Who are the best young T20 players in England?
We’ve decided to have a look and put together an XI of domestic players, all of whom are currently aged 24 or younger and building impressive T20 resumes.
Some have already played for England, some are on the cusp.
Tom Banton
Somerset | 23
98 T20s, 2,166 runs @ 23.04, SR: 142.5
Banton had a horrid Hundred campaign – in the £125,000 bracket for Welsh Fire, he hit 83 runs in the tournament at just 13.83. Nonetheless, still just 23, Banton has played 14 T20Is for England, most recently in the Caribbean earlier this year.
Will Smeed
Somerset | 20
54 T20s, 1,470 runs @ 30, SR: 146.85
Smeed made history earlier this month when he became the first player to score a hundred in The Hundred. The 20-year-old is already on the international radar, having been called up to play for the Lions against South Africa in July.
Will Jacks
Surrey | 23
99 T20s, 2,490 runs @ 29.64, SR: 154.56 | 23 wickets @ 25.47, ER: 7.19
The second man to score a hundred in The Hundred. Jacks’ unbeaten 108 against Southern Brave came just four days after Smeed’s hundred against the same opposition. The Surrey right-hander has had an excellent summer across forms, having hit 648 runs in the County Championship so far at 54.
Harry Brook
Yorkshire | 23
82 T20s, 2,096 runs @ 34.36, SR: 149.07
Brook made his T20I debut earlier this year, having impressed in the middle order for Yorkshire and Northern Superchargers in 2021. His winter saw him bring up his maiden T20 century in the PSL, with his unbeaten 102 against Islamabad United coming off just 49 balls.
Jordan Cox
Kent | 21
51 T20s, 1,064 runs @ 32.23, SR: 134.17
Cox was Player of the Match in the 2021 T20 Blast final, helping Kent to the title with an unbeaten 58 and some superhuman work in the field.
Chris Benjamin
Warwickshire | 23
33 T20s, 603 runs @ 31.73, SR: 147.43
Born in South Africa, Benjamin declared his ambitions to play for England after impressing in last year’s Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix. He hit 354 runs in this year’s Blast at 39.33, with an explosive strike rate of 163.13.
Sam Curran
Surrey | 24
130 T20s, 1658 runs @ 21.25, S: 136.57 | 124 wickets @ 27.37, ER: 8.59
At 24 Curran is already a well-established name in the England set-up. With a World Cup looming large in the horizon, the all-rounder has had a fine Hundred campaign so far; he is currently Oval Invincibles’ second highest wicket taker and third highest run-scorer.
Matthew Potts
Durham | 23
42 T20s, 49 wickets @ 23.55 | 127 runs @ 21.16, SR: 141.11
Potts has made a name for himself in an England Test shirt, but can hold his own in white-ball cricket too. An ODI debut came against South Africa, and he turned out twice for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred this season.
Rehan Ahmed
Leicestershire | 18
18 T20s, 19 wickets @ 23.89
Just 18, Ahmed caught the eye at this year’s Under-19 World Cup, where his 12 wickets helped England to a runners-up finish. He followed that up with a fine maiden Blast campaign and has also been a part of the Southern Brave set-up in The Hundred.
Tom Hartley
Lancashire | 23
56 T20s, 51 wickets @ 25.31, ER: 7.56
Left-arm spinner Hartley has had an excellent Hundred campaign so far, with seven matches resulting in nine wickets at an average of 14.33. He starred in the Originals’ rout of Birmingham Phoenix last week, taking 4-22.
George Scrimshaw
Derbyshire | 24
34 T20s, 44 wickets @ 22.90, ER: 8.89
Right-arm quick Scrimshaw enjoyed a fine Blast campaign for Derbyshire, taking 23 wickets at an average of 22.47 to finish as the joint-third highest wicket-taker in the competition. While his side were on the end of a record-breaking total of 265-5 in their quarter-final against Somerset, Scrimshaw came away with figures of 2-16 from his four overs.