Yahoo Finance Cricket: The top 10 future stars to look out for
Many youngsters are making a strong statement with their performances at the highest level in men’s cricket. Here is a list of 10 young cricketers who we think will grab the limelight and take their teams to glory in the years to come.
While it’s early days for these players, they have shown steel, class and promise early in their career. Let’s check them out:
Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand) - At 6'8", Jamieson can prove quite nightmarish for any batsmen with the awkward bounce he gets. He had a dream Test debut against India at Christchurch earlier this year with both bat and ball. And, there has been no turning back for this 25-year-old since then. In the four Test matches he has played so far, he has picked up 20 wickets with an impressive average of 14 and a stunning strike-rate of 33. He is certainly a bowler to watch for in the future and has proved to be a great asset for the Kiwis.
Thangarasu Natarajan (India) - Hailing from a poor family in Tamil Nadu’s Salem, 2020 saw the mercurial rise of this left-handed pacer. Natarajan’s toe-crushing yorkers in this year’s IPL earned him worldwide recognition and a spot in the Indian team. He continued his stellar form with the ball playing for India.
Ravi Bishnoi (India) - The 20-year-old leggie rose to stardom riding on his Under-19 World Cup heroics earlier this year. From taking four wickets without giving a run against Japan to almost winning the trophy for India with the ball in the finals, Bishnoi emerged as the leading wicket taker in the tournament. He played for the Kings XI Punjab in this year’s IPL and finished the season with 12 wickets from 14 matches.
Ollie Pope (England) - The 22-year-old has grabbed eyeballs with attractive stroke-play and some stellar knocks against West Indies and Pakistan this English summer. Pope averages an astonishing 55 in first-class cricket. He is touted as the next big thing in English cricket.
Anrich Nortje (South Africa) - This South African speedster impressed everyone with his death-over bowling for the Delhi Capitals in this year’s Indian Premier League. His ability to bowl at a speed of 150 kmph with several slower ball variations makes him even more dangerous. He had picked 22 wickets in 16 matches and ended up in the top 4 leading wicket-takers of IPL.
Suryakumar Yadav - "Suryakumar Yadav from Mumbai to watch out for in future!" - Rohit Sharma had tweeted back in 2011. Nearly a decade later, Surya’s bat helped Rohit Sharma achieve a record 5th IPL title win as Mumbai Indians’ captain. It’s a matter of time before Suryakumar Yadav earns a spot in the Indian team. He was one of the most impactful and consistent batsman in this year’s IPL scoring 480 runs from 16 matches with an impressive average of 40 and a strike-rate of 145. Although not really as young as the others in this list, Suryakumar still can make it to the big stage.
Glenn Phillips - Phillips made history when he scored the fastest T20I century (46 balls) by a Kiwi batsman. The feat came up against West Indies not long back. He is also the first New Zealand batsman to score centuries in all three formats in a single season. He’s an exciting future prospect to watch out for.
Tom Banton - Banton is a destructive top order batsman who can play 360-degree shots. His inventive style of playing is tailor-made for the modern game.
Shan Masood - The southpaw caught everyone’s attention when he scored a resounding 156 against England at Manchester on a tricky pitch where every other batsman found it difficult to get going. Masood’s solid defence and technique might be Pakistan’s answer to their long-standing opening woes in Test cricket.
Haider Ali - It’s still early days for this 20-year-old from Rawalpindi. Haider’s confident stroke-making was hard to miss in his 33-ball 54 knock against England on his T20I debut at Manchester this September.
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