What each international cricket team could look like in 10 years

One of the most pressing concerns for every cricket team in the current climate is bringing through young talent. Team demographics change constantly and team rankings too, hence I look at how this could affect the top eight teams' limited overs sides a few years down the line.

To form a team's playing combination 10 years from now, I have only considered players who will be 36 or younger in 2028, meaning they are currently aged 26 or less.

The teams I will look at are the current top eight in the ICC T20I rankings, although the teams I will compile will be a general limited-overs team of the future. The eight top teams at the moment in this discipline are Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Australia

Billy Stanlake is already making waves in the international circuit

Australia are the only Test-playing nation aside from Zimbabwe to have never sat atop the T20I rankings, but they recently climbed to the No. 2 spot.

Cricket Australia selected a side for the tri-series against New Zealand and England based on players' Big Bash form and came up with a young and effective team.

For the top-order batsmen, I have chosen three Under-19 World Cup stars. Nathan McSweeney made headlines after an incredible 156 against Papua New Guinea and if he partners Jack Edwards, a more consistent performer in the Under-19 tournament, it could be a very interesting opening combination when they mature as players. The number three is Jason Sangha. Sangha seems to be the natural heir to Steve Smith considering his ability to hold an innings together, as well as lead a side, which he is accustomed to doing. This is why he is also our choice for captain.

The middle-order is far more experienced. Adelaide Strikers' Travis Head and Perth Scorchers' Mitchell Marsh have both represented Australia before on numerous occasions and will still be young enough to play at the international level in 2028, while I tip Alex Ross of Brisbane Heat to mature and become an Australia international soon. My wicketkeeper of choice is Alex Carey, who is already putting in a strong claim to be the first choice ODI and T20I wicketkeeper and should still be as effective in a decade's time.

My bowling choices to accompany Mitchell Marsh are Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Arjun Nair and Billy Stanlake. Stanlake and Cummins seem sure to be Australia's future pace bowling attack and have already started to have an influence on the Australian team. Agar is getting better with experience while Nair has produced fantastic performances in the Big Bash. However, Nair will have competition from upcoming leggie Lloyd Pope and Melbourne Stars' Adam Zampa, who is currently the first choice leg-spinner for the Baggy Greens.

2028 Australia XI: Nathan McSweeney, Jack Edwards, Jason Sangha (C), Alex Ross, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Arjun Nair, Billy Stanlake.

England

Ben Stokes has already been touted as a future England captain

England are one of the most difficult teams to formulate a future XI for. Sam Billings, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Tom Curran are seemingly the only players who are set for a solid run in the future England team, with plenty of young batsmen impressing in the England Lions team but not enough to be tipped for big things.

To join Billings and Stokes, who I have chosen as captain, in the top six are openers; Liam Banks and Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Liam Banks is very much a wildcard pick, because his only real experience of international cricket is the Under 19 World Cup, where he put together some very solid performances. Tom Kohler-Cadmore seems much more likely to get to the top, even getting the attention of current Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, who was so impressed with Kohler-Cadmore at Yorkshire that he brought him to the Bengal Tigers and the Quetta Gladiators.

At number three I have chosen Harry Brooks for his fantastic performances for the Under 19 side while Liam Livingstone is my last batting choice due to his ever-improving style at Lancashire. Brooks would also be a good choice for captain, but I'm banking on Stokes still being around at this time.

The pacers in this XI are Jofra Archer, Tom Curran and Paul Coughlin. Archer is likely to be included in the England team as soon as he is eligible to represent England and Curran is already performing solidly. Coughlin has been predicted to make the cut following his impressive performances for England Lions.

The two spinners I have chosen are Jack Leach and Mason Crane. Mason Crane is already involved in the England team in all formats and I've chosen Leach due to his work ethic, which has already been impressive enough to earn him a place in the England Test side. A limited-overs call-up could be on the horizon.

2028 England XI: Liam Banks, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Harry Brooks, Sam Billings, Liam Livingstone, Ben Stokes (C), Jofra Archer, Paul Coughlin, Tom Curran, Jack Leach, Mason Crane.

India

Prithvi Shaw is well on his way to greatness

India have been one of the best teams in the world recently for introducing new talent to the international stage. Future stars like Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Rishabh Pant have all been included in recent ODI and T20I teams and have gained experience from it, not to mention the fact that the India Under 19 team won the Under 19 Cricket World Cup.

This means there are a ton of different players to choose from.

The openers I've chosen are KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw. Rahul has already hit an international century and is a naturally aggressive opening batsman who has come along massively in the last three years. Shaw, meanwhile, is seen as a future megastar. I have also chosen him as captain, as he has been very successful as a skipper so farl. Shreyas Iyer is my pick for number three due to his experience and dynamic style of batting. There is also a possibility of Iyer opening with Shaw at three.

The middle order starts with Rishabh Pant. There is a general feeling that once Pant has a breakthrough innings, he will immediately become more mature as a batsman. Shubman Gill is the number five. He already earned comparisons to Virat Kohli for his batting style and contributed to the U-19 team's success at this year's tournament.

