England’s World Cup hero Stephen Peters on his U19 glory – as the class of 2022 aim to emulate him

Stephen Peters gets emotional as he remembers the time he scored a hundred to win a World Cup for England.

‘I just loved that day,’ says the match-winner the last time England featured in an Under 19 World Cup final 24 years ago. ‘It did feel like a big deal. I’m trying not to get choked up thinking about it but it meant a lot to sing the national anthem before play.

‘I’m a patriot and to stand there on the morning of a World Cup final was quite something for me. I remember how much it meant to all the players in that side.

Stephen Peters says watching England at U19 World Cup has reignited his passion for cricket

‘I know a lot of the guys went on to do that again at a higher level but it was the only time I ever sang the anthem. It was a very proud moment.’

Peters was supposed to be one of those who went on to much bigger things. That hundred in the final against New Zealand was meant to be the springboard to a glittering England career.

But it did not work out that way and Peters, now 43, will watch the current Under 19 crop on TV in their final against India in Antigua knowing there that are no guarantees a match-winning display will be a passport to the big time.

The good news is he did go on to a long and productive county career with Essex, Worcestershire and Northants, where he had a spell as captain before retiring in 2015 to start another successful career as an insurance broker.

But there will always be that feeling of what might have been for an opener described after that 1998 final by Australia legend Allan Border, then coach of the Aussies’ Under 19s, as the best young batter in the world.

‘I did thrive in that environment,’ Peters tells Sportsmail. ‘But I’ll never know if I could have thrived in a bigger one because I never got the chance. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t good enough for the full England side. If you’re good enough, you play. But you do need a bit of luck. I came up against Strauss, Trescothick and Vaughan, and not only were they great players but they were never injured. I never had a chance.’

There was a turning point for Peters and it came immediately after that glorious day in Johannesburg when he made 107 for an England side captained by Owais Shah and including Graeme Swann and Rob Key. 

‘My girlfriend at the time had a gap year and went to live in Australia,’ says Peters. ‘So I’d organised to fly to Sydney to join her as soon as the tournament finished. I didn’t think, “If we win the World Cup I might have to go home and do lots of press”.

‘But the hierarchy said to me, “You’ve got to come home. You’ve scored a hundred in the final and people are going to want to talk to you”. And I said, “No, no, I’m going to Australia”. So I don’t know if I was blacklisted for that but it was kind of my last involvement with England.

‘I remember sitting in a motel in Brisbane and the lads popped up on TV doing press conferences at home. I wasn’t involved in any of it and do you know what? Maybe that’s something of a regret.’

Peters went on to have a productive county career with Essex, Worcestershire and Northants

Peters was the match-winner the last time England featured in an U19 World Cup final

Peters knows he could have done more to stay in England’s thoughts. ‘I didn’t deal with it all very well,’ he admits. ‘The expectation when I got back was too high. I suffered for that. I’d be really mindful of that with this Under 19 team.

‘There’s a lot more mentoring and player welfare now, but back in the day I felt a huge weight on my shoulders. The pressure did get to me. I had a period of challenge after the World Cup and it was only really my move to Worcestershire that reignited my career. Nothing against Essex but I wasn’t opening the batting for them and Tom Moody at Worcester said, “Come and open for us”. That was a game-changer and the next 14 or 15 years were by far the best of my career.

‘Actually, if I’d been playing in the last five years I might have got 20 Test matches on the basis that the top order have been struggling so much. They’re crying out for solid eggs and I was a bit of a solid egg kind of guy. But you can only go up against what you’re up against and I wasn’t better than the openers of my time. I accept that.’

England captain Owais Shah lifts the U19 World Cup in South Africa in 1998

Peters has been out of cricket since his retirement but watching the Under 19s has reignited his passion. ‘I’d love to work in the game if the right opportunity presents itself in administration, but I have a fantastic insurance job at HWI UK,’ he said.

And he will always have those memories of 1998. ‘It was the best time of my life,’ adds Peters. ‘I just hope people are conscious that even if these guys win the World Cup it doesn’t necessarily mean they will go on to big things. Not everybody is going to be the next Virat Kohli and that’s OK. Not everybody needs to be.

‘I’d just say to those England players: enjoy it, be fearless and be really proud. And for goodness sake, sing the national anthem. It might be the last time you get to do that.’