Best players under 25 at 2023 ICC World Cup

World Cups are often won by old grizzled veterans, but we usually remember the young bucks who make their mark there. This is our list of the 5 best under-25 ODI players playing in the World Cup.

Table of Contents

Shaheen Shah Afridi – 23 years

Shaheen Afridi has been the leader of Pakistan’s bowling attack across formats in the last 3-4 years. The left-arm fast bowler first emerged onto the scene in the 2018 U-19 World Cup. He debuted for the senior team in all formats the same year. He wasn’t an ordinary run-of-the-mill player. Shaheen Shah Afridi was destined to be special.

“He’s on absolute fire. They cannot play him.”
Nasser Hussain, India v Pakistan, T20 WC 2021

Cut to 3 years later. You can’t talk about Shaheen Shah Afridi and not mention his terrific new-ball spell against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai. It was Pakistan’s first-ever win against India in a World Cup match across both formats.

Afridi’s ODI record is terrific – 86 wickets from 44 games at an average of 23.36, a strike rate of 25.6, and an economy rate of 5.45. These numbers are obscene. He is most effective in the Powerplay overs – 34 wickets at an average of 24.9 and a strike rate of 30.3. He also has a solid record in the final 10 overs as well – 39 wickets at an economy rate of 7.25 and a strike rate of 11.6. So, he gets you death wickets while not going for plenty.

This is Shaheen Afridi’s second 50-over World Cup. The last time around, he did not start in all games. Yet, he picked up 16 wickets from just five matches. He will lead the pace trio of the dynamic Haris Rauf and experienced Hasan Ali in the absence of Naseem Shah. If Pakistan were to go all the way in India, Afridi would have a massive role to play.

Shubman Gill – 24 years

Not only is Shubman Gill the best young ODI batter in the world right now, but he has a strong case for being the best ODI batter in the world over the past 12 months. Since July 2022, Gill has scored 1868 runs in just 32 innings at a staggering average of 71.84 with a strike rate of 104.18, with 6 centuries and 9 half-centuries.

Shubman Gill will join Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, as India looks to end their decade-long trophy drought. The right-hander has shown the hunger to get big runs and he can do it at a very good strike rate. His batting is also extremely pleasing to the eye. Cuts, pulls, drives, unconventional shots – you name it.

This is also Shubman Gill’s first major ICC white-ball tournament for India. Therefore, all eyes will be on him in the World Cup. Several experts have picked them as their choice for the highest run-getter of the tournament, going by his recent form in ODIs and even in the IPL.

Maheesh Theekshana – 23 years

Maheesh Theekshana is one of the most versatile young spinners in the world at the moment. He has taken 44 wickets in 27 matches at an average of 23.45, an economy rate of 4.50 and a strike rate of 31.2. While those numbers might be a little inflated because Sri Lanka played the World Cup qualifiers, his bowling also holds up in the IPL, where he is up against some of the best players in the world.

The right-arm off-spinner can bowl in all phases of the game. Here are his phase-wise numbers in ODIs.

Powerplay (1-10) – 9 wickets in 68 overs, economy rate 3.93
Middle (11-40) – 27 wickets in 141.5 overs, economy rate 4.61
Death (41-50) – 8 wickets in 19.2 overs, economy rate 5.74

In the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, Theekshana’s role becomes even more vital. He will be paired with the young all-rounder Dunith Wellalage. Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka can also chip in with a few part-time overs, making the Sri Lankan spin attack a genuine threat for teams in this competition.

Cameron Green – 24 years

Cameron Green has been earmarked as one for the future since his early days. He made his international debut in 2020 and has played 24 Tests, 20 ODIs and 8 T20Is. His ODI numbers read – 379 runs in 17 innings at an average of 37.9 and a strike rate of 84.78, 16 wickets at an average of 40.31, and a strike rate of 42.2.

Green bowls an average of 5.3 overs per game, so expect him to be used in favourable matchups and helpful bowling conditions. He will probably share the 5th bowler role with Glenn Maxwell. With the bat, he has the ability to play attacking cricket, as he demonstrated in this year’s IPL. He can also anchor the innings if need be.

Cameron Green is likely to bat at number 5 or 6 for Australia in the current lineup. He will compete for the pace-bowling all-rounder slot with Marcus Stoinis, who has been in terrible form in ODI cricket since the last World Cup.

Ibrahim Zadran – 21 years

When we think of Afghanistan batters, the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran are discussed more often because of their exploits for T20 franchises across the globe. The 21-year-old is not quite a T20 gun yet, but he’s an extremely effective ODI opener.

Ibrahim Zadran has scored 910 runs in 19 innings at an average of 53.58 and a strike rate of 84.35. To give some context, the rest of his teammates average just 23.35 while striking at 79.09 in those matches. He has been the most crucial batter in this World Cup cycle for Afghanistan, who are not quite among the best batting teams in the competition.

Zadran has two centuries in Sri Lanka and one in Bangladesh – two of the most tricky countries for visiting batters in ODI cricket. He has shown that he has the minerals to belong at the international level, but can he do it on the big stage?

Notable exclusions

Rashid Khan, Shadab Khan and Najmul Shanto just missed the age cutoff. Harry Brook (6 matches) and Matheesha Pathirana (10 matches) have a small sample size in ODIs though could both have big tournaments.

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