Pick five players.....

[Barney Rubble]

.....from your country's domestic league, who most won't have heard of, who you think will play international cricket in the next five years. Here's mine, from England:

1. Billy Godleman (Middlesex) - 16 year old batsman with one FC game, and one FC fifty, against one of the UCCE teams. By all accounts a fantastic prospect, has been scoring fifties at 2nd XI level regularly, and can only be a matter of time (perhaps even for the last game or two of this season) before he breaks into the full Middx side, and from then on who knows? If he's as talented as they say, he might make it very soon.

2. Wesley Durston (Somerset) - young off-spinner and aggressive, strokeplaying middle-order batsman who is steadily improving, game after game. Scored his first FC hundred this year and although his bowling is still a work in progress, has begun taking wickets in OD cricket with far greater regularity since gaining a regular first-team spot in the latter part of this season.

3. Scott Newman (Surrey) - aggressive opening bat in the Trescothick mould. Left-handed with little footwork but lots of shots. If he manages to regain the form he showed at the beginning of this season, he could be shooting up the pecking order very quickly.

4. Liam Plunkett (Durham) - accurate and quick seam bowler, and useful lower-order batsman. Could well make the ODI side in the next couple of years, and looks a good bet, given the performances he has delivered in a successful Durham side this year, to make the Test team at some point.

5. Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire) - another South-African born lad, but whether he chooses to commit himself to them remains to be seen. Whoever he chooses to play for, two OD hundreds in the last month have shown his undoubted talent, backed up by an FC average of 40 and a top score of 210. His bowling is also improving, with the three wickets he took in the C&G Final (including Kevin Pietersen) evidence of his development.

 

[sledger]

james hildreth ?

sean ervine as well perhaps, he has stated his desire to play for england, and like trott he was born abroad (zimbabwe) despite playing a handful of tests and over 40 odis for them he wtill wishes to play for england, he is a player that i rate very highly from what i have seen of him when i have been to see hampshire play this year, he is another one who has also got 2 OD hundreds in the last 2 matches of the C&G.

 

[Barney Rubble]

james hildreth ?

I wrote his name in spot number 5, then decided against it because people would think I was being a little Somerset-biased.

Fantastic prospect, a young lad with all the shots. He just needs to learn to convert good scores into big ones, and to become a bit of a better starter, he always looks more uneasy than most when he first comes in.

Ervine could well make it back into international cricket - he may have to decide whether he wants to be a batsman only or an all-rounder though. He took 5 wickets today for Hants, so he may lean towards the latter.

 

[sledger]

i dont think his bowling is up to allrounder status, he is more of a batsman that can bowl a bit, like kallis i suppose. I think if he concentrates on his batting then he will end up being one of the best in the county, he has proved to be a real find for hampshire,

and yeah you are right about hildreth.

 

[Barney Rubble]

i dont think his bowling is up to allrounder status, he is more of a batsman that can bowl a bit, like kallis i suppose. I think if he concentrates on his batting then he will end up being one of the best in the county, he has proved to be a real find for hampshire,

and yeah you are right about hildreth.

Perhaps Hildreth would benefit from moving a place or two down the order - he bats four in both formats at the moment, and yet most of his best scores have come from five or six. I saw him hit 54 off 27 balls in a Twenty20 game from number six, and his maiden FC hundred came at five, so maybe the time is right for Captain Blackwell to step up the order a little and give the youngsters a breather.

 

[Jamee999]

3. Scott Newman (Surrey) - aggressive opening bat in the Trescothick mould. Left-handed with little footwork but lots of shots. If he manages to regain the form he showed at the beginning of this season, he could be shooting up the pecking order very quickly.
development.

He hit a double ton on ICC today, part of a triple century opening stand with Darren Maddy(who hit 150+) and then a century partnership with Rahul Dravid, who hit a fifty.

 

[Barney Rubble]

He hit a double ton on ICC today, part of a triple century opening stand with Darren Maddy(who hit 150+) and then a century partnership with Rahul Dravid, who hit a fifty.

We are talking International Cricket Captain here, right?

The man is a God on that game - he once hit 389 for me. Mind you, Tendulkar hit 576 a few weeks later, so there's a lot of that going around......

