10 Cricketers who led both U19 and national teams

The ICC Cricket Under-19 World Cup has been a great platform for young rising cricketers to make an impression in the cricketing universe. Ever since its inception in 1989, it has produced several talented players who have progressed to the senior team. Some have gone on to become legends of the game. Prominent names like Sanath Jayasuriya, Graeme Smith, Brian Lara, Mushtaq Ahmed and many others gave the first glimpse of their potential to world using this platform. Eight of the ten current Test captains have graduated from the under-19 level. But, not all get the opportunity to lead their junior teams. They played under some other players who at that time were thought to be good but failed to make a mark at the international level. But, let’s keep that aside, it’s a different story. What’s interesting is that only a handful of ten cricketers hold a unique distinction of having led both their U19 team and the senior teams. 1. Michael Atherton (England) – 1989 Youth World Cup: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Michael Atherton, one of the most prolific English openers, was known for his superb technique and stubborn batting attitude. Atherton was one of the most prominent to have played the inaugural under-19 World Cup better known as the Youth World Cup during that time. England, under his helm, won 4 out of seven games to finish fourth in the group stages and progress to the semis. His team’s journey ended in the semis after Australia beat them by 7 wickets in a slightly one-sided contest. With the bat, he had a silent tournament, however. He made only 197 runs in 8 matches at a functional average of 24.62 batting in the No. 3 position. He made his Test debut in the year approximately five months after the conclusion of the youth World Cup and was entrusted with the captaincy responsibility at the age of 25. He went on to lead his national side with limited success. Under his leadership, England played 54 Tests out of which they won only 13 and lost 21. 20 matches ended in a draw. In ODIs, he had a slightly better record winning 20 games while losing 21 out of the 43 matches he played as captain. 2. Brian Lara (West Indies) – 1989 Youth World Cup: (Photo Source: Getty Images) If individual brilliance is taken into account, Brian Lara is perhaps the most prolific name in the list. The left-hander ended his career as the highest run-getter for West Indies in the Test and ODI formats. Lara led his side to the semi-finals of the tournament after finishing the group stages with 5 wins in 7 matches before losing to Pakistan in the knockouts. He, however, wasn’t as productive with the bat in the U19 World Cup as he went to become afterwards. A year later, Lara made his Test debut and showed tremendous ability to build big scores unlike in the Junior World Cup where he ended with 222 runs at 27.75. In the space of two months in 1994, Lara aged just 24 smashed 375 and 501 not out to break world records for the highest Test and first-class scores. He was soon made the captain of the side and led his team in 125 ODIs and 47 Tests with good success. His captaincy tenure (10 wins, 26 losses and 11 draws in Tests; 59 wins and as many losses in ODIs) was not as record-shattering as his batting but still managed to bind a West Indies side which was slowly losing its dominance in world cricket, especially in the Test format. 3. Lee Germon (New Zealand) – 1989 Youth World Cup: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Lee Germon led New Zealand in the 1989 World Cup with very little success. As a skipper, all he could manage was two wins in 7 games. He personally also had a terrible time scoring just 80 runs. However, despite the mediocre show, the cricket administration always had faith in the man. After the World Cup, he progressed and became the captain of his provincial side Canterbury. After a few years of toiling at the domestic level, he made his Test debut for New Zealand in 1995 and was immediately given the leadership role. The decision to give him the responsibility came after the administrative shake-up following the national team’s poor performance in 1994/95. New coach (Glenn Turner) wanted a new captain and turned to Germon. It was his leadership experience at the provincial and U19 level and the ability to maintain discipline both on and off the field that led to his appointment despite no Test experience. Unfortunately, his record wasn’t great in both Test and ODI format. He led the Kiwis in 12 Test and could manage only one win and lost 5 games while ending six of the matches as drawn games. In the ODIs, he had a slightly better record winning 15 matches out of the 36 matches while losing 19. 4. Salman Butt (Pakistan) – 2002: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Salman Butt led the U19 World Cup team for Pakistan in 2002. The team led by Butt included names like Umar Gul and Azhar Ali. It was not a great tournament for him, however. Pakistan failed to reach the semi-final and were eliminated after the Super Plate games. It was a mixed tournament for them where he successfully led against India while losing to Nepal. Overall, he led his team to four wins out of the six games. With the bat too he had average outing scoring 166 runs at an average of 33.20. But, all these performances were enough to give others a glimpse of his talent. The next year he moved to the next level making his debut for the national team against Bangladesh in 2003. He had a promising start and drew comparisons with the legendary Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar. Eventually, leadership opportunity came when he succeeded Shahid Afridi as Test captain in 2010. He started off well and received praises for Test wins against Australia and England before his career was rocked. Butt could have well ended his career as one of the most influential Pakistani captains of all times. But, unfortunately, he hit a career ending block due to his involvement in the biggest cricketing scandal his country has been ever embroiled into. 5. Ross Taylor (New Zealand) – 2002: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Ross Taylor, one of New Zealand’s batting mainstays led the New Zealand Under–19 side in the 2002 World Cup. Right from the beginning, it was quite understandable that he wasn’t leadership material and was rather chosen for the role because of the reputation and experience. The aggressive top order batsman was a promising cricketer right from the beginning of his career. He had a great time with the bat scoring 166 runs in 5 matches at an average of 55.33 including an unbeaten century. Taylor had a short stint as the skipper of the national team, leading his side in 13 Tests and 20 ODIs before quitting. Also read: Top 10 Captains who have led the team in most International matches New Zealand under his helm did not have a great time winning only 4 Tess and 6 ODIs. His two years long captaincy stint ended after differences with head coach Mike Henson. He later revealed that captaincy came pretty early for him and he wasn’t prepared for the challenge. 