Lasting Legacy Built on Young Shoulders

By Sreelata Yellamrazu

There is no hard and fast rule to picking the horse that lasts the course. However, an intuitive sense combined with the temperament of certain cricketers is often a tell tale sign, barring injuries and other similar factors, of cricketers who will go down in history as men to be reckoned with, if not legendary

Even Sachin Tendulkar was sixteen once. Even as the ‘Master Blaster’ (as he has been popularly nicknamed) completes phenomenal two decades in international cricket with no sign of stopping, it would be akin to a voyeuristic urge to gaze into the crystal ball and see which cricketers could possibly be the toast of cricket aficionados ten (perhaps just five even given the growing demands of the game) years down the line.

There is no hard and fast rule to picking the horse that lasts the course. However, an intuitive sense combined with the temperament of certain cricketers is often a tell tale sign, barring injuries and other similar factors, of cricketers who will go down in history as men to be reckoned with, if not legendary.

Greatness is rightly a word reserved for only for the legends of the game. It would be audacious to argue that anyone could be in the league of the late Sir Don Bradman or masters of contemporary era such as Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, or Rahul Dravid. But it is nevertheless indulgent to anticipate a few cricketers who are likely to leave their mark before they hang up their cricket boots for good.

Here are a few that are already in the race and could either get more imposing in the years to come or those that are taking their tiny strides into international stardom to perhaps someday rule the roost.

Ab de Villiers (South Africa)

Many talk about powerhouses such as Graeme Smith or Jacques Kallis or sensations such as JP Duminy and Dale Steyn in the South African team. But perhaps the cricket world is underestimating the strength and prowess of Ab de Viliers.

At twenty-five years of age, this dynamic fielder and batsman par excellence holds promise of going the distance. A career that began on the back of talk of enormous talent, Ab is showing his on field personality as a truly versatile batsman, a fielder extraordinaire and a team man to the core. He holds a double century to his name (against India in Ahmedabad) and boasts of a Test average of 43.92 in 52 matches and an ODI average of 39.29. Ab is not only a batsman to watch out for but a potential leader for the future.

Michael Clarke (Australia)

Pup lacks little by way of ambition. If the fire is perhaps being stoked while the ambition nursed, Clarke is being groomed to take over from Ricky Ponting at a time when the young Australian team will develop wings and Ponting himself will be over the hill. While Clarke has his critics, there is little doubt that this aggressive middle order batsmen and bowler with the golden arm is cut for greater responsibility, its success nothwithstanding.

Mitchell Johnson (Australia)

Trial by fire would be the face to describe Mitchell Johnson’s journey from a brash rookie to a mature spearhead. With Brett Lee being sidelined through injury, indifference and age in that order, Johnson has had to learn quickly on his feet. His success against South Africa was humbled by the havoc in England during the Ashes. But perhaps while success is the incentive, failure will elevate Johnson’s aggression as he has shown his prowess to be a handy man with the bat as well with ambition to complement it.

Dale Steyn (South Africa)

With his present age at twenty-six, it would perhaps be unwise to assume Dale Steyn will be around by the turn of the next decade. But Steyn has the staying capacity to outclass bowlers for many years to come. Spearheading the attack, Steyn has really come into his own as a surprise package. It would be fair to say, South Africa’s success rests heavily on Steyn’s shoulders. Steyn showed intent in Australia. How he shapes up will be integral to how far and high South Africa can stay.

Stuart Broad (England)

James Anderson would be an honest pick but looking too far into the future, Stuart Broad seems the better bet for England, given his age and talent. While former cricketers such as Shane Warne are cautioning against thrusting Broad as an all rounder, but like Johnson, Broad’s role will be critical to England’s ascent. The more he develops his skills, especially in the bowling department, the more ruthless England will develop in outlook.

Ross Taylor (New Zealand)

New Zealand have a genuine batsman in the mould of Stephen Fleming, but perhaps more aggressive in intent. Marked for the top order, Ross Taylor produces a range of shots and lends elephantine stability to the team that he automatically joins the young group to watch. There is class, culture and show about his batting that is difficult to ignore. In that sense, he has the ability to provide New Zealand the impetus to change their fortune and ranking.

JP Duminy (South Africa)

Success does not always come immediately. But when it does, it marks out those as one time wonders and those that are likely to take the world by storm. Jean Paul Duminy is a dynamite on the field and mature beyond his years as a middle order batsman. He backed the selectors’ faith by stunning Australia in their own backyard and he now carries an aura of a man not easily fazed or beaten, all signs of a man with a long journey to grind.

Ishant Sharma (India)

Ishant Sharma is in danger of being labeled a one time wonder. His sensational debut year and his constant disconcerting bowling to a batsman of the caliber of Ponting certainly raised his profile. But his sensational year has given way to a critical one. However, given his embryonic age, one expects Ishant to find his feet, his mettle and his skill again to trouble many more batsmen in the years to come, leading the attack for India, much like Allan Donald did for South Africa.

Mohammad Aamer (Pakistan)

This may be akin to stretching one’s neck. But even Shahid Afridi was a teenage sensation. And at seventeen, Mohammad Aamer has shown enough talent to suggest that if nurtured, he could be the one on whose story rests the new lease of life that cricket in Pakistan will enjoy in the coming decade. Apart from his bowling, which is clearly his prowess and the reason why he is rated so highly, the fearless youngster has also shown a huge appetite with the bat in hand. He could well be in the mould of a Wasim Akram, if his adolescent feet are led right in the game.

Tim Southee (New Zealand)

It was a toss up between him and England’s Eoin Morgan. There is no underestimating this bowler for his age. The toddler in the team has the potential to one day lead the attack on his own merit. Simply because of this factor, Southee becomes an automatic choice. The opportunity he has now to learn the ways of the experienced will give him a chance to carve his own niche and one would back him to go the distance, inspite of the learning curve.

Young guns on the horizon

This random list of players has not overlooked the talent of the likes of Wayne Parnell (South Africa), Jesse Ryder/Martin Guptill (New Zealand), Australia’s Moises Henriques, Doug Bollinger and Clint McKay, West Indies’ Adrian Barath, or South Africa’s Morne Morkel or the highly talked about young fins in CJ de Villiers and Rilee Rossouw.

While there is potential galore, the uncertainty of the game is also such that cricket aficionados have often been stumped for words over the success of the most unpredictable as well as the shadowed careers of men who could have left their footprints but were denied. These are some of the names one would want and back to hang around for a good many years and this was merely throwing the spotlight on them, along with a range of expectations to live up to.