In the world of cricket, there are always young breakout stars on the rise. These eight players have made a name for themselves in cricket over the last few years, for different reasons.
Top cricket stars give us a lot to look forward to. For one, their performances keep us at the edge of our seats during a match or tournament. And two, they grant us the confidence necessary to place bets without dropping a sweat.
Here are the eight rising cricket stars to bet on in 2020.
Will Pucovski
Will Pucovski became the ninth player in Sheffield Shield history to score a double-century, and this is before his 21st birthday. At only 20 years old, Pucovski made a career-best 243 against Western Australia in Perth, joining an exclusive club of Test champions. He is the youngest player since Ricky Ponting to score a double hundred in the Shield. Pucovski is a right-handed batter from Victoria.
Consider his impressive numbers in the circuit thus far when making your bets. To date, he has 588 runs from eight matches at 49 with two centuries and one half-century.
Rachin Ravindra
At 16, Ravindra first played in the World Cup in Bangladesh in 2016. This earned him the title of youngest New Zealander to feature. Throughout his performance, spectators were impressed with his left-arm spin. He came back to the World Cup two years later and was bumped into the New Zealand ‘A’ set-up based on his incredible performance. At 19, he made his List ‘A’ debut for New Zealand against Pakistan ‘A’ in Dubai.
As you can see, he was one of New Zealand’s better performers in 2018, scoring 117 against Kenya and 76 against South Africa.
Qais Ahmad
The 19-year-old legspinner from Afghanistan is a spectacle to see. One of his signature moves, the reverse-somersault, is one that is sure to entertain in international cricket for years to come. This September, Qais made his international debut in Afghanistan’s Test against Bangladesh. He was also selected by the Welsh Fire in the inaugural draft of the Hundred.
Jofra Archer
Archer made a sparkling debut of 3-22 against Mumbai Indians, proving the hefty price tag the Royal paid for him (INR 7.2 croce) was worth its weight in gold. The 24-year-old fast bowler wows fans with his rapid pace and athletic fielding as a lower-order batsman.
Born in Barbados, he holds British citizenship through his English father. Archer was able to join the 2019 Cricket World Cup just in time, as the England and Wales Cricket Board changed its qualification rules from seven years residency down to three. Thanks to this new qualification, Archer had the opportunity to help England secure a trophy after 44 long years.
Even his opposing batsmen know to bet on his attacking bouncers. England all-rounder Ben Stoker said this of him:
"It's part of the game and a big part of Jofra's game, being aggressive, not letting batsmen settle. That bouncer of his is a huge asset and he's going to keep on doing it."
Shubman Gill
The stylish right-hander with a bottom-handed grip is a man in command when he walks in to bat. At 19 years old, he because the youngest Indian to score a first-class double century for an Indian representative side. As a winning member of India’s U- 19 World Cup team, he was soon elevated to senior level status.
As he works on smoothing out the new transition, a main focus will be scoring runs with the same ease that he did in U -19 cricket. The 20-year-old has a bright outlook, though, telling Hindustan Times this:
“I know that I can’t expect from myself that I will get a hundred every time I go out. I will get runs and will get to settle down. Obviously, things take time. But it was a very good experience for me. We had won the series.”
To date, Gill now has four 100+ scores in his 11-match first-class career, also featuring seven fifties. It’s safe to bet that we haven’t seen the best of him yet.
Avishka Fernando
The 21-year-old hard-hitting right-handed batsman first gave the world a glimpse of his potential in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup. He had a match-winning 95 runs off 96 balls against England in the quarterfinal. Following that up with a couple of centuries against the same time in a bilateral series earned him his first call-up to the national ODI team.
Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha told the ICC this of his technique:
“He has a really good, uncomplicated technique. He stands upright and is a good timer of the ball. He is very good on the back foot and isn’t bad against spin as well.”
He played 5 ODI matches until the 2019 World Cup. In the 5 innings he batted in, he scored a total of 71 runs, having faced 79 balls, at an average of 14.2 and a strike rate of 89.87.
Taking into account his consistent batting skills up until this point, it’s something spectators can put their confidence in.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Despite his young age, 18-year-old Mujeeb Ur Rahman is one of the best bowlers in the world at the moment. He was also the youngest player at the World Cup.
Rahman claimed figures of two for 28 for Afghanistan in a seven-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe during the T20I Tri-Series in Chattogram this past September.
His powerful arsenal of traditional off-spins, leg-spin and googlies puts an incredible amount of pressure on opposing batting brigades. This talented spinner delivers the one-two punch. You can see his skills on full display during the Windies series.
Nicholas Pooran
The blonde-haired big-hitter has been breaking school cricket records over the years. The 24-year-old Pooran is an aggressive young West Indian batman that’s been impressively climbing his way up the ranks. He suffered from an unfortunate chronic ankle injury from a car accident that put him out of commission for nearly two years. However, he didn’t let that stop him.
He returned with a bang in the 2016 season of the CPL, scoring 217 runs in eight games.
