Young Cricketers Who Could Be Future Superstars (Ranked 25 to 1)
Matheesha Pathirana
Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, often referred to as the 'Baby Malinga' for his unique bowling actions similar to that of legend Lasith Malinga, occupies the 25th spot on this list of young players who could make it big. An IPL-winning player with CSK, Pathirana has played 12 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Sri Lanka, so far.
Muhammad Abbas
Pakistani-born New Zealand international Muhammad Abbas has only played three ODIs so far, but has the capabilities of becoming one of the Kiwis finest middle-order batters of all time, courtesy his impressive domestic cricket numbers. Abbas already has the record for having made the fastest fifty on his ODI debut, against Pakistan, off 26 balls.
Dunith Wellalage
Sri Lankan bowling all-rounder Dunith Wellalage once served as the captain of the national u-19 squad, before making his debut at an early age in June 2022. The 22-year-old spinner has featured in a Test match, 31 ODIs and six T20Is, claiming a total of 46 wickets at an average close to 25.
Naseem Shah
Pakistani speedster Naseem Shah was first called up to play for the national team at the age of just 16, and became the ninth-youngest player in Test cricket history, making his debut against Australia in 2019. 22 years old now, Naseem has featured in 20 Tests, 28 ODI and 30 ODIs, becoming one of Pakistan's lead pacer bowlers.
Rehan Ahmed
Another Pakistani-born foreign player to make his spot on this list is England's Rehan Ahmed, who was the youngest debutant to take a five-wicket haul in an innings in a Test match. Rehan Ahmed in fact is the youngest English Cricketers to play in all three formats of international cricket, having featured in five Tests, six ODIs and 12 T20Is so far.
Jayden Seales
West Indies bowling star Jayden Seales made his international debut quite early in his career in June 2021, but could only become a regular in the national side over the past year. Having played 21 Tests and 25 ODIs so far, Seales has taken over 100 wickets across the two formats, while bowling at an average below 30.
William O'Rourke
Having previously represented the national under-19 side, New Zealand pacer Will O'Rourke also finds his name on this list, after having emerged as one of the best fast bowlers over the past year. he has featured in 11 Tests, 17 ODIs and 7 T20Is since making his debut in 2023, and is coming up as a successor to Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
Allah Ghazanfar
Afghanistan international Allah Ghazanfar has become a regular in franchise T20I leagues across the world, but is yet to make an appearance in many of the competitions that he has been picked for, including the IPL. Ghazanfar has played a Test and 11 ODIs for Afghanistan, picking up 25 wickets an a decent average.
Lhuan-dre Pretorious
South African keeper-batter Lhuan-dre Pretorious became the youngest Proteas player to make a Test hundred, when he scored 153 on his debut against Zimbabwe, earlier this year. Dre Pretorious had emerged from the ranks of under-19 cricket, having finished as South Africa's highest run-getter at the 2024 U-19 World Cup.
Ibrahim Zadran
Currently serving as the vice-captain of the Afghanistan national T20I team, 23-year-old Ibrahim Zadran has played for the country in all the three major ICC competitions, the ODI World Cup, the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. He has already scored over 2,000 runs at an average of over 30, across all the three formats of the game.
Sam Konstas
Having made his international debut in Australia's 2024 Boxing Day Test against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Sam Konstas is best remembered for having brawled with some of the senior Indian stars, including Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Konstas has played five Tests so far, but has scored over 163 runs at an average of 16.
Cooper Connolly
Aussie all-rounder Cooper Connolly has become a regular in the national team's white-ball squads, having impressed in domestic cricket and the Big Bash League over the past few years. The 22-year-old has played a Test and five ODIs, and is still a work in progress, having also featured in Australia's 2025 Champions Trophy squad.
Saim Ayub
Pakistani all-rounder Saim Ayub enjoyed a breakthrough season last year, when he finished second on the ICC Men's Emerging Player of the Year rankings. Having played 8 Tests, 12 ODIs and 44 T20I so far, the 23-year-old has scored over 1,700 runs at an average of over 30, while hitting three hundreds and eight fifties across all the formats.
