Enamul Haque tops the list for most wickets in a single edition of Under-19 World Cup

Bangladesh fast bowler Enamul Haque Jr has picked the most wickets in a single edition of the Under-19 World Cup. The 35-year-old, who holds the record for being the youngest player to take 10 wickets in a Test match, picked 22 wickets in the 2004 edition and finished quite clear of second-placed Riaz Afridi of Pakistan who bagged 19 wickets.

Haque started the tournament by picking two wickets against New Zealand and followed it up with a four-wicket haul against Scotland.

After failing to qualify for the Super League, the Bangla Tigers played Canada, Uganda and Ireland in the group stage of plate competition before squaring off against Scotland and Australia. In his final five matches, Haque picked 15 wickets to finish the tournament as the highest wicket-taker.

Before Haque, former Australian first-class cricketer Wayne Holdsworth held the record for most wickets in a single edition of the U-19 world cup alongside Pakistan’s Mushtaq Ahmed. During the inaugural edition in 1988, Holdsworth and Ahmed picked 19 wickets each to finish as the joint highest wicket-takers of the competition.

South Africa’s Wayne Parnell, who last played an international match in November 2021, sits third in the list following his tally of 18 wickets in the 2008 U-19 world cup. Meanwhile, India’s Ravi Bishnoi’s and Dunith Wellalage of South Africa have bagged 17 wickets each in the 2020 and 2022 editions respectively.

Most wickets in a single edition of Under-19 World Cup

Featured photo: AFP / Farjana Godhuly