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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.
#2 Junaid Khan (24 years 265 days)
Junaid Khan also made it to the senior team on the back of his stellar Under-19 performances, akin to some of the players onthe list. Skiddy pace, a work horse attitude and an ability to jag the ball when required means he has the potentialand stamina to feature inall the three formats of the game regularly, something the bowlers in the current generation lack. Apart from this, he possesses a lethal yorker capable of prizing out countless wickets and drying up the runs at the death.
Like Starc, Junaid has been at his potent best in the ODI format, where he averages a decent25.90 but hasquite a stunning strike rate of 30, meaning he takes two wickets every match he bowls 10 overs in!
His stellar roleagainst arch-rivals India away in 2012 when he took 8 wickets shows his ability to deliver in pressure situations,as well. So does this tweet:
When you can bowl balls like these, especiallyto Kumar Sangakkara, you have to be special.
#3 Mitchell Starc (24 years 228 days)
A tall upright fast bowler who bowls at stupendous pace, it is perhaps a surprise that Starc has so far featuredin lesser matches thanhe should have. Blessed with strong, bulging forearms, the release from his shoulder, and not thelazy run-up,generates the pace for him.
Starc has an uncanny habit of taking wickets inclusters.Three 5-fers and three 4-fersin 24 matches mean he has taken above 4 wickets once every four matches,easily the best ODI record for a player who has playedat least 20 matches.
Starcs wickets generally hurry the batsmen rather than beating themin the swing.His ability to bowl not only in seam-friendly but also in lifeless Asian conditions was brought to light in Abu Dhabi where he scalped 9 wickets in a 3-match series.
Leading the IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling attackat a relatively young age is atestament to his class and abilities.
A grave threat at the death, watchon as Starc delivers two unplayableyorkers that couldgive Lasith Malinga a complex.
#4 Marchant de Lange (23 years 337 days)
De Lange showcased hisclassin the very first Test he played, returning with figures of 7/81 to becomethe first South African bowler to take 7 wickets on debut sinceZulu did so almost two decades ago.
Though he has onlyplayed6 internationalmatches 2 ineach format till date, his abilities are under no question whatsoever,and it is not long enough before he breaks into the side for good.
A tall, imposing frame, DeLange has all the ingredientsrequired to make a perfect fast bowler. Fearsome and intimidating, hewas first scoutedat alocal academy,and he had such animpact on them that he wasfast-tracked intomaking his FirstClass (FC) debutin the 2010-11 season.
De Langes well-spent time at thenational academy (the South African one is not a rehabilitation centre like we Indians are used to)transformed him from being a raw talent to a polished pacerbefore joiningthe Titans, his home till date.
Perhaps unlucky to be playing in arguablySouth Africasbest bowling generation ever, you will be forgiven to think that he would bowl atPraveen Kumars pace when you see his run-up to the crease. The lazy run up is followed by a quick, chest-on and fearsome rotation of his shoulder-blade, a rare ability he has developed from his javelin-throwingdays.
After an impressive Test debut, De Langes very second ball in ODI cricket was measured at 152 kmph, and he could be well on his way to be the fastest bowler of the world in the coming years.
#5 Sandeep Sharma (21 years 120 days)
Sandeep Sharma was the other half of the young Indian duo thatpropelled Kings XI Punjabto the finalof the IPL this year, alongside Akshar Patel.
He bowls an impeccableline and length a shade outside off along withswinging the ball both waysalmost always leading to anunplayable first spell on helpful conditions.
Sandy,as he is affectionately called, stole the showin the Under-19 World Cup Down Under, endingas the bestIndian bowler with 12 wickets to show for it, including a crucial 4-for in the final.
Though he shot into the limelight after a few stellar performances in the IPL, his talentin the longest format is quiteevident; he boasts anaverage of 22.78 and has83 wickets in merely 20 FC matches he has played in, not only at the juicy decks back homebut also away on rather dullpitches.
Here is a breathtaking spell he bowled in the U-19 world cup, leading for him to be touted as a New Waqar Younis, a huge compliment for any budding seamer.
#6 Akila Dananjaya (20 years 346 days)
Akila Dananjaya has quite a remarkable story: without having playeda T20, FC or a List A matchall his life, he was draftedinto the preliminarysquad of 30 for the T20World Cup in Sri Lanka held in 2012. It so happened thatMahela Jayawardene was so impressed while playingthis young bowler in the nets that he asked for him to be fast-tracked into the national side.
A fine show in the 4 matches he played for Wayamba meant that he was picked in the final squad for the World Cup and performed admirably well for his age, even after taking a devastating blow on his face.
He continues to performwell in the domestic circuit; thoughRangana Heraths presence has made it difficult for him to make the breakthrough, it is not long before he becomes a permanent fixture in the national side.
Possessing the stock delivery,doosra,leg-spinner, googly and thecarrom ballin his armoury,he has the guile and skill to bewilderthe best in the business, as can be evident from the following video.
#7 Akshar Patel (20 years 238 days)
From Narenda Modi to Akshar Patel, Gujarats contribution to India has become immense in the recent past. And with Akshar, one can be rest assured that the future of Indian spin department is in capable hands.
Relatively unknown before the start of the current IPL, he ended up with 17 wickets at23.82 apiece andat a stunningeconomy rateof 6.14 despite being employedat the death. His brilliant show meant veteran spinnerMurali Kartik was left warming the bench for the better part of the season;Akshar, though,repaid thefaith shown on him by the team managementby ending up as the winner of the Emerging player of the yearaward.
