Like in every other sport, the rise of new talents is quite common in cricket.
The finest talents try their luck at the biggest stage in the hope of making it big over there. But only the best of the lot transform into the so-called superstars or champions of the game, while the rest of them fade away with time.
Only a fraction of these talents embark on a successful international career. Despite having what it takes to be dominating at the international circuit, many fine talents end up having a disastrous or a mediocre career.
Even the finest of the lot sometimes have to meet the same fate as the others. There are several factors that are responsible for this fate of players.
Discussing these factors is beyond the scope of this article, as we will be focusing on those players who are expected to make the cut at the big stage. This article solely focusses on those players who might eventually become legends. Below is a list of three players who might eventually become the superstars of the game.
All these players are backed with enormous potential. In making this list not only the raw stats but also other crucial factors such as overseas performances and international exposure were considered.
1. Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labushagne is an interesting talent, just like his name. He has already shown his calibre in Tests and has added valuable contributions under pressure. Having played only 21 international matches, he still has a long way to go in his career.
He has shown his temperament and skill right from the very moment he acted as a concussion substitute to Steve Smith. His batting technique resembles that of Smith’s and his Test numbers highlight his abilities as a batsman.
He’s got a Test average of 63.3 along with four hundreds. However, he is yet to make an impact in the limited-overs format.
But looking at his decent faring against India in India in ODIs, it is fair to assume that he isn’t just Test material. With all his might and calibre, He looks like a perfect replacement for Smith. It will be interesting to see where his career leads him to in the coming few years.
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
2. KL Rahul
Kl Rahul has had significant growth in his career. His career took a major turn with his performances in the 2017 IPL and has had a significant run in the international arena since then. The Indian team underutilised him as he was kept as a spare opener, but his valuable knocks down the order made him a versatile player.
He has shown his talent in the limited-overs format by scoring four ODI and two T20 matches with an average of 47 and 45 in ODIs and T20s respectively. He has shown glimpses of his Test match batting but is yet to make any significant impact.
But with age in hand, we might soon see him dominating the Test format as well. KL Rahul is an exceptional talent who has all the potential in the world to become the next superstar.
3. Sam Curran
This might come as a surprise to many. But with his all-round abilities, I wouldn’t be surprised if Curran ends up becoming one of the greatest all-rounders the game has ever produced. At just 21 years of age, Curran has shown he has what it takes.
(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
He still has a long way to go, but it will be interesting to see how his Test career progresses with time.
Patrick
Roar Pro
Not sure about KL Rahul at Test Level. He's a fantastic white ball player, and has done well in FC cricket, but he hasn't been terrific at Test Level. There are so many Indians with huge FC averages, that they don't have to go back to a guy that's been inconsistent in the past. I'd probably pick Ollie Pope over Sam Curran- A FC average of 60 is pretty special. In terms of future bowling stars, what about Bumrah? He's only played 14 Tests, so the majority of his career is ahead of him. Obviously there are many players to pick, but assuming we're limiting choices to only 3, then I'll pick Labuschagne, Pope, and Bumrah.
Paul
Roar Guru
Totally agree Bob. He had a breakout 12 months but it won't take long for word to spread among the bowlers union about ways to dry up the runs & get him out. Assuming the Indian tour goes ahead, this could be the making of him IMO. If Bumrah and co are on form, he's going to be seriously tested and if he can come away with runs and an average in the high 40's, that's a great result. As you say, anything over that across a longish career is a deadset bonus.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
What is a reasonable expectation from Marnus over the next few seasons? Personally, I'll be astounded if he can maintain that 60+ average. In 140 years of test cricket very, very few have managed 60+ and it might be asking too much of Marnus to join that sort of stratospheric company. I'll be happy if he can average mid to high 40's over his career. Anything beyond that will be a genuine bonus imo.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
right now curran averages 27 with the bat and almost 32 with the ball. Not bad, but plenty of scope for improvement.It's interesting to see whether he develops into a genuine all rounder ;or become a bat a bit bowl a bit type fringe cricketer.
Paul
Roar Guru
I can see England hoping Curran is another Anderson, but his numbers away from home are poor. Perhaps he might be a specialist who comes into the team at home, but 37 wickets from 17 Tests is not a great return yet. Sure he's still young but I wonder how much more improvement he has in him?
Paul
Roar Guru
He'd want to improve mightily to become a superstar though, Suraj, which is what you were suggesting at the start of this piece. I'm sure he'll be a very useful cricketer, he already is, but a superstar....... maybe not.
Targa
Roar Rookie
Kyle Jamieson instead of Curran.
Suraj
Roar Rookie
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Suraj
Roar Rookie
I know Sam is a tricky pick Paul and I agree with you on Sam not being in the league of Rahul or Marnus but with age in hand, we might slowly see him establish his presence as an all-rounder. The English Board is trying to groom him to be the next Stokes which is the very reason why he is being given chances for the big tours at an early age(20). He isn’t the quickest with the ball but if he can get the ball to swing consistently like Jimmy, he can be more than a handy bowler, and let’s not forget his batting.
Shauno
Roar Rookie
I can see England making Curran the new Anderson. Lethal at home. On tour swinging the new ball then holding up an end with medium pace accuracy. He doesnt have the relentless accuracy yet but he's young.
JGK
Roar Guru
Would have thought Archer is more likely than Curran.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
I agree with you about Rahul and Labuschagne, but really struggle with Curran. Do you have any decent figures for him to back up your choice and I don’t mean cheap IPL or County one day games.
Paul
Roar Guru
I can see some real upside in both Labuschagne and Rahul, but cannot see the same thing in Curran. There's no doubt he's a very useful cricketer in English conditions, but his form drops away pretty significantly with the ball, once he plays away from home. He doesn't have to pace to scare batsmen and once the shine goes off the ball, he'd be just about cannon fodder on some of the flat overseas decks. England selectors also don't think he's a first choice player in any of the formats. Certainly that could change when Broad & Anderson retire, but as it stands, he's a few developmental steps behind the other two cricketers you named. It'll be interesting to see if he catches up to them.