12th Man of OCC’s 2020 U19 World Cup Team announced

BY KAYLA KARIM

It was released by Cricket Canada earlier this week that 18 year old Akhil Kumar has reached a major milestone in the U19 tournament.

Canada’s Akhil Kumar has been named as the 12^th Man on the ICC’s 2020 U19 World Cup Team of the Tournament. The South Africa hosted three-week long competition reached its climax on Sunday February 9^th, with Bangladesh U19 emerging victors over the previously heavily favored India. Bangladesh U19 won the rain affected final, chasing down India’s 177 to win by three wickets by the DLS method.

The official team of the tournament features representatives from six sides, with three players from Bangladesh and runner-up India, two from Afghanistan and the West Indies and one from Sri Lanka. It is skippered by Bangladesh captain Akbar Ali and includes India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal who was also adjudged to be the player of the tournament. An adjudication panel of five, which was comprised of commentators Ian Bishop, Rohan Gavaskar and Natalie Germanos, ESPN Cricinfo Correspondent Sreshth Shah and ICC Representative Mary Godbeer, selected both the team and player of the tournament.

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Team Of The Tournament (in batting order):

• Yashasvi Jaiswal – India
  Ibrahim Zadran – Afghanistan
  Ravindu Rasantha – Sri Lanka
  Mahmudul Hasan Joy – Bangladesh
  Shahadat Hossain – Bangladesh
  Nyeem Young – West Indies
  Akbar Ali – Bangladesh (WK, Captain)
  Shafiqullah Ghafari – Afghanistan
  Ravi Bishnoi – India
  Kartik Tyagi – India
  Jayden Seales – West Indies
  12th man: Akil Kumar – Canada
• At only 18 years old Kumar is a right hand batter and a right-arm bowler where the Canada U19 team was his first major team that he was a part of. In the tournament, he was Canada’s most dependable batsman and in the official fantasy cricket team, Kumar had the most points entering the final. Kumar shined his light throuout Canada’s campagin, which resulted in a 13th place finish from among the 16 competing countries. Kumar captured 16 wickets at an average of 15.37 from the five matches he played during the tournament at the end of which he was ranked as the third highest wicket-taker, just below Afghanistan’s Shafiqullah Ghafari who took the same number of wickets (16) at a much lower average (7.0).

India’s Ravi Bishnoi topped the standings as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker, capturing 17 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 10.64. Kumar’s figures of 6-46 in Canada’s Plate Championship victory over Japan were also the second best by a bowler in the entire tournament, marginally behind Shafiquallah Ghafari’s return of 6-16 for Afghanistan in their match against tournament hosts and eventual quarter finalists South Africa.