Will Hardie looks at nine youngsters to watch in the upcoming season of the men’s Hundred. Young players who have made a name for themselves in the tournament before – such as Will Smeed – are not included.
Rehan Ahmed (Southern Brave)
T20 record: 19 wickets @ 20.15, ER: 7.34; BBI: 4-22
The 17-year-old has already been making waves this year in the T20 Blast, having taken 19 wickets at 20.15 with an economy of 7.34 runs per over. The Leicestershire leggie also made his England Lions debut earlier this summer, taking three wickets against a near-full-strength South African side, which bodes well for a very bright future. With Matt Parkinson out of favour, Ahmed could very quickly find himself achieving higher honours.
Jack Haynes (Oval Invincibles)
T20 record: 406 runs @ 23.88, SR: 141.46; HS- 61
The Worcestershire top-order batter has made a very steady start in all formats of the game in professional cricket, but this year has been his breakthrough in T20 cricket, having topped the Rapids’ averages in the Blast. He is striking at 141.46 from his 18 T20s thus far and if given an opportunity will be one to watch. At 21, he is one of the most exciting young batters in the country.
Henry Brookes (Birmingham Phoenix)
T20 record: 40 wickets @ 24.77, ER: 8.98, BBI: 3-26
Still only 22, Brookes has been around the professional game for a while, making his Warwickshire debut five years ago now. Blessed with natural pace, if he can remain fit and string a run of games together, he is someone you can easily imagine making a name for himself.
Dan Mousley (Birmingham Phoenix)
T20 record: 355 runs @ 35.50, SR: 144.30; HS: 63*
Another talent coming out of Edgbaston, Mousley is highly thought of especially in white-ball cricket. A batter confident on the sweep with a strike rate of 144.30 and an average of 35.50 in T20 cricket who can also bowl some handy off-spin, he is a very exciting prospect. Like Haynes, Mousley is a graduate of the 2020 England Under 19 World Cup squad.
George Scrimshaw (Welsh Fire)
T20 record: 40 wickets @ 22.13 ER 8.70; BBI: 3-20
Another domestic wildcard who has had a really good Blast campaign, one that has earned him both a Hundred gig with the Welsh Fire and a maiden England Lions call-up. Scrimshaw’s career had previously been riddled with injuries, but has managed to stay fit this year, he has been excellent for Derbyshire. At 6 ft 7, he is someone capable of testing top players with both his pace and bounce.
Jacob Bethell (Welsh Fire)
T20 record: 93 runs @ 9.30, SR: 103.33; HS: 21
A three-dimensional cricketer who hits it hard, bowls tidy finger spin, and excels in the field. After a sensational U19 World Cup campaign Bethell was underwhelming for Birmingham in the T20 Blast, but his talent is there for all to see.
Calvin Harrison (Manchester Originals)
T20 record: 28 wickets @ 23.03, ER: 7.80; BBI: 4-17
It’s been an impressive 18 months for Calvin Harrison. At the start of the 2021 season, he was playing university cricket and within a couple of months had signed for Notts, before becoming a wildcard pick for the Originals. A tall leg-spinner who is excellent in the field and capable with the bat might have his game-time restricted by the presence of fellow leg-spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Matt Parkinson in the Originals squad. Don’t be surprised if he impresses when given a chance.
Michael Pepper (Northern Superchargers)
T20 record: 801 runs @ 29.66, SR: 140.28; HS: 86*
At 24, Pepper has really come into his own in T20 cricket for Essex this year. As a replacement for Luke Wright, he has big boots to fill, but his T20 record suggests he’s got the game to do so – Pepper had a strike rate of 163.19 in this year’s Blast.
Noor Ahmad (Welsh Fire)
T20 record: 43 wickets @ 26.37, ER: 7.30; BBI: 4-10
The only non-English player on the list, Noor is a 17-year-old left-arm wrist-spinner who has been involved in both BBL squads and IPL squads over the past couple of years. He has a very good T20 record with 43 wickets in 42 games and an economy rate of just 7.3 runs per over. He recently made his T20 international debut against Zimbabwe and took 4-10 off 4 overs.
