The Team of the Tournament has been announced after India beat England in the final of the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa.
Shweta Sehrawat (India)
In a lineup with incredible hitters like Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh, it was Shweta Sehrawat who shined the brightest for India in the inaugural U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
The team’s vice-captain started the tournament with a classy 92* against South Africa, setting the tone for the rest of the World Cup. She notched up two more half-centuries (74* v UAE and 61* v New Zealand) and eventually finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 297 runs at an average of 99 and a strike rate of 139.43.
With an incredible showing at the tournament, Sehrawat is already knocking on the doors of the senior side.
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Grace Scrivens (captain) (England)
Batter, bowler, captain – there was little that England’s Grace Scrivens didn’t do at the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. It’s no wonder the England captain was adjudged the Player of the Tournament despite ending up on the losing side in the final.
Opening the batting, Scrivens finished as the second-highest run-getter with 293 runs, which included three fifties, at an average of 41.85. She also had the highest score in the tournament, courtesy of her 93 off 56 against Ireland.
With the ball in hand, she was the second-highest wicket-taker for England with nine wickets. Her spell of 2/8 against Australia while defending 99 in the semi-final turned the tide in England’s favour and punched their ticket for the World Cup Final.
Shafali Verma (India)
The dashing Shafali Verma was at her destructive best with the bat and her tactical best as captain throughout the tournament.
Shafali would have liked to be more consistent with the bat but the rate at which her runs came (at 193.25) made up for it. Her 34-ball 78 against UAE was an exhibition in power-hitting as she smashed the bowlers to all parts for 12 fours and four sixes. She was the third-highest run-getter in the tournament with 172 runs.
The captain also chipped in with handy overs, scalping four wickets in seven games at an economy of just 5.04.
Georgia Plimmer (New Zealand)
Georgia Plimmer gave a good account for herself at the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup and showed why she has 13 senior caps for the White Ferns at less than 19 years of age.
The highest run-scorer for New Zealand, Plimmer piled up 155 runs at an average of 51.66. With the vital experience of playing in South Africa, the 18-year-old could play a crucial role in the upcoming senior T20 World Cup, with captain Sophie Devine earmarking her for success in the tournament.
Dewmi Vihanga (Sri Lanka)
Dewmi Vihanga showed her incredible all-round prowess throughout the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, chipping in with crucial runs and wickets.
Vihanga got off to a great start with figures of 3/11 against USA in the opening game of the tournament, playing a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s only win at the tournament. She followed that up with a half-century against Bangladesh in the next game. Her all-round showing of 2/22 and 37 against South Africa kept her side in the game but they fell short by a solitary run in Sri Lanka’s last game.
Shorna Akter (Bangladesh)
Shorna Akter’s big hitting ensured that she was one of the four players from the U19 side that will prolong their stay in South Africa for the senior T20 World Cup. Only India’s Shafali Verma (7) scored more sixes than Akter (6) during the course of the tournament.
Akter struck at 157.73 as she accumulated 153 runs in five matches, making sure that she contributed with the bat every chance she got. She recorded scores of 20 or more in all the games, with her highest score of 50* helping Bangladesh register a 10-run win over Sri Lanka.
Karabo Meso (Wicket-keeper) (South Africa)
Karabo Meso showed her amazing glove work throughout the T20 World Cup, with her eight dismissals being the highest among all the players in the tournament.
Fifteen-year-old Meso also made handy contributions with the bat, which included a steady unbeaten 30-ball 32 in South Africa’s successful chase against Bangladesh in the Super Six stage.
Parshavi Chopra (India)
Parshavi Chopra had a slow start to the tournament, picking up only two wickets in India’s first three games. However, she made up for it at the business end of the T20 World Cup and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 11 wickets in six games.
In the final Super Six game, the leggie was all over Sri Lanka, returning figures of 4/5. She followed that up with a 3/20 in the crunch semi-final against New Zealand and 2/13 in the Final, which included the wicket of England’s top-scorer of the day, Ryana MacDonald-Gay.
Hannah Baker (England)
The leg-spinners had a great outing in South Africa, with Hannah Baker joining Parshavi in the Team of the Tournament.
With 10 wickets, Baker was England’s highest wicket-taker in the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. With pitches favouring the spinners through the tournament, the leg-spinner became England’s go-to bowler. It was her Player of the Match-winning spell of 3/10 against Australia that helped England spark an unprecedented comeback in the semi-final.
In the final too, she troubled all the India batters but the total proved to be too low to defend as England fell short on the final hurdle.
Ellie Anderson (England)
Ellie Anderson was one of the two bowlers to register a five-for in the inaugural U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, with her figures of 5/12 against West Indies in the final Super Six game the best by any bowler in the tournament.
In a tournament dominated by spinners, Anderson displayed great control on pitches that weren’t conducive for seam bowling. She finished with eight wickets in five games while bowling at a tremendous economy rate of 3.75.
Maggie Clark (Australia)
Sharing the fast-bowling workload with Ellie Anderson in the Team of the Tournament is Australia’s Maggie Clark, who was the most prolific wicket-taker in the inaugural U19 Women’s T20 World Cup with 12 wickets in five games.
The Aussie pacer was a consistent contributor throughout the tournament, picking up at least two wickets in each of Australia’s five matches. Her best figures in the tournament (3/15) came in the semi-final which helped reduce England to just 99 but an inspired Grace Scrivens’ side managed to defend the total in a match that will be remembered for a long time to come.
Anosha Nasir (12th Player) (Pakistan)
Anosha Nasir was Pakistan’s most valuable asset with the ball in the tournament, as the left-arm spinner scalped 10 wickets and finished as the joint third-highest wicket-taker.
Anosha was in the wickets column in all of Pakistan’s five matches. In a low-scoring affair, her figures of 2/17 against Ireland proved to be a match-winning spell as she bagged the Player of the Match for restricting the opposition to 113/7.
