10 Cricketers who need to step up before the end of the year

There are good cricketers and there are bad cricketers. Amongst good cricketers, there are those who perform often and those who frustrate often. But, some always frustrate a lot more than others, because as delightful as they are to the audience, their potential always seems to have been under-utilised.Cricket isn’t an easy game, considering one mistake can cost you a lot. But, some often end up paying more for their mistakes, some never learn from their mistakes. There are quite a few supremely talented players going around who haven’t performed to everyone’s liking. Chances are running out fast and if they continue on the path they are on, they might well find themselves out of favour.Here is a list of 10 players, who are gifted but haven’t really contributed to the team’s cause in a big way, some in Tests and some in ODIs.

#1 Ian Bell

Ian Bell looks like a batsman whose bat understands how to talk to the ball, coax it to do its bidding. His silken touch is a delight to watch. Yet, Bell is inconsistent, sometimes overtly casual. He scores sublime half-centuries and then loses his wicket.

In the last two years, Bell has played 39 innings in which he scored 1082 runs. Two centuries and eight half-centuries makes for 10 useful innings, which is about a fourth of his appearances. That is slightly above average for the average batsman but not impressive for someone of Bell’s class.

More importantly, he averages 29.24 in Tests. While he has done fine in ODIs, a young side means he has to struggle for his place. But in Tests, time is running out on Bell before clamours for his retirement start arriving.