Top 5 ODI Debutants in 2018

The year 2018 is about to end and it has undoubtedly been a great year for cricket despite a few bad incidents. Many great innings and bowling efforts were witnessed and many new stars discovered through First-Class matches as well as the growing number of the T20 leagues all around the world.

There have been many debutants in ODIs this year, most of them from Australia, India and the West Indies. With the World Cup approaching, teams are trying to get their combination right and a few new players have made their way into the lineup while few are still struggling. Having said so, there have been a few standout performers or those who have shown a lot of potential and have been backed by their teams.

Here are the top 5 debutants in 2018.

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#5 Oshane Thomas (West Indies)

Oshane Thomas

The young Windies pacer has been highly sought after and has become extremely popular among experts and cricket fanatics. They term him as an exciting talent and the West Indies have backed him very well and are giving him enough opportunities in limited-overs cricket.

He made his debut against India in Guwahati and picked up Shikhar Dhawan's wicket but leaked runs that game. Post that, the pacer has improved with his line and length and has picked up six wickets from four matches including a great series against Bangladesh.

He has been picked by the Rajasthan Royals for the IPL. Oshane Thomas certainly doesn't have great numbers overall but he has been a great find and if he is honed, he's probably the best talent from 2018 and West Indies must continue to back him and he can deliver for them in any format of the game.

#4 Andrew Tye ( Australia)

Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye made his ODI debut against England in 2018 after the team needed a specialist third pacer and the wily T20 bowler was drafted into the side. He went wicketless in his first game but bowled very economical and became a regular in the side. Post Smith and Warner's bans, Tye's experience became crucial for the Aussies in both T20Is and ODIs.

Tye, who won the Purple Cap in IPL 2018, picked up 12 wickets from seven ODIs. He was Australia's most consistent bowler who could contain the English batsmen during the death overs. He has played all his ODI games against England and it'll be interesting to see what he does against India. Tye made his T20I debut in 2015 but his ODI career is of great importance to Australia now.

#3 Khaleel Ahmed (India)

Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed is the best possible solution for India's search for a left-arm pacer after Zaheer Khan and he has played very well in the chances provided to him. He made his debut in the Asia Cup game against Hong Kong and picked up three crucial wickets after the Hong Kong openers put on a great opening stand.

Khaleel was persisted with under Rohit Sharma's captaincy and has good stats in ODIs and decent stats in T20Is. Khaleel has picked up 11 wickets from six ODIs with a good average of 24 and economy of 5.05 and has been consistent with his line and length.

He can become a seasoned pacer for India and should feature in India's plan for the World Cup. He's probably the pick of India's list of debutants which featured players like Siddharth Kaul, Deepak Chahar and India should give him more opportunities to play alongside Bhuvi and Bumrah in the Australia and New Zealand series to further enhance this great pacer's performances.

#2 Lungi Ngidi ( South Africa)

Lungi Ngidi

Lungi Ngidi has been the find of the year for South Africa as the young pacer has impressed in both Tests and ODIs. He had already made his T20I debut when he got his first ODI cap against India in February 2018. Ngidi has had a great time since then and has cemented his place in the Proteas bowling lineup.

He has picked up 26 wickets from 13 matches at a great average of 22.03 and has picked up two four-wicket hauls. He impressed in the IPL playing for the Chennai Super Kings and has great T20I stats as well.

He has a deadly average of 11.63 in T20Is with an astounding economy rate of 6.40. In Tests, he made his debut against India and has a great record. He has picked up 15 wickets in four tests and has a great average of 19.53 as well.

Ngidi has been a standout performer for South Africa and will be crucial for their World Cup plans. Ngidi's debut was great news for South Africa and the team needs to keep him in the side and give him a lot of opportunities to him.

#1 Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)

Shaheen Afridi

Shaheen Afridi has been the latest addition to Pakistan's ever developing pace bowling talent. The left-armer has been a sensation since he made his debut in September 2018 and has been deadly and accurate with his bowling.

He has picked up 13 wickets from six ODIs at a great economy rate of 4.88 and a stunning bowling average of 17.61. He can swing the ball both ways and is now is in their squad for all formats of the game.

In T20Is too, he has taken 11 wickets in seven matches with a decent economy of 7.80 and a bowling average of 18.45.

He recently made his Test debut against New Zealand picking up three wickets in the match. Shaheen is a great talent and at just 18 years, he has shown tremendous maturity and courage.

He will be crucial for Pakistan in the coming years and is the best find of the year from ODI games and is the best debutant.