The 15th edition of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is around the corner, with emerging talents from 16 teams gearing up to compete for the coveted title in South Africa.

The tournament began in 1988, and has seen seven different winners in the 14 editions so far. India lead the way with five titles to their name, followed by Australia (3), Pakistan (2), Bangladesh, South Africa, the West Indies, and England (1 each).

Over the years, the tournament has gone through many iterations, providing a foundational stage for many of the game’s superstars.

It’s part of the magic of the U19 Cricket World Cup; it has always served as a platform for catapulting budding cricketers into the limelight, paving the way for some of the sport’s most prominent names.

As we approach the 2024 edition, let’s reflect on the rich history of each of the 14 preceding tournaments.

1988 (Winners: Australia)

The inaugural edition of the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, then known as the Youth World Cup, was hosted to celebrate Australia’s bicentenary in the land Down Under.

Hosts Australia defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final to win the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Notable international stars from the Class of 1988: Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, Chris Cairns, Mushtaq Ahmed, Sanath Jayasuriya, Brian Lara

1998 (Winners: England)

It took another 10 years before another edition of the U19 World Cup was played and it was South Africa who were hosting an ICC tournament for the very first time.

England triumphed over New Zealand in the final by seven wickets at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, their maiden and only U19 World Cup win to date.

Notable international stars from the Class of 1998: Graeme Swann, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Collins Obuya, Kyle Mills, Imran Tahir, Shoaib Malik, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan

2000 (Winners: India)

Sri Lanka hosted the third edition of the tournament, where neighbours India got their hands on the trophy for the first time – a feat they went on to achieve four more times – after defeating the hosts by six wickets in the final.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2000: Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, Ian Bell, Yuvraj Singh, Niall O’Brien, Brendon McCullum, Graeme Smith, Jonathan Trott, Tatenda Taibu

2002 (Winners: Australia)

Australia were crowned two-time champions in a tournament hosted by their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand for the very first time.

Demonstrating their dominance, Australia maintained an undefeated record throughout the competition and sealed their triumph with a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the final.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2002: Cameron White, George Bailey, Mashrafe Mortaza, Suresh Raina, Ross Taylor, Umar Gul, Kyle Coetzer, Hashim Amla, Upul Tharanga, Dwayne Bravo, Daren Sammy

2004 (Winners: Pakistan)

The fifth edition of the U19 World Cup, hosted by Bangladesh, marked the debut of Uganda in the tournament.

A new winner was guaranteed after two first-time finalists emerged. Pakistan got their hands on the trophy for the first time, clinching the title after beating the West Indies in the final in Dhaka.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2004: Alastair Cook, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Wahab Riaz, Vernon Philander, Angelo Mathews, Craig Ervine

2006 (Winners: Pakistan)

In a historic achievement, Pakistan became the first team to successfully defend their U19 Cricket World Cup title by defeating arch-rivals India in the final held in Colombo.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2006: Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Moeen Ali, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Tim Southee, Sarfraz Ahmed, Dean Elgar, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard

2008 (Winners: India)

India’s misery in 2006 turned to glory in 2008 when they got their hands on the trophy for the second time under the leadership of the flamboyant Virat Kohli.

India remained undefeated in the tournament, beating South Africa by 12 runs in a rain-truncated game decided by DLS.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2008: Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith, Chris Woakes, Virat Kohli, Paul Stirling, Kane Williamson, Shan Masood, Kusal Perera, Darren Bravo

2010 (Winners: Australia)

In a repeat of what happened in 2002, Australia won the U19 World Cup hosted by neighbours New Zealand.

It was a low-scoring affair in the final, with Josh Hazlewood’s four-wicket haul helping Australia, led by Mitchell Marsh, defend a target of 208 against Pakistan.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2010: Hashmatullah Shahidi, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, KL Rahul, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa, Tom Latham, Babar Azam, Jason Holder

2012 (Winners: India)

The U19 Cricket World Cup returned to Australia for the first time since its inaugural edition.

In the final held in Queensland, India secured a six-wicket victory over the host country, Australia, marking their third U19 World Cup triumph and matching their feat from the inaugural edition.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2012: Travis Head, Imam-ul-Haq, Ish Sodhi, Akeal Hosein, Ryan Burl, Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Gerhard Erasmus

2014 (Winners: South Africa)

South Africa enjoyed an unbeaten run en route to their maiden U19 Cricket World Cup title. They defeated Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai to get their hands on the trophy.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2014: Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Jamieson, Kusal Mendis, Shimron Hetmyer

2016 (Winners: The West Indies)

The 2016 Under 19 Cricket World Cup returned to Bangladesh for the first time since the 2004 edition.

Defending champions South Africa faced an unexpected exit in the group stages, succumbing to surprise defeats against Bangladesh and Namibia.

The final showdown featured the West Indies and India, with the West Indies securing their first U19 World Cup title with a five-wicket victory in Dhaka after a gritty display by their batters.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2016: Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rashid Khan, Shadab Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sam Curran, Alzarri Joseph, Rishabh Pant, Josh Little, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra

2018 (Winners: India)

New Zealand became the first country to host the U19 World Cup thrice, having previously held the tournament in 2002 and 2010.

In the final, India beat Australia by eight wickets to become four-time champions, the most by any side.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2018: Gerald Coetzee, Alick Athanaze, Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Towhid Hridoy, Harry Brook, Naveen-ul-Haq, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Harry Tector, Shaheen Afridi

2020 (Winners: Bangladesh)

The 2020 U19 World Cup witnessed Bangladesh securing their first-ever victory in an ICC event at any level.

On the day of the final, Bangladesh triumphed over powerhouse India in a tense, low-scoring clash, with a three-wicket win by the DLS method.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2020: Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tanveer Sangha, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Wasim, Matheesha Pathirana, Jayden Seales

2022 (Winners: India)

The West Indies hosted the U19 Cricket World Cup for the first time in history.

Having faltered in the previous edition on the last step, India redeemed themselves by securing the title against England in the final, marking their fifth U19 World Cup triumph.

Notable international stars from the Class of 2022: Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rehan Ahmed, Dunith Wellalage, Dewald Brevis

(Source: ICC)