Top 5 Test Debutants in 2018

It is that time of the year when we tend to look at some of the great performances which took place in the year which is about to end that is 2018. There were some really good Test matches this year which brought back the glory to the oldest form of cricket.

We had two new teams playing this form of the game as Ireland and Afghanistan made their debut Tests. After many years, England won a Test series in Sri Lanka and even New Zealand won against Pakistan in the sub-continent.

We saw some great cricketers retire from the longest format such as Alastair Cook, AB de Villiers, Rangana Herath and Morne Morkel. There was even an unpleasant ball-tampering incident where the Australian trio got banned from international cricket.

It was a really good year for the bowlers around the world. The South African and Indian pacers were brilliant. James Anderson went past Glenn McGrath in the wickets tally and the likes of Yasir Shah as well as Mohammad Abbas broke records. There were some terrific individual performances which came from debutants.

In this article, let’s have a look at the top five Test debutants of 2018.

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#5 Sam Curran

Sam Curran played a major role in helping England achieve a series win over India

In the last few years, England had some great swing bowlers but they were missing on a left-arm. When Pakistan toured England earlier this year, Mark Wood, unfortunately, got injured and there was an opportunity to bring in a new pacer. England added the 20-year-old left-arm seamer in the squad and gave him his debut cap in the second Test at Leeds.

Sam Curran was good in that game as he picked up two wickets and scored some runs as well. He definitely showed that he belonged at this level. Curran’s moment came in his second Test against India when he bailed his team out of trouble.

In the first innings, he picked up India’s top three batsmen and then in the second innings scored 63 when England were 87-7. He even got the Man of the Series Award in the series against India. He is definitely one of the finds for England in 2018.

#4 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah has been the find for India in Test cricket in 2018

Jasprit Bumrah who had made his ODI debut in 2016 was a white ball star for India. But he hadn’t made his test debut until January 2018. He was picked in the squad for the Tests against South Africa.

Not many expected him to play in the first Test but Kohli had different plans. He was picked in the first test match and immediately made an impact as his maiden test wicket was that of AB de Villiers. Even though he was a bit expensive in the first innings, he made up for it by picking three big wickets.

The decision to unleash Bumrah turned out to be a masterclass as he is now the go-to bowler for his captain. He has had a phenomenal debut year as he picked up 48 wickets in just 9 Tests at an average of 21.02 with three five-wicket hauls. He is the new bowling superstar of India.

#3 Fakhar Zaman

Zaman made his Test debut against Australia

Fakhar Zaman had made a name for himself in the white-ball formats by scoring tons of runs. He had smashed a special hundred in the Champions Trophy Final against arch-rivals India. He had even scored a double-hundred against Zimbabwe in an ODI but he wasn’t finding a place in the Test team.

He finally got a chance when the young opener Imam-ul-Haq injured himself. Zaman made his debut against Australia in the second match of the series. It was a crucial match as the first one had ended in a draw and it was only a two-match series. Pakistan opted to bat first and in no time they found themselves in trouble as they were reduced to 57-5 by the Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Fakhar scored an important 94 with his skipper which took the Pakistan total to 282. He even contributed in the second innings with a quick 66. In short, it was a debut to remember for the left-handed opener.

#2 Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw showed his temperament even on the big stage

Prithvi Shaw was on the fringes of the Indian team for quite a few time. With consistent performances in the domestic circuit and India A, he was making a case for himself. He finally got picked in the Indian squad for the last two Tests against England when the senior opener Murali Vijay was dropped.

He didn’t get his chance in England as he wasn’t picked in the XI. But when Windies toured India, he got his chance and grabbed it with both arms. The 18-year-old opener was sensational on his debut as he scored 134 off just 154 balls which included 19 fours! Shaw put up a show in his first international match as he was at his aggressive best.

He backed up his performance in the first Test by scoring an even quicker 70 in the next Test. He even received the Man of the Series award in his debut series. Even though he missed out on the Australia tour he is definitely the player to watch out for.

#1 Ben Foakes

Ben Foakes made an impressive start to his Test career

Ben Foakes who is known for his wicket-keeping skills was first picked in the England squad as a backup to Jonny Bairstow for the ashes in 2017. He travelled to Australia with the squad but unfortunately didn’t get a single game. He was back in the squad when England toured Sri Lanka earlier this year.

Bairstow was injured and Ben got a chance in the playing XI for the first test. He came into bat when England was in trouble at 103-5 on a turning track. He immediately made an impact with the bat as he scored his maiden test century batting with the tail. He showed tremendous application and interestingly tackled the Sri Lankan spinners really well.

He was good with the gloves as he took two catches and effected a stumping. He got some quick runs in the second innings. His outstanding performance caused a selection dilemma for the next few tests.