Young Lions to keep an eye on during ICC Under-19 Men’s World Cup

The ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is underway as the next generation of talent from 16 nations descend on Zimbabwe and Namibia for the 16th edition of the competition.

The tournament has provided the platform for many of the game’s superstars and household names to launch their careers – Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka have been voted the standout players in recent years.

England’s 2010 squad included the likes of Jos Buttler, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, but they have not tasted success since their only triumph in 1998 – Rob Key and Graeme Swann among those involved then.

More recent graduates have included Harry Brook (2018) and Jacob Bethell (2024), with the 15-member 2026 cohort offering the latest glimpse at potential future England internationals – most of whom have already had experience in county cricket.

England begin their campaign on Friday in Group B against Pakistan in Harare, where they will also face co-hosts Zimbabwe and neighbours Scotland for a place in the Super 6 stage.

Australia captain Oliver Peake, India’s 14-year-old wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Pakistan opener Sameer Minhas are expected to make a big splash, but who are some of the key names to watch out for in an England shirt?

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Thomas Rew

The younger of the highly-rated Rew brothers, 18-year-old sensation Thomas will lead the England side after representing the Lions out in Australia, which included a First-Class debut and an impressive half-century against a strong England XI at Lilac Hill.

The wicketkeeper-batter, who has caught the eye with his dazzling stroke-making ability, enjoyed a productive series against India in 2025 – most notably a match-winning 131 off 89 balls at Northampton – and earlier this week struck an unbeaten 71 in a warm-up match against the same opposition.

A centurion for the Professional County Club Select XI against Zimbabwe and a regular for Somerset during the Metro Bank One-Day Cup in his debut season, Thomas will be aiming to go one better than his brother James, who was a runner-up in this competition four years ago, despite top-scoring with a resilient 95 in the final.

A potential star of this World Cup and a meteoric rise showing no signs of slowing down with higher honours on the horizon.

Farhan Ahmed

Another with family connections is Nottinghamshire off-spinner Farhan Ahmed, whose elder brother Rehan was also a member of the squad that fell narrowly short in 2022.

Having been involved with the Under-19 setup since the age of 15, Ahmed has been named as Rew’s deputy for the tournament after captaining the side on the recent tour to the Caribbean, in which he also showcased his ability with bat in hand.

Having burst onto the scene by becoming the youngest bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in County Championship history during the 2024 season, Ahmed enjoyed a fruitful 2025 campaign, which delivered eight appearances in Notts’ Championship title success, a T20 Blast hat-trick and a franchise deal in the Hundred.

Like the Rew’s, the Ahmed brothers are also both tipped to become future regulars across England senior sides – Rehan being the youngest Test debutant in 2022 – and 17-year-old Farhan could be under consideration as a long-term solution to their spin conundrum in the longest format.

Ralphie Albert

The Surrey all-rounder, grandson of snooker legend Jimmy White, capped a promising year of progress in 2025 by signing his first professional contract with the county in October.

Albert impressed during the two Youth Test matches against India last summer with a score of fifty at Beckenham and a ten-wicket match haul at Chelmsford, whilst more recently making a match-winning contribution with both bat and ball in their warm-up victory over New Zealand.

The left-arm spinner made his Surrey debut in the One-Day Cup and struck 96 at Trent Bridge in his only innings, before featuring in the final County Championship match of the season against Hampshire, where he registered a half-century and two wickets.

Ben Dawkins

The South Africa-born batter will have a key role to play at the top of the order, particularly in the absence of the highly-talented Isaac Mohammed, who was recently ruled out of the tournament with a thumb injury.

Dawkins recorded a Youth Test century and three consecutive YODI half-centuries during the series against India, before making his First-Class debut for Kent, in which he passed fifty on two occasions across four appearances towards the back end of the 2025 season.

Exposure in the One-Day Cup also proved rewarding with an average in excess of 50, notably a maiden professional century – 111 not out from 105 balls – away at Northamptonshire, and the 19-year-old has arrived here in form following scores of 97 and 78 in the November tour to the West Indies.

Alex Green

The Leicestershire academy product made the headlines last season with a stunning breakthrough campaign in the One-Day Cup, where the strapping 6ft 7” seamer returned three five-wicket hauls in seven matches to finish the group stage as the joint-leading bowler in the competition.

A regular for the Under-19 side, Green has yet to truly flourish on the international stage in the same manner, but will be hoping he can make an impact here as a member of an exciting pace unit.

Ben Mayes

The wicketkeeper-batter is no stranger to the big occasion, having already featured for Hampshire in two domestic finals just 14 games into his professional career.

Mayes was elevated into the T20 Blast side at the crunch quarter-final stage off the back of a promising maiden One-Day Cup campaign with 230 runs and two half-centuries, including an expertly-judged match-winning knock in a sizeable chase against Derbyshire.

A highly-rated talent, but only managed two double-figure scores in seven innings against West Indies and will be aiming to showcase his true capability in the no.3 position.

James Minto

The left-arm quick went viral at the end of the 2024 season for a fierce bouncer delivered to seasoned pro Rory Burns at the Kia Oval, a game in which a then 16-year-old debutant became the youngest bowler since World War Two to take a First-Class wicket.

The latest fast bowler off the Durham production line, Minto, only featured on four occasions for the county across the 2025 season, but continued to rewrite their history books by becoming their youngest ever half-centurion as a nightwatchman against Nottinghamshire.

An angle and point of difference to the attack as a left-armer naturally generates buzz around any young bowler, but Minto has been in stellar form for the Under-19’s in recent months and has 24 YODI career wickets at an average of 21.79, whilst also claiming 5-34 against India in Monday’s warm-up clash.

Sebastian Morgan

Like Farhan, seam bowler Morgan is the only other member of the squad who was also selected for the 2024 edition.

The Middlesex academy graduate took two wickets on his senior debut in the T20 Blast against Gloucestershire in July and also struck in each of his four List A appearances the following month.

Primarily a new-ball bowler, Morgan has also demonstrated his capability with the bat when he made a valuable 61 off 53 balls to help Middlesex secure a narrow one-wicket win against Lancashire in the One-Day Cup, before scoring 97 at Lord’s against Gloucestershire during the final round of the County Championship.

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