DUBAI: New Zealand opening bowler Tim Southee emerged the Player of the Tournament while India's title winning-captain Virat Kohli was third for the coveted award in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Southee received 11 points, two ahead of Sri Lanka's talented batsman Sachith Pathirana (9). Virat and Nepal's inspirational captain Paras Khadka were joint third with eight points each.
Southee, though, played five matches as compared to six by his nearest rivals.
Two other Indians, Taruwar Kohli and Tanmay Srivastava, secured five points each. The points were awarded by the ICC umpires after each match with man-of-the-match getting three, second best choice getting two and the third receiving one.
Had Virat won the man-of-the-match award in the final against South Africa on Sunday, he would have snatched the Player of the Tournament award from under Southee's nose.
In that case, Virat would have ended on the same number of points with Southee, but the India captain would have been declared the winner on account of winning more MoM awards -- two as compared to one for Southee.
Southee has been the stand-out bowler of the event with his consistent line and length, coupled with good pace. He took 17 wickets -- second to Proteas captain Wayne Parnell's 18 from six matches -- at an average of 6.64 and impressive economy rate of 2.52 runs per over. He took 5-11 in one game against Zimbabwe.
Virat was the third highest run getter with 235 from six matches at an average of 47 with one hundred.
