Left Arm Around

After another exhilarating year of cricket in all formats of the game, here are some of the upcoming stars you ought to keep a close eye on over the next twelve months.

Just for reference, these are all players with little to no international experience.

Sam Konstas (Australia)

Ramping and crunching his way to 60 on day one of the Boxing Day Test in front of 90,000 fans, taking down the best bowler of the generation in Jasprit Bumrah, it’s easy to identify why this young batter is so highly thought of across Australia. Aged just 19, the peak of his powers are yet to come and that should scare opposition attacks immensely. Coupled with incredible skill and talent, Konstas seems to have the fortitude and temperament to face the pressure and battles of international cricket- particularly after that little confrontation with Virat Kohli. His performances in the Big Bash mean he could be an incredibly useful asset to the Aussies in white-ball cricket too.

Nahid Rana (Bangladesh)

Across six Tests in his short Test career so far, 22-year-old Nahid Rana’s numbers really don’t leap off the page. 20 wickets at an average of 36.55 with a best of 5/61 against West Indies at Sabina Park in Jamaica. His economy rate of 4.57 also indicates a bowler who struggles to build pressure and maintain control.

But standing at 6ft 5 and an ability to hit speeds upwards of 150 KPH, Rana has two key components of a quality fast bowler: height and pace.

Rangpur Riders head coach Mickey Arthur described Rana as ‘very special’ and someone he ‘believes will go far in international cricket’.

With age on his side and plenty of room to develop further, Bangladesh should do everything in their power to ensure he stays fit and firing. Wrap him in cotton wool.

The Tigers aren’t renowned for producing genuinely quick bowlers, though they certainly have one here.

Allah Ghazanfar (Afghanistan)

Added to the never-ending supply chain of emerging Afghan spin bowlers is the 17-year-old right-arm off-spinner Allah Ghazanfar.

Making his ODI debut against Ireland in March 2024, Ghazanfar has gone on to take 21 wickets from only 11 ODIs to date. This includes a fifer against Zimbabwe in Harare and a best of 6/26 against Bangladesh in a comprehensive 92-run Afghanistan triumph.

He even made his Test debut against Zimbabwe on Boxing Day in Bulawayo, picking up four wickets.

Sterner challenges are yet to come as Afghanistan fight to face higher quality opposition more often, but the teenager should take invaluable experience from being a part of the Mumbai Indians squad in IPL 18. He was signed for a whopping 4.8 crore in the recent Jeddah mega auction.

Nitish Kumar Reddy (India)

Fresh from a brilliant maiden Test century at the MCG, all while batting down at number 8, 21-year-old Reddy illustrated a versatile all-rounder who should be utilised further up the order when required. You could argue the bowling needs work for him to be a consistent fifth bowling option, but his performances in Australia prove he has more than enough potential. With a first-class bowling average of 22.96, including two five-wicket hauls, there’s no reason why he can’t develop that side of his game. His performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in last year’s IPL also brought a lot of plaudits, suggesting he will be a key player in India’s white-ball outfits moving forward too.

Freddie McCann (England)

Unlike the previous four players, this Nottinghamshire left-hander has no senior international experience.

That being said, the 19-year-old seems to possess maturity and skill well beyond his years.

Coupled with two first-class centuries in only five appearances to date, including a fine 154 against defending County champions Surrey at Trent Bridge, McCann has showcased his talent on the England under-19 stage. His knock of 174 not out against Sri Lanka at Hove in July 2024 equalled the highest ever score by an England under-19 batter.

He will join England Lions of their tour of Australia later this month.

Jordan Hermann (South Africa)

Boasting an average of 50+ in 24 first-class matches and 33 in T20s, this talented left-hander is a batter clearly suited to all formats of the game.

His most notable performance of 106 not out came against MI Cape Town for Sunrisers Eastern Cape at Newlands in the SA20. Displaying incredible power and strokeplay, the 23-year-old took down an international quality attack featuring the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Olly Stone, Kieron Pollard and Sam Curran.

Hermann is yet to make his international debut, but many feel it’s more a question of when rather than if.

South Africa legend Allan Donald highlighted his potential and said: “You’re talking about a guy who can get to De Villiers or to Maxwell.”