The 2022 T20 Blast saw a number of young players make their first major impact on the domestic game.

All players listed here are less than 25 years old, played a minimum of five games in the tournament and did not feature in The Hundred last year.

George Scrimshaw – Derbyshire

23 wkts @ 22.47, Econ 9.07

The tall right-arm seamer more than doubled his career T20 wickets tally this summer with 23 victims, a record that earned him a wildcard deal with the Welsh Fire and a call-up to the England Lions series against South Africa.

Rehan Ahmed – Leicestershire

19 wkts @ 20.15, Econ 7.34

The 17 year-old leggie was the third top wicket-taker amongst spinners this year behind only Jake Lintott and teammate Callum Parkinson. Ahmed’s googly has turned heads and he has made good on the potential that saw Southern Brave sign him for The Hundred before the season started. Ahmed, like Scrimshaw, was also called up to the England Lions fixtures against South Africa.

Gus Atkinson – Surrey

11 wkts @ 14.54, Econ 8.00

Clocked at 90mph during Surrey’s quarter-final against Yorkshire, Atkinson has turned a few heads this season with former England quick Ajmal Shahzad saying the seamers’ “effortless” action has “got a little bit of Jofra about him“. Surrey’s strength and depth has restricted the 24-year-old to only a handful of appearances over recent years but this has been a breakthrough season for the seamer who was added to Oval Invincibles squad for The Hundred.

Dan Mousley – Birmingham Bears

166 runs @ 55.33, SR 178.49; 3 wkts @ 17.66, Econ 6.62

The 21-year-old only played five games in the competition but it was enough to earn him a Hundred wildcard for Birmingham Phoenix. The left-handed former England U19 batter struck 166 runs at an incredible strike-rate of 178.49 as well as contributing with his right-arm off spin where he picked up three wickets and went at just over six runs an over.

Saif Zaib – Northamptonshire

311 runs @ 34.55, HS 92, SR 150.97

The third season in a row that Zaib has been a part of Northamptonshire’s T20 line-up but by far his most successful. Before this year his average was below 20 and he was without a half-century, however this season he scored over 300 runs at a strike-rate of 150.97, the highlight being his 92 against Derbyshire.

Michael Pepper – Essex

439 runs @ 36.58, HS 86*, SR 163.19

Pepper was an ever-present member of Essex’s side last season, but this year he more than doubled his career T20 runs tally as well as hitting the accelerator in the process, striking at an excellent 163.19.

Jack Haynes – Worcestershire

235 runs @ 29.37, HS 61, SR 146.87

Haynes furthered his ever growing reputation as he added white-ball prowess to his already known ability against the red, scoring fifties against both Birmingham and Durham.

Tom Prest – Hampshire

316 runs @ 24.30, HS 64, SR 122.48

Only 19 years old, the teenager who captained England U19s at the recent U19 World Cup, struck three half-centuries across the competition including a crucial 64 off 46 balls in the semi-final. Prest also contributed with the ball on occasion showing further potential of the player he both is and could yet become.

Honourable mentions

Worcestershire’s Mitchell Stanley burst onto the scene with seven wickets in five appearances that included several high profile victims such as Finn Allen, Harry Brook, Sam Hain and Joe Clarke. We would no doubt have also heard much more of the 21-year-old had teammate Moeen Ali held on to a regulation chance at slip when Stanley had nicked off England white-ball captain Jos Buttler first ball.

Sussex’s Ali Orr and Leicestershire’s Nick Welch both made strong cameos in the competition. Orr striking at over 160 in his nine matches but failed to quite match it with quantity of runs, whilst Welch scored 173 runs in the five games that he came into the Foxes side for the back end of the competition.