This also meant that he was rewarded with an Indian cap during the Bangladesh series the same year;though he was not considered for England once the senior spinners returned, that he was preferred ahead of the likes of Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra showed how high he is ranked in the Indian cricketing circuit.
Watch Akshar Patel bowling at the death with maturity way beyond his agehere.
#8 Jason Holder (22 years 314 days)
Since the retirement of the greatCourtney Walsh in 2001,Jason Joel Garner Holder is the closest the West Indies have come to seeing a real fast bowler.
At 67 inches, it goes without saying he bowls a really mean bouncer making life miserable forbatsmen all over the world.
Holder showcased early promise when hewon the Lord Gavron awardin 2009,given to the best West Indian Under-19 player of the year.Holder had an eventful U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, where he ended up with13 wickets, the highest for the Windies. It was inevitable he wouldwin a West Indian cap sooner than later, makinghis international debut soon after in Australia.
A First Class (FC) and List A average of 21.46 and 22.44 respectively speaks volumes of the talent the Barbados bowler possesses.
Here is a nice little over from the big man keeping the Marauding Chris Gayle as quiet as a bowler possibly can.
#9 Doug Bracewell (23 years 352 days)
Sonof former New Zealand international Brendan and nephew of former Black Caps coach John, Bracewell had big boots to fill,and he did so witha touch of class.
Bracewells 5-85 is the 5thbest by a Kiwi bowler on debut, helpingNew Zealand claim their first victory away in nearly 3 years,albeit it being against Zimbabwe.
However, his defining moment came in December 2011, when he churned outa match-winning spell to single-handedlydevastateAustralia in their own backyard. Bracewell took 6 wickets for 40 runs either sideof Lunch reducingAustralia, who were 159/2 at one stage requiring 241 for victory,to 233 all out. Warner could only watch on as Bracewell fittingly took the final wicket to close off the match by 7 runs, leaving New Zealandtaste their first victory on Australian soil since 1985.
#10 George Dockrell (22 years 55 days)
Surprise, surprise! There is also an associate nation player in this lis.George Dockrell is an Irish slow left-armerof immense potential. He debuted for Ireland as a baby-faced 17-year-old in 2010 and has become a regular feature since then.
Hisguile coupled withfearlessness meanhe tweaksoutbold, flighted deliveries, something even top bowlers all over the world shy away from.
His defining moments came against the West Indies and England in the 2010 T20 WC when he followed upa superb 3 for 16 against the Caribbean side with a highly economical 0-19,stemming the run-flow ofEngland's middle-order.
However, the biggest moment of his life has to bein the 2011 50-over World Cup, where he prized out the best ODI finisherof the generation:MS Dhoni.
Only 22 years today andanICC Associate Player of the Year in 2012,he will havea huge part to play if Ireland have to shed their associate nation tag in the near future.
#11 Special Mention 1: Mohammad Amir (22 years 115 days)
It is impossible to complete this list without mentioningMohammed Amir.Amir, who was involved in the spot-fixing scandal that rockedthe cricketing world in 2010, was once the most talked-about fast bowlers in the world during his time at the top level.
He made his First Class debut in 2007, at a tender age of 15,and his first ODI and Test appearances in 2009. He was a part of the 2009 T20 World Cup winning team, as well.
Hailing from Rawalpindi, same city as the controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akthar, he was touted as the next big thing by the best left-armer in the history of the game Wasim Akramand got an even bigger compliment when cricketer-turned-commentatorRameez Raja and Akram himself said of him:Amir iscleverer than Wasim [me] at 18.
Having taken 5-fers in his last two internationalappearances, he was on the path to greatness when suddenly adetour took him to the ugly world of spot-fixing.
It remains to be seen if he has still got it in him once he returns fromhis ban late next year. If he does and remains clean, nothing could stop him from attaining greatness.After all, not many bowlers bowl overs in which 5 wickets fall (2 run outs)in what was also the final over of the innings,and not manytake 6 wickets in 14 balls.
#12 Special Mention 2: Notable absentees
There are obviously more than just 10 budding bowlers in the world at present. Some of the bolwers missed out by a whisker. Here’s listing some of them, not in any particular order
1) Varun Aaron
One of the prime contenders for the top 10, Varun Aaron, India’s fastest bowler, misses out due to his wayward and erratic ways. A First Class (FC) average of 35.12 and a Test average of close to 50 led to this decision
2) James Faulkner
Firstly, it would be criminal to call a player with a batting average of over 43 as a bowler. James Faulkner is one of the most exciting talents in the world, and his batting complements his bowling beautifully well. However, a List A bowling average on the wrong side of 30 worked against his favour.
3) James Pattinson
A strong, strong contender for the main list, the criterion of not choosing more than two players from a country worked against his favour.
4) Sohag Gazi
Having had a blistering start to international cricket, a lot was expected of Gazi, but he fizzled out faster than a soda can. A Test average of above 40 and a T20I average of above 70 lays all claims to rest.
5) Beuran Hendricks
Though the tall, hit-the-deck fast bowler, with a bag full of variations, has been nothing short of devastating in First Class (FC) matches, taking his wickets at 20.29 apiece at a strike-rate of 37.4, he misses out on account of him having a List A average of close to 40.
6) Hasan Raza
Raza Hasan has a very impressive domestic record, and the recent ban on Ajmal could well mean that the youngster is on his way to enter the Pakistan national set-up again. However, it remains to be seen if the crippling injury that the left-arm spinner suffered of late, which left him on the sidelines for a good season or so, will have an impact on his ability, and that very reason rules him out of contention.
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