With cricket betting on the rise, it’s worth making sure you keep an eye out for the rising stars of the sport to make sure you have an edge when placing bets. The following ten players are all ranked high for various reasons and well worth looking out for.
10. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes is a great all-rounder who bowls right-handed and bats left-handed, as well as being England’s vice-captain under Joe Root. He’s currently ranked 5th in the ICC Player Rankings for All-rounders, which might sound low, but he’s been setting a lot of records lately with the fastest ever Test double century and the highest ever score for a Test batman batting at six, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was ranked a little higher in a few years!
9. Cheteshwar Pujara
The 4th best Batsman by the ICC Player rankings, but very nearly the third. Kane Williamson is sneaking ahead by just 8 points. Though Cheteshwar Pujara could well make it back quite quickly. After all, this February in a one-off Test match against Bangladesh, he set a new record for the most runs by a batsman in an Indian first-class season, with an amazing 1,605 runs!
8. Kane Williamson
Pujara’s replacement at number 3, Kane Williamson is the current captain of New Zealand’s cricket team and one of the top four rising stars in cricket (the others are all on this list too!). Williamson’s focused and methodical style of batting has proven brilliantly effective at helping his team get the score they need.
7. Virat Kohli
From one of the Top Four to another, Virat Kohli’s at number five in the Test Batsmen Rankings which might sound low but he’s ranked at the very top in the ICC’s One Day International rankings. When it comes to ODI games, Kohli’s record is astounding. He’s the second batsman in the world to have scored 1,000 or more runs for four consecutive years and is definitely a player to look out for.
6. Ravichandran Ashwin
Sitting at two spots, Ravichandran Aswin is the third ranked top Test bowler and the third Test all-rounder. Part of this is down to Ashwin having a distinctive style of bowling called the Carrom ball. The only other modern player to use it is Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis and that distinctive spin from using the thumb and middle finger has helped both achieve great things. Not to mention he was 2016’s player of the year.
5. Jimmy Anderson
As the 6th highest Test wicket-taker of all time and the second ranked Test bowler in the ICC’s rankings, Jimmy Anderson is definitely one to look out. In addition to his spot as the 6th highest wicket taker, he’s the first English bowler to reach a 400 wicket-haul in International Test Cricket thanks to his abilities as a swing bowler.
4. Joe Root
Yet another of the top four and the captain of the English Cricket Team who’s also ranked as the second-best Test Batsmen in the ICC’s rankings. Hitting singles with a dedicated and methodical approach, Root is a brilliantly reliable batsman who slowly but surely builds his team score up, making them a safe choice when you bet on the cricket.
3. Ravindra Jadeja
According to the ICC, Ravindra Jadeja is the top ranked bowler in test matches and the second ranked All-rounder, Jadeja usurped Ashwin from his position at the top with his slow left-arm orthodox bowling style that’s proven dramatically effective. In his ODI debut he scored an unbeaten 60 off 77 balls and has only gone up since there.
2. Steve Smith
The top ranked Test batsman in the world by the ICC’s rankings, Steve Smith hits with power, precision but his real strength is in his surprisingly unorthodox style that involves frequent movement and controlling the bat with his bottom hand. While it looks messy, Smith’s technique is deceptively polished and he holds the record for most consecutive 50+ scores in World Cup History!
1. Shakib Al Hasan
Considered by many to be the greatest cricketer to ever play for Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan is the top ranked All-rounder by the ICC in all forms of play- Test, ODI and T20’s the only cricketer so far in, history, to hold the position across all three. Controlled fielding, aggressive batting and accurate bowling, Hasan is an outstanding player!
