10 bowlers who could take the world by storm in the coming decade
With the Steyns, Ajmals and Andersons not getting younger anymore, it is not long before the curtains fall on one of the better bowling generations of the cricketing world. With the bats getting bigger, the boundaries getting smaller and the advent of Twenty20, only top-class bowlers have managed to hold on to their own and churn out breathtaking performances.Here, we look at some of the bright young prospects who can be passed on the baton. The list includes only those who aren’t 25 years old as on 14/09/2014, along with a video to offer a sneak peak of what is to come. Not more than two bowlers have been considered from any country, meaning prospects like Raza Hasan and James Pattinson miss out.Note: Bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami who have already assumed senior stature and are regulars in their teams have not been included in the list.
#1 Pat Cummins (21 years 130 days)
It is obvious thatPat Cummins should feature high inthe list. CumminsTest debut, in 2011, was nothing short of awe-striking, accounting forseven wickets to fall in the matchincluding those of Jacques Kallis and Ab de Villiersen-route to a thrillingwin over South Africaat the Wanderers. That he was only18yearsold then, the youngest to play for Australia since Ian Craig in 1953, shows what is on store for the future.
After a forgettable first innings,Cummins came back strongly in the second; hisfigures of 6 for 79 made himthe 2nd youngest playerto grab a 6-fer in Tests.He followed that up with13 important runs in the second innings, fittingly hittinga boundaryto score thewinning runs of the match.Injuries meanthat remains his only Test appearance to date, which isbound to change very quickly in the future.
An extremely quicknewball bowler who swings it at expresspace,Cummins first featuredfor New South Wales inthe 2010-11 season,and it took him just one year to make it to the senior side,having caught theselectors attentionin theBig Bash League (BBL) wherehe finished as the highest wicket-taker:11 wickets at14.09, conceding only 6.59 runs to theover.