Ten Rising Stars in the World of Cricket

In life as well as sport, the old order changes, yielding place to new and Cricket is no different. Every year, young talent knocks on the selection committee door and replaces the older or non-performing players in the team. The likes of Shubman Gill, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Pathum Nissanka, Harry Brook are just some of the names that have recently broken through and established themselves as a first team regular. 

The criteria for selection is based on consistent domestic performances over the last 2-3 years for uncapped players and if they have already played International cricket, then it’s also based on recent international performances or debut performances.

Here we take a look at ten rising stars in the World of cricket  – 

Jamie Smith (England)

Jamie Smith is a 24-year-old English cricketer who is a wicket-keeper batsman. He plays for Surrey in the English domestic circuit. 

His domestic career has been exceptional to say the least. He scored a century in his first-class debut and ended up being the highest scorer for his team in his first season. He was also instrumental in Surrey winning the County Championships in 2022 and 2023. In his young international career so far, he has scored 404 runs in five test matches with an average of 50.50. He has also scored a century and two fifties. 

Even though he has just begun his career and has a long way to go, he is already showing promising signs of becoming a regular part of a very talented English batting lineup. The fact that he is a decent wicket-keeper is an added incentive.

Gus Atkinson (England)

Angus Atkinson popularly known as Gus Atkinson is a 26-year-old professional English cricketer. He is a right-handed fast bowler who can bat as well. 

He plays for Surrey in the English domestic circuit. He made his List A debut in 2020 and was part of the Surrey squad that won the 2022 County Championships. In his international career so far, he has played five test matches scoring 192 at an average of 32.66 and has taken 33 wickets at an average of 18.06 which includes a century at Lord’s and three five wickets haul. 

From his recent impressive outings, both with the bat and the ball, it’s clearly visible that he is definitely a player to watch out for in the upcoming tournaments. England seem to have found a gem of an all-rounder who can win them matches on his own.

Shamar Joseph (West Indies)

Shamar Joseph is a 25-year-old Guyanese player who plays international cricket for the West Indies. He is a highly rated fast bowler who came into limelight with his match-winning performance Down-under. In the 2024 WI tour of Australia, playing in the second test at Adelaide, Joseph took 8 wickets leading his team to a thrilling win, which came after 27 years for the touring West Indies team. It was an unbelievable performance, considering he bowled with a broken toe in the second innings as he had gotten injured while batting. He also received the ‘Player of the Series’ award which was a first for a West Indian player in a debut series.

He not only disturbed the Australian batters with his express pace but also bamboozled them with his variations and toe-crushing yorkers. He is one of those quickies that can cause the best of the batsmen a lot of trouble on fast bouncy pitches. 

Undoubtedly, he is one of the most exciting fast bowling prospects to come out of the Caribbean Islands in a while. If he can take care of his fitness, he can surely be one of the Top 5 fast bowlers in the world in the coming years.

Mathew Forde (West Indies)

Mathew Forde is a 22-year-old Barbadian cricketer who plays for the West Indies team. He is a medium pacer and a very effective bowler in the Limited overs format. 

He came into the limelight when he became the highest wicket-taker in the U-19 home tri-series against England and Sri Lanka in December 2019. He then got selected for the U-19 World Cup 2020,where he performed superbly as well. His performances in List A cricket earned him the International cap in both ODI and T20 series against England in 2023. 

He has also been in major demand in the T20 Leagues all over the world. Forde provides a lot of control with his medium pace in the middle overs, hardly gives away runs and provokes the batsmen to make mistakes, resulting in wickets. A very fine young prospect for the West Indies, he could become one of their leading bowlers in the shorter format in the near future.

Kwena Maphaka (South Africa)

Kwena Maphaka is an 18-year-old professional cricketer who plays for South Africa. He is a left-arm fast medium bowler. His performances in the U-19 Cricket World Cup 2024 brought him into focus for the South African selectors. His performance in the U-19 World Cup Semi-final was praiseworthy as he took 3 wickets for 32 runs against a talented Indian batting lineup. He was also South Africa’s top wicket-taker in the U-19 World Cup, being instrumental in their run to the Semi-finals. 

At 18 years and 137 days old, he became the youngest South African to make his debut in men’s international cricket, while still studying in school. He is a fabulous young fast bowling prospect for the Proteas, one they can coach and mould into a World class bowler.