 

[steds]

1. Simon Marshall (Lancashire)
Leg Spinner who is more than handy with the bat, as his FC century and 3 50's show. Murali, Keedy and now Murali Kartik blocking his progress at the moment, but he'll be the man soon enough.

2-5. See, Barney Rubble's, but take the Durston bloke and Trott out and insert Steve Harmison's brother, Ben

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Not sure how unheard of these guys are, but I'm sticking to those who haven't played internationals yet.

Sean Marsh (WA) - Quite talented, hailed by Steve Waugh as a future Australian player. Has so far not quite lived up to his billing with a FC average of 30, but has a fair chance given his reputation of playing for Australia if he has a good season or two. 22 years old.

Mark Cosgrove (SA) - Despite being dropped a couple of times last year, really showed a bit on a couple of occasions, and is someone to watch next year. Only 21 and seems to be improving, FC average of 31.

Daniel Cullen (SA) - Had the best debut season for a spinner in Australia for a fair while. Got some attention with some good performances through the year, and earned himself an Australian contract with a big finish, putting in three big performances in a row, including 8 wickets at the WACA and 9 at Hobart on the two least spin-friendly surfaces in Australia to finish the season. Only 20, and may even possess a doosra.

Phil Jaques (NSW) - Obviously had some attention on this forum, but has really exploded on to the scene in the last year. Was dominant with the bat last season for NSW, and then had a very successful stint with Yorkshire in the CC, and has boosted his career FC average up to 55. Just a few days ago in his first Australia A appearance, carried his bat for a near-century in difficult batting conditions. 26 years old, and a clear candidate for an opening position in the test side soon.

Cameron White (VIC) - Was the "new Warne" at the start of his career, but quickly became the butt of many jokes when he didn't quite live up to his billing. Still, has proved quite adept as captain of Victoria, and while his flat, quick leg-spinners aren't as penetrative as they might be, his batting has improved noticably in recent times. This improvement in his batting and some good showings with Australia A might yet earn him a place in the Australian ODI team as an all-rounder, and at only 22 he has a lot more experience at first class level than most cricketers his age. Averages 27 with the bat and 34 with the ball in FC cricket.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I wrote his name in spot number 5, then decided against it because people would think I was being a little Somerset-biased.

Yet you still put Wes Durston in?

I'm honestly just shocked that MJW wasn't mentioned.

 

[sledger]

Perhaps Hildreth would benefit from moving a place or two down the order - he bats four in both formats at the moment, and yet most of his best scores have come from five or six. I saw him hit 54 off 27 balls in a Twenty20 game from number six, and his maiden FC hundred came at five, so maybe the time is right for Captain Blackwell to step up the order a little and give the youngsters a breather.

yeah i agree about hildreths place in the order, i think he would benefit a great deal if he came in at 5 or 6, i think doing so could turn his potential from being a reasonable prospect to being a tremendous prospect.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Yet you still put Wes Durston in?

I'm honestly just shocked that MJW wasn't mentioned.

Well maybe you overestimated how much I rate him, then.

I never, at any point, said he was England material (I don't think so, anyway.....), just that he was under-rated. And most of his runs do come at Taunton, as someone else pointed out.

I put Durston in because in five years' time, he could easily be better than a Graeme Swann or an Alex Loudon, and they're already being mentioned as possible inclusions for this winter.

Could be worse - I could have included Gareth Andrew, Michael Munday, Michael Parsons, Arul Suppiah, Carl Gazzard.........*fades away into oblivion*.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Not sure how unheard of these guys are, but I'm sticking to those who haven't played internationals yet.

Sean Marsh (WA) - Quite talented, hailed by Steve Waugh as a future Australian player. Has so far not quite lived up to his billing with a FC average of 30, but has a fair chance given his reputation of playing for Australia if he has a good season or two. 22 years old.

Mark Cosgrove (SA) - Despite being dropped a couple of times last year, really showed a bit on a couple of occasions, and is someone to watch next year. Only 21 and seems to be improving, FC average of 31.