The all-rounders are Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar. While Hardik is an obvious choice, Vijay Shankar appears to be a good future option due to his mature yet potentially destructive batting as well as his bowling. Sundar is widely regarded as a good option to replace Ravichandran Ashwin and can also act as a power hitter at the end of the innings.

The leg-spinner I have chosen is Kuldeep Yadav, although Axar Patel is another good option. Kuldeep, due to his international performances recently gets the nod. The two pace bowlers I have gone with are Jaydev Unadkat and Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah is already one of the first names on the team sheet but the second pace option was a close call between Unadkat and Siraj. Due to his consistency and economy, I've gone with Unadkat.

2028 India XI: KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand

Glenn Phillips has already found a place in the New Zealand national team

New Zealand often fly under the radar in terms of developing young talent for the big stage but plenty has come out of the Kiwi nation recently, with the likes of Lockie Ferguson even making it into an IPL team.

The batting line-up starts with Under 19 star Jakob Bhula. The Wellington-born opener made his name with a 180 against Kenya and his other performances in the Under 19 World Cup are surely good enough to establish him as a future fixture in the Kiwi team. To partner him is Glenn Phillips, the wicket-keeper batsman who has demonstrated great maturity in all his matches at the top level. My number three is wicket-keeper Tim Seifert, who performed very well against England and Australia in the tri-series after his debut against Pakistan.

The middle order starts with the experienced Henry Nicholls, who is yet to really establish his place in the New Zealand XI despite some good performances. Nicholls is sure, however, to get better with age. Finishing the middle order are Tom Bruce and Mark Chapman. Bruce was good against India and held down the number four role in T20Is for a while despite his relative inexperience, which is his only real downside, while Chapman was hugely impressive for Hong Kong before his New Zealand switch, where he is yet to get used to the top level.

My two spinners of choice are Mitch Santner and Ish Sodhi. These two established spinners have plenty of international cricket left in them and are young at the moment, and Santner's attitude has earned him the captaincy status in this team.

The three pacers I have gone with are Adam Milne, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. All of these three pacers are already established on the international circuit and due to their age, they all get a place in this team for the future, making the bowling line-up an established one indeed.

2028 New Zealand XI: Jakob Bhula, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (WK), Henry Nicholls, Tom Bruce, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (C), Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.

Pakistan

17-year-old Shaheen Afridi has been described as Pakistan's version of Mitchell Starc

Pakistan are one of the most youthful teams in international cricket at the moment. Stars such as Babar Azam, Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali already have a ton of experience and still have many years ahead of them.

My picks for the openers are Imam-ul-Haq and Rohail Nazir. While Ahmed Shehzad will still technically be eligible for selection, Imam-ul-Haq should really develop his technical ability over the next few years. Looking at his performances in the recent National T20 League, Imam should also easily be able to develop his attacking game, making him a complete player. Rohail Nazir looks like the most likely wicket-keeping successor to Sarfraz Ahmed and gets in my XI due to the fact that his role is an opening batsman as well.

In the middle order, the number three and captain is Babar Azam. Babar is still only 23 but has already become the No. 3 T20I and No. 5 ODI batsman in the world. Joining Babar in the middle order are Hussain Talat and Asif Ali. Both Talat and Asif have been very impressive for Islamabad in the PSL and look very much like the future of the Pakistan middle order.

My picks for the all-rounders are Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz. I have gone with six bowlers as this is clearly Pakistan's strength as well as the fact that each of these players' batting ability is satisfactory. Faheem and Nawaz are both only 24, with Shadab Khan only 19, and the extra pacer plus the right-arm leggie and left-arm off-spinner is a very good combination.

Choosing the pacers was the hardest part. While Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali's inclusions are self-explanatory, choosing between Usman Khan, Rumman Raees and Shaheen Afridi was very difficult. While Usman Khan and Rumman Raees are both world class, I have chosen Shaheen Afridi, as I think he could develop quickly and become an international megastar.

2028 Pakistan XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Rohail Nazir (WK), Babar Azam (C), Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi.

South Africa

Aiden Markram has already captained South Africa and established a place in the Test team

The South Africa cricket team's future XI was pretty easy to compile aside from the middle order. The opening batsmen, Quinton de Kock, and my choice for captain, Aiden Markram, are very easy choices and many people would put a lot of money on them being the future opening pair for the Proteas. Heinrich Klaasen in the middle was also a very easy choice due to his immense potential and fantastic recent performances, including a blistering 69 against India.

The rest of the middle order was very difficult to pick, though. At number three I have gone with Tony de Zorzi. de Zorzi is an established leader and has been a very consistent scorer for both Titans and Northerns. De Zorzi could also open with de Kock with Markram at three or four. Theunis de Bruyn and Zubayr Hamza complete the middle order. De Bruyn is already a Test batsman and has also thrived in the South African T20 league, where he hit a ton in an earlier game. The 22-year-old Hamza seems to be a late bloomer and has a very promising future ahead of him.

