3 most underrated Test cricketers at present
They say that if you do well in cricket, fans all around the world will accept you with grace and pour in a lot of love. We have seen players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith and Joe Root getting a lot of appreciation from pundits and fans because of their achievements.
However, over the years, we have seen some players not getting the deserved recognition and accolades despite putting up strong performances over a period of time. The likes of Younis Khan, Rangana Herath and Chaminda Vaas are good examples of the same.
On that note, here's a look at three of the most underrated cricketers in Test cricket at the moment.
#1 Tom Blundell
Post the retirement of BJ Watling after the final of the World Test Championship in 2021, New Zealand fans were worried about whether they would be able to find an able replacement for him. However, Tom Blundell has ensured a rather smooth transition and has hardly made the Kiwis feel the absence of Watling.
In the 24 test matches that he has played so far, Blundell has scored 1631 runs, including four centuries and 10 fifties. He has a healthy average of 45.30 and is also quite reliable behind the stumps, which is a must for a wicketkeeper. Blundell is currently positioned 11th in the ICC Men's Test rankings for batters, but he doesn't quite get the credit that he deserves.
#2 Daryl Mitchell
Another New Zealander on this list is Daryl Mitchell, who bowls a bit but is mostly used as a batter on the test side. Mitchell, who made his first appearance in tests in 2019 has featured in 16 games so far, compiling 1116 runs in the process. He has a staggering average of 55.8, along with four Test centuries. He is ranked 12th in the Test batting rankings, but his name is not often discussed by fans and pundits.
In his brief career so far, the 31-year-old has already played some crucial knocks like 73 against England on debut, 102 against Pakistan in Christchurch, and the three centuries he slammed during the England tour in 2022, etc. Mitchell surely deserves more accolades than he receives from the observers of the game.
#3 Kraigg Brathwaite
Kraigg Brathwaite has been around for a long period of time, having made his test debut way back in 2011. However, for many years, he showed glimpses of his talent but never really put up consistent performances. But all that has changed in the last few years, with Braithwaite now being a crucial member of the struggling West Indies outfit in the longest format of the game.
Brathwaite has represented the Caribbean team in 83 tests, scoring 5,303 runs in the process. In recent times, he has played many crucial innings like 97 against Pakistan (2021), 160 against England (2022) and 110 against Australia (2022), etc. Yet, he is not celebrated as much as some other players.