Jacob Bethell
English all-rounder Jacob Bethell has been a revelation since making his international debut last year, featuring in four Tests, 15 ODIs and 17 T20Is so far. A flamboyant left-handed batter as well as a bowler, Bethell most recently, became England's youngest ever captain when he was appointed to lead the side against Ireland in a T20I.
Cameron Green
Another Australian all-rounder to occupy a spot on this list, 26-year-old Cameron Green has seemingly become the national side's new number three batter, across all the three formats of the game. Green has played 32 Tests, 31 ODIs and 21 T20Is so far, scoring over 2,800 runs at an average of over 30, while also scalping 67 wickets across all formats.
Noor Ahmad
A T20 specialist, Afghan prodigy Noor Ahmad has played in franchise leagues across the world, including the IPL, BBL, PSL, CPL, SA20, MLC and ILT20. Noor Ahmed has also played 13 ODIs and 14 T20Is for Afghanistan, scalping 17 wickets across both the formats, and is poised to become a top spinner in the future.
Jamie Smith
Surrey-born English wicket-keeper batter Jamie Smith has become a regular for the Three Lions across all the formats internationally, having featured in 15 Test matches, 16 ODIs and five T20Is so far. Smith has been described by many as a 'generational talent', and holds the record for the highest Test score by an English wicket-keeper batter, 184 vs. India.
Shamar Joseph
A star in the making, West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph is best known for his impressive Player of the Series display against Australia in a Test series away from home, last year. In 11 Test matches, Joesph has picked up 51 wickets at an impressive average of 21.66, with best bowling figures of 7/68, including four five-wicket hauls.
Tilak Varma
Indian middle-order batter Tilak Varma impressed fans with a calm and composed match-winning knock in the recently concluded 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan, leading the Men in Blue to the title in the end. Varma stands tall as the world no.3-ranked T20I batter, having scored 962 runs in 32 matches, at a striking average of 53.44.
Abhishek Sharma
Among the four Indian players to occupy one of the top spots on this list, opener Abhishek Sharma most recently, became the first batter in the shortest format of the game to cross the 930-rating points mark on the T20I Batting Rankings. Sharma stands on top as the world's no.1 T20I batter, with over 1,000 runs 24 matches so far.
Dewald Brevis
A record holder in South African cricket history, young batter Dewald Brevis is often called 'Baby AB' by cricket fans for his close resemblance with Proteas legend AB de Villiers. Having most recently made his debut across all three formats of the game, Brevis is destined to be one of the greatest batters in the coming days.
Rachin Ravindra
New Zealand international Rachin Ravindra was named the ICC Men's Emerging Player of the Year award in 2023 for being one of the breakout stars at the ICC ODI World Cup in that year, where he broke records by scoring 578 runs in nine matches in the tournament. He also finished as the POTS at the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
The third spot on this list is occupied by Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who became the third youngest cricketers in Test history to have two double centuries to his name, after legends Don Bradman and Virat Kohli. A WTC-star, Jasiwal has scored over 2,200 runs in just 24 Test matches at an average of over 50 since making his debut in 2023.
Harry Brook
England's new white-ball captain Harry Brook ranks second on this list, having transformed himself into one of the best batters of the modern era. He has played 30 Tests, 32 ODIs and 49 T20Is so far, scoring over 4,500 runs across all the three formats, hitting 11 centuries and 23 half-centuries so far, while also making it to the top of the Test Batting Rankings, twice.
Shubman Gill
The top spot on this list is undoubtedly occupied by the best youngest prospect in international cricket at the time, Indian ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill. Also the ICC World No.1-ranked ODI batter, the 25-year-old is the fastest player to reach 2000 runs in the 50-over format, and is also the youngest to score a double century in an ODI.
