5 cricketers who announced themselves on the world stage this year

2015 has been yet another incredible year for the cricketing world. Some of the years’s key events were Australia winning the World Cup for a fifth time, India strengthening their Test record at home under a new captain, England beginning their resurgence in limited overs cricket and Bangladesh establishing themselves as a 50-over cricket powerhouse.There were also a number of great individual performances, both with bat and ball. Among the performers were some seasoned campaigners, a bunch of youngsters and a few late comers to the international scene.The year also saw the emergence of some promising cricketers who announced themselves on the world stage. We take a look at 5 of the best:

#5 David Willey (England)

Paceman David Willey has been one of England’s finds this year

David Willey, son of former England cricketer and umpire Peter Willey, has been one of the best new talents on display this year. Playing for England in both ODIs and T20Is, he has come up with some impressive performances as an opening bowler getting early wickets on a regular basis.

Willey has already picked up 18 wickets in 10 ODIs so far at a remarkable average of 24.22 and 8 wickets in 4 T20Is at 16.87. He also has credentials of being an allrounder in county cricket and if he can show some of his batting skills in the international arena, he could be an even bigger asset for England.

#4 Soumya Sarkar (Bangladesh)

Soumya Sarkar has been highly impressive in ODI cricket

Despite having made his ODI debut in December last year, Bangladeshi batsman Soumya Sarkar is on this list primarily because he played almost all of his cricket in 2015. The southpaw had a decent World Cup in Australia; however, he played an influential role in his team’s 3 consecutive home series wins against Pakistan, India and South Africa respectively.

Sarkar has amassed 692 runs in 16 ODIs this year at an outstanding average of just under 52. The stylish left-hander drawn a lot of praise for his confident display with the bat, especially the aggressive manner in which he handles the bouncer.

Bangladesh will have their hopes pinned on the youngster to become their next batting hero.

#3 Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

South Africa have found a new fast bowling sensation in Kagiso Rabada

A hattrick and figures of 6 for 16 on ODI debut is how South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada burst on to the cricketing scene in 2015. After that, there has been looking back for the express bowler from Johannesburg as he also went on to become one of the stars of his team’s 3-2 triumph against India.

Rabada has claimed 21 wickets in 10 ODIs this year and made his Test debut for the Proteas as well, albeit in what turned out to be a forgetful series overall. At 20, Rabada has been one of the most promising youngsters to surface on the world cricketing stage in 2015 and hopefully, he will go a long way.

#2 Adam Voges (Australia)

Voges has had a phenomenal year with the bat in Tests

Adam Voges was 35 when he made his Test debut against West Indies in June this year and turned 36 on October 4. However, he is proving that age is just a number with his exploits with the bat in hand.

Although his average of 76.83 has been inflated due to him remaining unbeaten 5 times in his 17 innings, an aggregate of 922 runs in just 11 Tests still makes for an impressive record. Add to that a highest score of 269 not out and you know why he is a part of this list.

Voges and Australia will be hoping that he continues in the same vein for as long as he is part of the national team.

#1 Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)

Mustafizur Rahman has been Bangladesh’s trump card this year

The left-arm seamer from Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman, has undoubtedly been the find of the year 2015 for world cricket. The fact that the youngster picked up two 5-wicket hauls in his first 2 ODIs, that too against a powerful team like India, speaks volumes about his talent as a bowler.

In 9 One Day Internationals that he has played this year, Rahman has picked up 26 wickets at 12.34 with 3 five-fors against his name and has been instrumental in his team’s rise as a powerhouse in ODI cricket. Apart from the stats, it has also been the way in which he has got the better of batsmen which makes him stand out from the rest.

The Bangladeshi seamer has certianly announced his arrival to international cricket in the best way possible.