6. Hashim Amla (South Africa) – 2002: (Photo Source: Getty Images) For Hashim Amla, captaincy has been a sweet and sour experience; sweet with the under-19 team and sour with the national team. Amla was a prodigious talent ever since his age group level cricket days. He led his team wonderfully to the finals of the 2002 edition where they, unfortunately, lost to the Australian team led by Cameron White. His current Test teammate Stephen Cook was also a part of the team. He had a very mediocre time with the bat in the tournament scoring 191 runs in 8 matches with the help of two half-centuries. But, it would have been a huge mistake to judge him based on that performance at that time. Amla is now South Africa’s batting pillar and has grown into a cricketing giant. After making his Test debut in 2004 against India, Amla was promoted to vice-captaincy of the side in 2011. 18 months later, he accepted the captaincy role. He started off well but later struggled to manage the workload. Eventually, he decided to step down from the captaincy following heavy defeats at the hands of India and England. He was in charge of the team in 14 Tests (4 wins, 4 losses and 6 draws) and 9 ODIs (4 wins and 5 loses). 7. Virat Kohli (India) – 2008: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Virat Kohli’s rise from leading his U19 team to the win to becoming the Test captain has been a fascinating journey. Kohli was in-charge of the junior team which won the World Cup played in Malaysia in 2008. He finished the tournament as the 3rd highest run-getter with 237 runs in 6 matches as he was always touted as the future of Indian batting and it didn’t take him long to make his way into the Indian squad. A few years down the line and after creating and breaking newer standards for batsmen around the world, Kohli succeeded MS Dhoni as the Test captain during the tour of Australia in 2015. His talent and natural leadership skills made him the natural successor to Dhoni. Over the years many things have changed for Kohli. He got rid of his brashness, arrogance, and outspoken mannerisms which were quite visible during his early years. But, the is one quality which has been with him since his under-19 days has been the hunger to become the world beater. This quality along with his ever-improving run-scoring habits has many label him as a future legend of the game. Virat has led his team in 14 Tests so far and has won 7 out of them while losing just two matches. 8. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – 2008: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Kane Williamson was another upcoming name which emerged from the 2008 under-19 World Cup. The future Test captain of the Black Caps led his team till the semis of the event before getting knocked out by the eventual champions India. Bowling spearhead of the current Test team Tim Southee and hard-hitting all-rounder Corey Anderson were also a part of the team. He had a silent tournament personally, scoring just 124 runs in 5 matches at an average of 31. Two years later, he made his Test debut and soon cemented his place. He established himself as one of the best batsmen in the Test format and was the natural choice to lead the team after the sudden retirement of Brendon McCullum. His captaincy stint has just begun as of now. New Zealand has played only 4 Test under him, winning 2 and losing one. His only loss came in the most recent Test which New Zealand lost to South Africa at Pretoria. 9. Eoin Morgan (Ireland) – 2006: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Eoin Morgan, an Irish by origin, is perhaps the only players to have played for a different team in the under-19 and then lead another national team in the future. Morgan led the Ireland U19 team with very less success finishing 13th in the tournament. However, he outclassed everyone with the bat hitting 338 runs in 6 matches at an average of 67.60 to finish as the 2nd highest run-getter of the tournament sitting only behind Cheteshwar Pujara. Morgan played most of his cricket in Ireland. He was a highly rated cricketer and made his international debut at age of just 16 and played 23 ODIs before switching his loyalty to England. His career took a sharp turn due to this decision. The unorthodox left-hander, known for his six hitting skills, earned a great name. He has scored almost 4000 runs in 145 ODIs for England. Morgan took over the role of captain from Alastair Cook in 2015 and has since then led the Three Lions in 46 matches with a win-loss record of 50 per cent with 23 wins and 27 losses. 10. Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh) – 2006: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim’s career has been all about improving from time to time. Rahim led the U19 team in the 2006 World Cup hosted on his home soil. The team also had future stalwarts Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Suhrawadi Shuvo. It was forgettable time for both Rahim and Bangladesh. He could manage only 34 runs in six matches before Bangladesh was eliminated from the tournament. The interesting fact about Rahim is that he had made his Test debut a year before making his under-19 debut, at the age of 16 in 2005. Rahim also led the national team in 37 ODIs and 24 Tests. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy much success during the stint and soon quit the role. Under his leader, Bangladesh could manage only 4 Test wins and 11 ODI wins. Also read: Top 10 Most runs scored in a T20I match

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10 Cricketers who led both U19 and national teams

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