Hasan’s heir as Bangladesh’s premier all-rounder across formats.

Shubman Gill (India – 2018)

While still at the U19 World Cup, where he led the Indian team with 372 tournament runs, Gill was picked to debut in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.8 crore. He was key to KKR’s run to the 2021 final as well as the title-winning season for Gujarat Titans in 2022, whom he will lead in 2024. Good enough to replace Dhawan from the Indian ODI set-up, Gill is now a key player in all three formats.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (India – 2020)

Jaiswal’s efforts at the Under-19 World Cup paved the way for an IPL contract the same year, with Rajasthan Royals for INR 2.4 crore. His maiden T20 hundred, 124 off 62 balls, came next year. He has since been a mainstay in the Royals’ side, going on to hit the fastest IPL fifty – off 13 balls, and was their leading run-scorer last year. He currently averages 73 in first-class cricket and 53.96 in List A cricket; and he made 171 on Test debut, in June 2023, and a subsequent double ton against England.

Dewald Brevis (South Africa – 2022)

With two hundreds and three fifties, Brevis broke 506 runs to break Dhawan’s record of 505 runs for most runs in a single edition. Mumbai Indians snatched up just a few months later for INR 3 crore. He went on to smash 162 off 57 balls, the third-highest T20 score ever, for the Titans, becoming the youngest South African to make a century, at 19. He made his first-class and List A debuts in the proceeding months and but is yet to really crack international cricket.

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