The one spinner in this team is Prenelan Subrayen, an off-spinner who plays for Dolphins. Subrayen has been very consistent and an international call-up is surely on the horizon, in all formats. Aside from the easy picks in Andile Phehlukwayo and Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi gets my vote courtesy his performances in Test cricket thus far and the fact that he will spend time with IPL side Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018. Willem Mulder completes the line up. He has played for South Africa before and has impressed; the 22-year-old already has a century and a seven-fer to his name.

2028 South Africa XI: Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram (C), Tony de Zorzi, Theunis de Bruyn, Heinrich Klaasen, Zubayr Hamza, Andile Phehlukwayo, Prenelan Subrayen, Willem Mulder, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

Sri Lanka

Kusal Mendis was impressive in the recent Nidahas Trophy against India and Bangladesh

The Sri Lankan cricket team have found themselves in a pickle over the last two years but there is some very exciting talent lined up for the next decade.

This team's top-order consists of Niroshan Dickwella, Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis. My choice for captain and keeper is Dickwella, as the young opener is very aggressive and has already been labelled a potential Lankan captain. Avishka Fernando is a good candidate to partner him at the top. The young right-hander is classy and consistent, making him a perfect foil. My number three is Kusal Mendis, who was the first name on this team-sheet.

At number four, I have chosen Sadeera Samarawickrama, as the youngster was very impressive against Pakistan and India and looks to have huge potential. In the number five and six spots are two batting all-rounders; Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva. Asalanka and Dhananjaya are two very solid batsmen and have a bright future; Dhananjaya has already represented Sri Lanka while Asalanka has impressed for the Sri Lanka Under 19s.

The five bowling spots comprise two spinners and three pacers. The first is Dasun Shanaka; who is sure to grow into his role in the Sri Lanka team with both bat and ball while the two spinners, Wanindu Hasaranga and Akila Dananjaya, have already impressed in the Lankan blue. My two pace-bowling choices are Shehan Madushanka and Dushmantha Chameera. Chameera has already played a lot for Sri Lanka and has been rewarded for impressive performances with an IPL contract. Madushanka has flown relatively under the radar for an international hat-trick getter. The 22-year-old was very impressive on debut and will be a star to look out for in the future.

2028 Sri Lanka XI: Niroshan Dickwella (WK) (C), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Shehan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera.

West Indies

Alick Athanadze averaged 104 in

the 2018

Under 19 Cricket World Cup

The Windies cricket team have been engaged in a downward spiral for the last few years, meaning their future XI is very difficult to predict aside from a few players who have emerged from the rubble; these players are Evin Lewis and Shai Hope who I have put down as two members of the top three.

Lewis' opening partner will be Nicholas Pooran. The fiery wicket-keeper-batsman has not yet realised his potential but at the age of 22, he has a lot of time to develop consistency in his game, having already gained experience with the Mumbai Indians, Islamabad United and the Multan Sultans. My captain and number four on this team is Shimron Hetmyer.

Hetmyer has already hit an international century and looks like a fantastic batsman. The number five batsman, Alick Athanaze, is perhaps the least well-known player chosen in any of the hypothetical sides, but is perhaps the West Indies' most promising youngster, having set the Under 19 World Cup on fire this year. The final batting spot has been reserved for Rovman Powell, who has already hit an ODI century. Powell has already experienced the IPL and CPL as well.

Keemo Paul is the main all-rounder in this team. Paul has been a revelation since last year's CPL and also put in a good shift in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. At the age of 20, he looks like a future star.

My two spinners are Jeavor Royal and Jomel Warrican. Warrican has been around for a while in Windies Test circles and is hitting real form. He can build on this and cement a place in the West Indies squads in all formats whereas Jeavor Royal, a left-armer from Jamaica, impressed in the Under 19 World Cup.

The two pace bowlers are Odean Smith and Alzarri Joseph. Odean could make his West Indies debut against Pakistan in Karachi and is sure to develop into a star, especially due to the fact he is already capable of hitting speeds of 145kph, regularly. Alzarri has already represented West Indies but has so far failed to reach his potential. However, Joseph is only 21 and still has plenty time to develop.

2028 West Indies XI: Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope (WK), Shimron Hetmyer (C), Alick Athanaze, Rovman Powell, Keemo Paul, Jomel Warrican, Jeavor Royal, Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph.

Other players to look out for:

Rashid Khan is already one of the world's best spinners

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan: Rashid Khan is possibly the best cricketer in the world under the age of 20 at the moment, although Shadab Khan may have something to say about that.

Liton Das, Bangladesh: Liton Das has been around the Bangladesh team for a while and grabbed headlines with solid performances in the Nidahas Trophy, making him a contender for future Bangladesh ODI and T20 teams.

Mehedi Hasan, Bangaldesh: Another leg spinner who is sure to make waves on the international stage soon is Mehedi Hasan. Mehedi is sure to establish a place in the Bangladesh XI in the future and lead the spin attack.

Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh: The Fizz has already established himself on the international stage, but at the age of 22, still has a lot to learn. He could develop into one of the best bowlers in the world.

Sandeep Lamichhane, Nepal: The young leg-spinner from Nepal has already received attention from IPL side Delhi Daredevils and has bucket loads of potential. Lamichhane is also sure to learn the tricks of the trade with Delhi.