Top wicket-takers of the 2022 U19 World Cup
DUNITH WELLALAGE – SRI LANKA
- 17 wickets in six matches
- Best figures of 5/27
- Average 13.58
- Economy 4.20
Sri Lanka’s left-arm off-spinner generates good turn and flight and displayed nice control throughout the tournament.
As captain he put himself on to bowl at tricky times, delivering good figures in all except the fifth-place playoff against Pakistan, where all the bowlers went the distance.
His five-wicket hauls against Scotland and Australia in the group stage stood out, and of course he was his team’s top-scorer with the bat too.
JOSH BOYDEN – ENGLAND
- 15 wickets in six matches
- Best figures of 4/16
- Average 9.86
- Economy 3.21
The highest quick bowler on this list and a dead-cert for team of the tournament, England’s Josh Boyden was brilliant.
The left-arm quick took lots of his wickets in the Powerplay, consistently helping his side get off to a good start with the ball.
And he was often held back to then bowl at well-set partnerships or towards the death overs, making his economy rate of just 3.21 even more impressive.
Still just 17 years old, Boyden has a bright future.
AWAIS ALI – PAKISTAN
- 15 wickets in six matches
- Best figures of 6/56
- Average 15.80
- Economy 4.67
Awais Ali (Pakistan) with a Bowled Out vs. Australia, 01/28/2022
Pakistan’s right-arm medium pacer got off to a terrific start with six wickets against Zimbabwe.
But he showed that was no fluke, consistently delivering with the ball throughout the remainder of the tournament and playing a big role in his team’s bowling strategy.
RIPON MONDOL – BANGLADESH
- 14 wickets in six matches
- Best figures of 4/24
- Average 15
- Economy 4.22
Bangladesh’s right-arm medium pace bowler was quietly excellent despite his side’s disappointing defence of their title.
And Mondol showed that there’s plenty of substance behind the numbers with excellent figures of 4/31 against the eventual champions India in the quarter-final.
JUMA MIYAJI – UGANDA
- 13 wickets in five matches
- Best figures of 4/25
- Average 17.76
- Economy 5.13
Watch the Match Highlights from Uganda vs. Papua New Guinea, 01/28/2022
Uganda’s 18-year-old pace bowler was their stand-out player of the tournament.
With a smooth action that extracts plenty from the pitch, Miyaji proved a tricky proposition for the majority of opponents.
And he finished on a high with four-fors against Papua New Guinea and Scotland.****
REHAN AHMED – ENGLAND
- 12 wickets in four matches
- Best figures of 4/30
- Average 12.58
- Economy 4.19
England’s big-turning leggie was a wicket-taking threat throughout his four matches.
The 17-year-old puts a lot of action on the ball and produced some jaw-dropping deliveries at times, tricking numerous batters with his flight and dip as well as the substantial turn.
England used Ahmed as one of their main attacking weapons, while often also choosing to utilise him at crunch moments, even at the death – successfully so against Afghanistan.
VICKY OSTWAL – INDIA
- 12 wickets in six matches
- Best figures of 5/28
- Average 13.33
- Economy 3.63
The India left-arm orthodox spinner didn’t catch the eye as much as many on this list, but his quiet brilliance could perhaps indicate qualities that make him likely to go far in the game.
Ostwal seemed to have the ball on a string, exerting complete control over opponents, as illustrated by his excellent economy rate.
He could have picked up far more than 12 wickets, such was the quality of his bowling.
WILL SALZMANN***–***AUSTRALIA
- 12 wickets in six matches
- Best figures of 3/37
- Average 19.41
- Economy 4.73
W Salzmann (Australia) with a Bowled Out vs. India, 02/02/2022
Australia’s fiery right-armer was a player of moments as much as statistics.
Some of his dismissals were astonishing moments of brilliance, and to have wicket-taking deliveries like that up his sleeve will serve him extremely well in the future.