Tapping cricket talent

The Boys in Green lost an absolute thriller against Australia at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. Despite the semi-final loss, several players’ performances have assured a grateful nation that the future is full of world-class talent. Pakistan, batting after losing the toss, were bundled out for 179 thanks to a brilliant spell by pacer Tom Straker, who took 6 for 24 — the best bowling figures ever in an Under-19 World Cup semi-final or final. However, Australia never truly built up momentum, and after 15-year-old Ali Raza ran through the tail, Australia’s last wicket pairing needed to score 16 from the last four overs.

Pakistan was expected to perform well before the tournament started, and the boys did not disappoint, led by stellar performances by the likes of Ubaid Shah — the younger brother of national team pacer Naseem Shah — and Shahzaib Khan. Ubaid is currently the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker with 18 from six matches, though India’s Saumy Pandey could supplant him if he takes at least a couple of scalps in the final. Meanwhile, Shahzaib is sixth in runs scored — he was the top scorer in the group stage — and has proven to have the skills to open for Pakistan one day in the near future. Several other players also showed flair at times, including in the losing semi-final effort, which is why we were able to put up a fight despite Shahzaib and Ubaid both underperforming.

Meanwhile, no one can say the tournament hasn’t been exciting, as the earlier semi-final saw defending champions India edge out the hosts by just two wickets with just seven balls to spare after a top-order collapse left them reeling at 32 for four. It is also worth noting that this is India’s fifth consecutive Under-19 final, illustrating how much of a talent factory the county has become thanks to the improvements in the domestic structure as well as the Indian Premier League. If only the Pakistan Cricket Board were not reduced to a political playground, maybe we could have used Pakistan Super League revenues to introduce similar reforms.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2024.

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