Daniel Cullen (SA) - Had the best debut season for a spinner in Australia for a fair while. Got some attention with some good performances through the year, and earned himself an Australian contract with a big finish, putting in three big performances in a row, including 8 wickets at the WACA and 9 at Hobart on the two least spin-friendly surfaces in Australia to finish the season. Only 20, and may even possess a doosra.

Phil Jaques (NSW) - Obviously had some attention on this forum, but has really exploded on to the scene in the last year. Was dominant with the bat last season for NSW, and then had a very successful stint with Yorkshire in the CC, and has boosted his career FC average up to 55. Just a few days ago in his first Australia A appearance, carried his bat for a near-century in difficult batting conditions. 26 years old, and a clear candidate for an opening position in the test side soon.

Cameron White (VIC) - Was the "new Warne" at the start of his career, but quickly became the butt of many jokes when he didn't quite live up to his billing. Still, has proved quite adept as captain of Victoria, and while his flat, quick leg-spinners aren't as penetrative as they might be, his batting has improved noticably in recent times. This improvement in his batting and some good showings with Australia A might yet earn him a place in the Australian ODI team as an all-rounder, and at only 22 he has a lot more experience at first class level than most cricketers his age. Averages 27 with the bat and 34 with the ball in FC cricket.

Re: Cameron White - how long do you think it'll be (if ever) before his averages cross over? Around that time I think we'll probably see him introduced to the Oz side, that tends to be the case with a lot of all-rounders.

 

[Kweek]

Alexei Kervezee will play WC 2007...take a look at him.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Alexei Kervezee will play WC 2007...take a look at him.

16 years old, looks like he's a batsman, from Namibia?

And if so, where the hell does he get a name like that from?

 

[Kweek]

15 years old! originally from namibia, but went to holland 6 years ago I think.
erm Namibia used to be a dutch collony(just like South-Africa) and his parents are orginally South-African(hance the dutch last name)

 

[Chubb]

Zimbabwe first, then England.

Tino Mawoyo- The U19 captain, a very talented and composed batsman who has had a good year with Mashonaland that would have been better were it not for his educational commitments.

Friday Kasteni- Scored 100* out of 251 on debut for Midlands, and although he didn't repeat that performance he would have to have had some talent to do it so hopefully he'll come again.

Craig Ervine- Sean's brother, a very talented pace bowler and hard-hitting batsman very similar to Sean, he had a good year for Midlands.

Gerry Penford- a pace bowler who was born in Dallas, and plays for Manicaland, and took 5-86 against the strong Matabeleland batting lineup on a flat pitch

Ian Nicolson- 18 year old Midlands pace bowler who has been quite destructive on his day.

The above was entirely based on guesswork, and if you ask me the best guys for the job in future, Ireland etc. have already played internationally. Although Justice Chibhabha got a duck on ODI debut you can expect much more from him in future, I believe.

Now England.

Ravinder Bopara- Although Cook got all the plaudits for his double hundred,Ravinder, a highly talented allround cricketer also got a hundred v. Australia and has made runs for Essex all year.

Stephen Davies- Worc's keeper who already has a 150+ score in the championship despite being only 20 and very capable behind the stumps too.

Godleman- for the reasons Barney outlined.

Moeen Ali- a young Warwickshire player who is apparently quite sublimely gifted with the bat, U19 international.

Varun Chopra- England U19 captain from Essex, opens the batting and looks seriously good.

 

[Barney Rubble]

15 years old! originally from namibia, but went to holland 6 years ago I think.
erm Namibia used to be a dutch collony(just like South-Africa) and his parents are orginally South-African(hance the dutch last name)

Cricinfo says he's 16 years 9 days old.

And as regards his name, I thought Kervezee sounded Russian with the Alexei in front of it, that's why I wondered about it - if it's Dutch then that's the explanation. I was wondering if cricket was going to get it's first Russian - we've got a Croat, a Malaysian, a Greek (or two) and a Pole, so it wouldn't be a surprise.

 

[superkingdave]

Simon Marshall as above

Neil Dexter(Kent) - looks all class

Tom Smith(Lancs) Eng U-19 all rounder

Shafayat will come good IMO

add Cook and thats 5

 

[Magrat Garlick]

This seems made for me.

Oh wait, Norway's domestic players s*ck.