Maphaka named Player of the Tournament

South Africa pace sensation Kwena Maphaka has been named the Player of the Tournament at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024.

Maphaka was crowned the Player of the Tournament, seeing off Ubaid Shah, Saumy Pandey, Musheer Khan, Jewel Andrew, Hugh Weibgen, Uday Saharan and teammate Steve Stolk.

The record-breaking South Africa pacer has been one of the standout quicks at the tournament, with his 21 scalps just one short of the tournament record set by Bangladesh’s Enamul Haque Jr in 2014.

Maphaka did claim a record of his own with the 17-year-old becoming the first player to collect a trio of five-wicket hauls at a single edition of the tournament.

Maphaka joins an elite list of players who have been Player of the Tournament at the men’s event in the past.

At the last edition too, the award was won by a South African — Dewald Brevis, for a record-breaking tally of runs in the tournament.