U-25 XI: Forming a team out of the best cricketers under the age of 25

Over the past few years, we have seen a lot of supremely talented youngsters make waves with their performances and rise in the international cricketing circuit.

The Under-19 World Cup has proved to be a breeding ground for upcoming youngsters. A lot of cricketers who have emerged successfully from the tournament have gone on to become international superstars over the course of the following 4-5 years after the conclusion of the tournament.

In this article, we form a playing eleven out of the most promising cricketers under the age of 25.

Openers:

Quinton de Kock:

One of the most explosive wicketkeeper-batsman around, Quinton de Kock was the perfect replacement for the legendary Mark Boucher.

Due to his aggressive approach, he has even been hailed as the next Adam Gilchrist. Interestingly, he bats at no. 7 in Tests and opens the innings in ODIs, which is the same thing Gilchrist did during his playing days.

He made his ODI debut back in 2014 and has played 85 matches so far scoring 3519 runs at an average of 43.44 with 14 half centuries and 12 centuries to his name.

Niroshan Dickwella

Another attacking left handed wicketkeeper-batsman, Niroshan Dickwella is one of the few impressive cricketers in the weak Sri Lankan line-up.

Sri Lankan cricket is still in a transition phase and Dickwella is leading the charge from the front. He has performed decently well against India in the ongoing series scoring a half century in the first ODI.

He made his debut for the Lankans in 2014 and has played 22 ODIs since. He has scored 875 runs at an average of 41.66 with five half centuries and two centuries to his name.

Middle order:

Babar Azam

The Pakistan cricket team had tried out a lot of batsmen who did not make a mark before Babar Azam came into the limelight.

He made his mark after being the top run scorer in two Under 19 World Cups in 2010 and 2012. He has been an extremely consistent batsman in the Pakistan line-up in both ODIs and T20Is and it looks like he is here for the long haul.

Ever since making his debut in 2015, he has played 31 ODIs for his side and has scored 1455 runs at an average of 53.88 with six half centuries and five centuries to his name.

KL Rahul

One of the most talented batsmen in the Indian line-up currently, Rahul took some time to get going before sending a message to the selectors.

However, a couple of excellent domestic seasons along with success in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore led to his selection in the Indian side in 2016.

He found his feet extremely quickly and is one of the most consistent batsmen today. He holds the record of being the only batsman to score a century in all three formats in the same year.

He has played 9 ODIs so far and has scored 241 runs at an average of 40 with one half century and one century to his name.

Kusal Mendis

In a time when Sri Lankan cricket is struggling against every team, Kusal Mendis is carrying the team on his shoulder with his batting performances.

Mendis rose to prominence with his performances as a youngster and in the domestic circuit as well. He made his debut only last year and has played 36 ODIs scoring 1143 runs at an average of 34.63 with eleven half centuries and one century to his name.

He will look to get Sri Lankan cricket back on the right track with his performances over the next few years.

Travis Head

An upcoming youngster, Travis Head is slowly starting to make a mark for himself in Australia’s ODI side in the middle order.

With the likes of Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner not performing too well over the past couple of years, Head has filled that void with his aggressive knocks in the middle order.

He might have been poor in the Indian Premier League but he has made up with his performances for his national side.

After making his debut last year, he has played 25 ODIs and has scored 815 runs at an average of 40.75 with six half centuries and one big one to his name.

Hardik Pandya

This 23 year old from Baroda is making great strides in the international circuit despite having a poor domestic record. He was recognised due to his performances in the IPL, and ever since making his debut for the Indian side, he has constantly improved and has become an integral part of the side now.

With his ability to perform equally well with the bat and the ball, he might as well be India’s next Kapil Dev. However, it is a little too soon to make such a comparison and we will have to wait and watch how he performs over the next few years.

Ever since making his debut late in 2016, he has played 20 ODIs for the Men in Blue and has scored 289 runs at an average of 36.12 and a phenomenal strike rate of 133.17. He has also picked up 21 wickets during this time and shown his prowess in the field as well.

Bowlers

Kagiso Rabada

With the deadly duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel slowly reaching the end of their respective careers, it is safe to say that South Africa’s fast bowling is in safe hands.

Kagiso Rabada has had heads turning with his performances over the past few years and is arguably the most fearsome bowler in ODI cricket today.

He came into prominence with his superb performance in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup as he finished with the most number of wickets to his name. He slowly graduated to the senior side and is now their go-to bowler in all three formats of the game.

In 40 ODIs, he has picked up 65 wickets at an average of 26.30 with one five wicket haul to his name.

Rashid Khan

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The youngest in this list, Rashid Khan is one of the best spinners in the world today. He has been extremely vital in putting Afghanistan on the cricketing world map and was instrumental in his country getting granted Test status.

He was the first Afghanistan cricketer to make his debut in the Indian Premier League and he was the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s second highest wicket taker as well. He is able to bamboozle batsmen with his googlies and his variations and will look to guide Afghanistan in the right direction in the next few years.

He has played 29 ODIs so far and has picked up 63 wickets at a phenomenal average of 14.74.

Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins joins a long list of great fast bowlers which have come out of the Australian ranks. He became the youngest ever Australian cricketer to be awarded a central contract back in the 2011-12 season.

He will always be remembered for his sensational Test debut against South Africa where he took seven wickets to help Australia clinch a thrilling victory.

He was touted to be the next big thing in Australian cricket but was plagued with injuries between 2012-14.

He has featured in 31 ODIs so far and has picked up 53 wickets at an average of 27.30.

Jasprit Bumrah

After watching him play in the IPL for the first time, not a lot of people would have expected him to earn so much success in such little time.

With his unorthodox round-arm action, Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best death bowlers in the world currently.

He has bewildered batsmen with his toe-crushing yorkers and has increased his pace over the years as well. He has played 19 ODIs after making his debut in January 2016 and has picked up 37 wickets at an average of 21.05.