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We have reached the business end of cricket for the year 2018. It has been a memorable and an energetic year for cricket fraternity. The year 2019 will witness the most-awaited extravaganza tournament, i.e., ICC 2019 World Cup wherein the 10 participating teams will battle it out to clinch the title.
The year 2018 has witnessed India's rise to the top under Virat Kohli, Australia's downfall in the absence of Steve Smith, England's resurgence under Joe Root, New Zealand's steady progress, South Africa's imbalance without maestro AB de Villiers, Pakistan's unpredictability, and Afghanistan's emergence at the International level.
While some of the star performers for each team have been credited for their consistent performances, some of the cricketers haven't got their due share of honours.
Here, we take a look at those under-rated cricketers of 2018.
#1 Tom Latham
Tom Latham, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, is currently having the best time of his career. He has been in sublime form over the past three months and has been scoring runs for fun.
Tom Lathan has provided brilliant starts at the top of the order for New Zealand and has put up spirited performances. Tom Lathan has been exceptional with the bat as he has a mammoth 658 runs from seven Tests at a magnificent average of 59.81.
He also played marathon innings of 264* against Sri Lanka in the recently-concluded Test series. He has also been very effective and flawless with the glovework. His fine stroke-play and his ability to accelerate the innings at will has been lauded by cricket pundits.
Despite these scintillating performances, Tom Latham has been vastly under-rated and has not been given enough recognition. Added to that, he is yet to find an IPL contract to his name.
#2 Liton Das
Liton Das is possibly one of the most underrated batsmen in the world. Hailing from Dinajpur in Bangladesh, Liton Das has displayed great batting skills and has proved to be one of the most improved Bangladeshi cricketers. He has also proved to be a revelation for Bangladesh.
He has been racking up consistent performances ever since he scored his maiden ODI century against India in the finals of the 2018 Asia Cup. He played a blitzkrieg knock of 121 runs off 117 balls which included 12 fours and two sixes.
He has also delivered several match-winning knocks for Bangladesh and has executed the role of an opener to perfection. He has scored 340 runs from 12 ODIs this year at an average of 28.33. In addition to that, he has also effected four catches and three stumpings.
Hence, Liton Das remains as one of the standout cricketers of Bangladesh this year.
#3 Reeza Hendricks
Reeza Hendricks, the stylish right-handed batsman, has simply been been the perfect player to fill in the voids left by AB de Villiers. The flamboyant opening batsman is a hard hitter of the ball and can dispatch it out of the stadium with ease. The power-hitter has always been a threat to any bowler and can be lethal in response to any bowling attack.
In the 14 T20Is he has featured for South Africa, he has scored 313 at a tremendous strike-rate of 115.92. In addition to that, he has been in red-hot form for Jozi Stars in the Mzansi Super League (MSL).
His last eight scores for Jozi Stars read 33, 20, 5, 8, 79, 108*, 104* and 55. The 29-year-old is also an energetic fielder and a live-wire in his position in the field. Despite these performances, he has been under-estimated and not given enough chances.
#4 Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman, the Hong Kong-born New Zealand cricketer, is currently one of the best T20I wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world. In the 10 matches he has played for New Zealand this year, he has three catches to his name and has scored 92 runs with a high score of 37*.
Despite performing well for Black Caps and Auckland, he has not been given enough chances to perform at the international level.
#5 Alex Carey
It is quite surprising that a lot of wicketkeeper-batsmen have made 2018 a memorable one due to their valiant efforts with the bat and the glove. Alex Carey, the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman has been no exception as he has been phenomenal with the bat and has a jaw-dropping strike-rate of 123.76 in T20I's.
He has featured in six ODIs and has scored 199 runs at a decent average of 33.17.
#6 Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari has simply proved to be India's long-term solution for a batting all-rounder in the longest format of the game. He has set the stage on fire with his solid batting and timely bowling skills.
He has featured in three Tests so far and has scored 125 runs with a high score of 56. Added to that, he has also taken wickets so far. He also batted out the first hour of the third Test against Australia and set the platform for India's Test stalwarts Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.
#7 Oshane Thomas
Oshane Thomas, the Jamaican fast bowler has simply become a batsman's nightmare in recent times and has been one of the best finds of 2018. He can rip apart the stumps with his deadly yorkers and deceptive slower balls.
He has featured in 10 matches for West Indies so far, (which includes four ODIs and six T20s), and has taken 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.48.
#8 Ish Sodhi
Ish Sodhi, the Indian-born New Zealand cricketer, has grown rich in stature as a bowler and his value has significantly increased over the years. Ish Sodhi is a great turner of the ball and most batsmen have fallen prey to his line and lengths. He has also become a household name in various T20 leagues across the world.
The leg-spinner has been extraordinary in ODI cricket as he has taken 12 wickets at an economy rate of 6.13 from just seven games.
#9 Nathan Lyon
Nathon Lyon is one of the best spinners in the world currently and is having the form of his life. The 31-year-old off-spinner single-handedly won the second Test for Australia from the hands of India in the ongoing Test series.
He has featured in 10 tests this year and has taken 49 wickets with best bowling figures of 6/22. Moreover, he has conceded 1667 at a brilliant economy rate of 2.71.
#10 Billy Stanlake
Billy Stanlake is one of the most sought-after and under-estimated T20I bowlers in the world. However, he has found less game time as his career has been riddled with injuries. He is also known for taking wickets in batsmen-friendly pitches. The Australian pacer also has a good mix of variations which can stifle the batsmen.
His performances at the international level have been stupendous as he has taken 25 wickets from 17 games at an economy of 8.09 in T20I's.
Moreover, he has taken six wickets to his name from as many matches in ODIs. But, he has been overshadowed by fellow Australian pacer Andrew Tye and he undoubtedly deserves more fame.
#11 Khaleel Ahmed
Khaleel Ahmed, the 21-year-old left arm pacer has proved to be a revelation for the Indian team as he has made a mark with his bowling exploits. Khaleel Ahmed has stifled the batsman with his deadly bouncers. He can also bowl above 130 km/h speed regularly.
He has played six ODI's so far and has scalped 11 wickets at a magnificent economy rate of 5.07.
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