5 exciting batsmen who could be the future

Compared to the 1980’s and 1990’s, the current era in cricket has been very favorable towards batsmen. New records are being set and new heights being reached by batters on various parameters. Many new names have come into international cricket and have achieved great feats.

However, not every batsman who has succeeded at some stage has been able to become a consistent performer. While it’s very hard to determine who will go on to become a great player and who would fall off the radar, there are those who seem to possess something special and have produced performances to prove they are in it for the long haul.

Of course, nothing is certain in cricket and these batsmen may suddenly lose their way to waste their talent. But still, they are most likely to among the current lot to go on and become greats of the game.

Here is a list of five of those young upcoming batsmen who should go a long way in their careers:

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Shai Hope

Shai Hope caught everyone's attention with his match-winning performance in the Headingley Test

The West Indies desperately need talented and capable cricketers for their Test team and Shai Hope could be the man to provide the much-needed strength in their batting line-up.

The Caribbean has produced many exciting batsmen for the T20 format but Shai Hope possesses those qualities that are needed for success in the longer format – a good technique, sound temperament, and great stroke-making ability. His twin hundreds at Headingley in his team’s famous win over England last year suddenly made the world take notice of him.

What seems to distinguish Shai Hope from most of the other upcoming batsmen from Windies is a good head on his shoulders that is capable of reading the situation and allowing him to play according to it.

In the very next game after the Headingley win, Hope faced the English bowling attack in very difficult batting conditions and managed to carve out an important half-century through determination and skill.

With assets of great timing and technique, Hope should achieve his place in the pantheon of great West Indian batsmen over the generations. This is what cricket fans, and not just West Indian ones, want to see.

Evin Lewis

Evin Lewis' breathtaking stroke-play augurs well for his future

With so many young cricketers making a mark in global T20 events, it's hard to get excited about everyone who plays some good knocks in this format. But Evin Lewis is different. Yes, he has achieved great success in T20 cricket but has backed them up with good performances in ODIs also.

The reason for optimism about him is that he seems to be much more than a refined slogger – the description that suits most West Indian batsmen playing starring roles in T20 leagues around the world. He looks technically correct and has good timing that he combines with great power to produce stroke play that is both delightful and punishing for the opposition.

To understand why Lewis could be a much more reliable player for Windies, one should compare him with his illustrious opening partner Chris Gayle. While the latter seems lackluster playing for West Indies, especially compared to when he is representing a T20 franchise, Lewis seems fully focused and motivated.

While his first-class record is ordinary and may prevent him from getting a quick entry into the West Indian Test line-up, success in shorter formats may get him into the Test side. Whether he succeeds there remains a big question. But until then we can certainly enjoy the thrilling batting of Lewis.

Babar Azam

Babar Azam has shown a great appetite for hundreds in his short ODI career so far

When somebody draws comparisons with Virat Kohli, you know he is doing well and that is very much the case with Pakistan’s Babar Azam. Seven ODI hundreds in just 41 matches is a testament to the ability and hunger for runs possessed by this 23-year old.

With a solid technique and great timing at his command, it's not difficult to see why some Pakistani commentators are so bullish about him. But there is still some way to go for Azam to deserve a place in the same category as the Indian captain.

While Azam has scored centuries with incredible consistency, his strike rate in most of those innings was far from what the likes of Kohli usually manage. But that is not all that bad for Pakistan as they have seen another player – Umar Akmal – with greater talent destroy his career through impulsiveness and lack of focus. His determination to stay at the wicket and get to three-figure mark is a very appreciable quality indeed.

On top of that, his performance in a recent unofficial 10-overs-a-side match where he scored a century in just 26 balls is an indication that he very much possesses the ability to dominate the bowling when needed. If he can bring that quality into his game and also achieve greater success than he has so far in Tests, the sky is the limit for Azam.

Aiden Markram

Aiden Markram's technique has drawn comparisons with Jacques Kallis

South Africa have been looking for a competent opener ever since Alviro Petersen retired from Tests. The search may have finally ended with the arrival of Aiden Markram.

What distinguishes Markram from some of the other batsmen who tried to take that spot is his very sound technique that has drawn comparisons with the great Jacques Kallis. Add to that a great temperament and maturity that experts think should lead him to the job of South Africa’s captain someday and you have a perfect opening batsman.

Markram started his career against relatively weak opposition in the form of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and achieved the expected success. But people waited to see how he would fare against the much tougher challenge posed by India and Australia.

And Markram didn’t disappoint. His performance against Australia showed that he can succeed against stronger opposition. The qualities witnessed in his first few games against the minnows became all the more evident when he took on tougher oppositions and justified the faith that many South African commentators, not to mention the fans, have shown in him.

If everything goes right, he could be the next great batsmen and, possibly, the next great captain for the Proteas.

Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis may be Sri Lanka's next great batsman

Sri Lankan cricket fans were concerned about the future of Sri Lankan cricket when Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene retired from the Test team. One wondered whether there is enough talent in the emerald island to replace these two giants of the game.

The batsman who could become the pillar of Sri Lankan batting in future is Kusal Mendis. This view is based not just on first impressions but also on his performances so far.

For sure, Mendis hasn’t had smooth sailing so far in his career. He even lost his place in the Test side but made a triumphant return and justified the faith of Sri Lankan selectors who, while dropping him, had made it clear that this exclusion is temporary and Mendis is very much part of their future plans.

Mendis showed great promise in his team’s 2016 tour of England even though he didn’t get a big score. Later that year, he played a wonderful innings to turnaround a Test in favor of his team against Australia.

He continued to perform well but then had a lean patch which saw him getting dropped. But his good technique and brilliant strokeplay ensured that his exile from the team wasn’t very long. Now back in the team, Mendis would hopefully go on to achieve the great heights that fans expect him to.