With South Africa touring New Zealand, Australia heading to Pakistan and India returning to England’s shores once more, there is more than plenty opportunity for players to make their name in international cricket this year. And that’s without even mentioning yet another T2o World Cup that is to be held in Australia in October and November of this year.

Below are nine players who are either in the very early stages of their international career or yet to make their debut at all.

England – Saqib Mahmood

Mahmood has had an outstanding 2021, with his performance in the white-ball series against Pakistan a particular highlight. With England always after a bowler capable of bowling at high pace and with Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Olly Stone all either being injured or at constant risk of one, Mahmood could well break into England’s Test team this year.

Australia – Josh Inglis

Inglis only just missed out to Alex Carey in a shoot-out of who would take over the gloves for The Ashes after Tim Paine’s resignation as Test captain. However, it is testament to Inglis’s ability that currently his white-ball credentials are arguably his strongest suit. It wouldn’t be wholly surprising to see Inglis debut in the shortest format as a specialist batter if Matthew Wade continues with the gloves after his excellent World Cup.

India – Ravi Bishnoi

Bishnoi has become one of the premier spinners in the IPL and is arguably one of the best white-ball players currently uncapped at international level. Could another strong showing in this year’s tournament see him force his way into the side for the T20 World Cup in Australia?

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Sri Lanka – Maheesh Theekshana

A potentially contentious inclusion as Theekshana’s T20 World Cup performance this year has already launched him onto the world stage. However, Sri Lanka have had many a mystery spinner who burst onto the scene only to fade away dramatically as opponents worked them out. Can Theekshana buck that trend and cement his place in international cricket?

Pakistan – Mohammad Huraira

At just 19 years of age, Muhammad Huraira became only the second Pakistani teenager to score a triple century in first-class cricket after the great Javed Miandad. Eleven games into his first-class career and he already has three centuries, five fifties and an average of 58.00. With Abid Ali absent for an unspecified amount of time after undergoing heart surgery, there is a chance that Huraira will make his debut at the top of the Pakistan order against Australia. A recent graduate of the Pakistan Under-19 set-up, Huraira registered a pair of half-centuries in a losing cause in the recent Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final.

South Africa – Marco Jansen

It’s hard to look anywhere else for this one. Not only does Jansen bowl left-arm rockets from his 6’8″ frame, but he is already being trusted to operate as South Africa’s premier all-rounder, batting at No.7 against India. Whilst it’s early days, it’s very hard not to be excited about the potential player South Africa have found in Jansen.

Marco Jansen: 21, 6ft 8in, a left-armer, good pace and already being picked as no 7 in Test cricket.

Has the making of an immense cricketer for South Africa

— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) January 3, 2022

Bangladesh – Mahmudul Hasan Joy

Joy – tipped by Bangladesh cricket expert Sight Screen Cricket Journal to be one to watch in 2022 – has been on Bangladesh’s radar for a while. In 2020, he was their top run scorer in the U-19 World Cup and confirmed this potential with his maiden Test fifty against New Zealand in the first match of 2022.

West Indies – Jayden Seales

“This kid is ready to be in and around the senior set up right now,” said Ian Bishop in 2020, just months after Seales’ 18th birthday. Bishop was proved right. Seales may have only played five first-class matches in total, but four of them have been in Tests, including the Windies’ memorable one-wicket victory against Pakistan. With West Indies playing three Tests against England in March and the current fragile state of the England batting line-up, Seales is a name who many English fans could be very familiar with, very soon.

New Zealand – Finn Allen

45 games into his domestic T20 career and 22-year-old Finn Allen has a strike rate of 172.91. Paired with an average above 30 and his incredible arrival onto the domestic scene has led to him earning six caps for New Zealand in the shortest format, although with the emergence of Daryl Mitchell as an opener and the ever present Martin Guptill at the top of the order, Allen has had to wait for further opportunities. That could all change in 2022.