Another England side, another costly batting collapse on the big stage. This time it was the Under 19s who crashed to 91 for seven in their World Cup final in Antigua before falling to a much more powerful and classy India.

England did recover in their quest to win their first Under 19 World Cup since 1998 but once Somerset’s James Rew, one of the success stories of the tournament, had fallen five runs short of emulating Stephen Peters hundred in the final 24 years ago they were always playing catch up. 

India eventually surpassed England’s 189 all out with four wickets and 14 balls in hand.

‘It’s tough to take but we’ve done amazingly well to get here,’ insisted England captain Tom Prest. ‘I couldn’t be prouder of the boys and their efforts right from the group stage. Unfortunately we couldn’t produce one more good performance.’

Succeeding at Under 19 level is no guarantee of reaching the very top, as the bulk of the class of 98 including Peters proved. But England can be optimistic of the chances of a number of this group making full international level.

Hampshire’s Prest made 292 runs in six matches at an average of 58 while Warwickshire’s Jacob Bethell looked a classy left-handed opening batter and spin bowler, particularly when hitting 88 off 42 balls in the quarter-final against South Africa.

But perhaps most attention will focus on leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who is in the unusual position of starting off his career at Nottinghamshire and moving to their smaller neighbour Leicestershire rather than the other way round.

Ahmed failed to make an impact in the final but took four wickets in each of the three games leading up to it and is clearly one to watch, at just 17, as England attempt to improve one of their biggest weaknesses in spin bowling.