Nangeyalia Kharote (Afghanistan)

Nangyal Kharote is a 20-year-old professional cricketer that plays for Afghanistan. He is an all-rounder who is a left-arm orthodox spinner and a handy batter. He made an instant impact in the Afghan domestic league as a 16-year-old. In his debut at the Shpageeza Cricket League in 2020 ,he ended up as the joint-highest wicket taker and won the ‘Player of the Match’ award in the Final.

List A performances impressed the Afghan selectors with Kharote receiving a national call up soon. He also made his ODI debut in Sharjah against Ireland in 2024, getting four scalps in a huge win.

He was also part of the squad in the 2024 T20 World Cup where he played in games against Australia and Bangladesh, both games resulting in wins for the Afghans.

He is a wily spinner who can take wickets at will. Afghanistan with the likes of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad have real quality in their spin department. He could be a vital player for them in the coming years.

Jake Fraser-Mcgurk (Australia)

Jake Fraser-Mcgurk is a 22-year-old professional cricketer who plays for Australia. He is a right-handed explosive opening batsman who mostly plies his trade in the shorter formats like T20 cricket. He scored a fifty on his first-class, List A and IPL debut.

During the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Fraser-McGurk played for the Delhi Capitals. On debut, he scored 55 off 35 against the Lucknow Super Giants. He amassed a whopping 330 runs in 9 innings with a strike rate of 234, hitting 32 fours and 28 sixes.

Based on his IPL performances, he was added as reserve player in the Australian squad for the T20 World Cup, 2024. He is a fearless, clean-hitter at the top of the pile, who can change the momentum of the game in a span of a few overs. Definitely, a very talented young prospect for the Australian team in the Limited overs format, could be a perfect replacement for the retired Aussie great, David Warner.

Tom Straker (Australia)

Tom Straker is a 19-year-old professional cricketer that plays for Australia. Straker is a right-handed medium-fast bowler. The Aussie teen sensation came into prominence in the Under-19 T20 World Cup in 2024 when he bowled a match-winning spell of 6/24 against Pakistan in the Semi-Finals. He had the Pakistan batsmen on the ropes for most of the game with his smart bowling variations. With this performance, he not only won the game for his team but also wrote his name in the record books as the best U-19 World Cup bowling figures in a Semis or a final, breaking Kagiso Rabada’s decade-long record of 6/25.

Tom Straker seems to be a versatile bowler who can not only bowl fast but also has a lot of variations in line and length. He also uses the short balls to good advantage. He is still quite young and can add a few yards of pace in the coming years to become one of the most lethal fast bowlers representing the Baggy Greens.

B Sai Sudarshan (India)

B Sai Sudarshan is a 22-year-old professional cricketer that plays for India. He represents Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and Gujarat Giants in the IPL. He is a left-handed top order batsman that has quickly risen through the ranks. 

He has already played for Team India in the ODI’s, scoring 127 runs in 3 matches with an average of 63.50. In the 2023 IPL season, he scored 362 runs in the tournament with an average of 51.71. His List A and first-class numbers are impressive as well. 

A technically sound batsmen with a whole array of shots all-round the wicket, he has shown impressive temperament as well. He is still young and doesn’t have the numbers yet to be a permanent member of the Indian squad, but he undoubtedly has the talent and skill to play all three formats for Team India in the near future. 

Dunith Wellalage (Sri Lanka)

Dunith Wellalage is a 21-year-old professional cricketer that plays for Sri Lanka. He is a bowling all-rounder who is already a regular member of the Sri Lanka ODI team. 

Wellalage was Captain of the Sri Lankan team in the 2022 U-19 World Cup where he was the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 17 dismissals. He also scored a match-winning century in their Semi-Final against South Africa scoring 113 runs.

In Aug 2024, he again performed superbly against India in a home ODI series, taking two wickets and scoring a fifty earning himself the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

Dunith Wellalage is a wily left-arm orthodox spinner and a very handy batsman down the order. He is a very dangerous bowler on turning pitches and can cause havoc for the opposition batsmen. He can also bail his team out of trouble with his more than decent batting skills down the order. Add to that, he is a very competitive bloke who has maturity beyond his years. Surely, a potential match winner for Sri Lanka now and for a long time to come.