Cricket in 2018: Debutants XI of the year

This year has witnessed quite a few brimming talents mark their international debuts. Some of the cricketers, who had an opportunity to showcase their talent, grabbed it with both the hands and thus made a good impression. These young debutants have had a kickstart to their career and are expected to play huge roles for their respective teams going forward in the future. Apart from the young sensations, there are also a few late bloomers who made through this year. Most of the major cricketing nations witnessed at least one debutant go on to make a major impact. On that note, here is a playing XI of all the cricketers who debuted this year and can go on to give a tough competition to any side. Irrespective of the format, all the players who debuted this year were considered for this side. The best debutants XI of 2018: 1. Prithvi Shaw | India Prithvi Shaw of India A. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images) At just 18 years of age, young Prithvi Shaw made his Test debut for India. He was initially picked in the squad for the England tour after successive failures of the openers. However, he didn’t get an opportunity to don the Indian jersey in the United Kingdom. But, he eventually made his debut in the two-match Test series against Windies. He started on a great note with a century and a half-century in his first-ever series. In three Test innings, Shaw scored 237 runs at an average of 118.5 and strike rate of 94. He was slightly unfortunate though to have missed out of the subsequent games due to injuries. 2. Fakhar Zaman | Pakistan Fakhar Zaman of Pakistan. (Photo Source: Twitter) One batsman between Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq had to be picked for this position. Both of them have made their Test debut this year. The sample size to judge and pick one among them is quite small. Imam has shown the ability to grind potent bowling attacks without much fuss. However, it would be Fakhar Zaman who will make it to the final cut given the kind of consistency he has shown in the shorter formats of the game. He was great in the only Test that he played against Australia and scored 160 runs in two innings at an average of 80. Fakhar was unfortunate to have missed out on a century though and got out on 94 in one of the innings. 3. Aaron Finch (c) | Australia Aaron Finch. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) In the same series where Fakhar made his debut, Aaron Finch was the debutant for the opposition. The Australian selectors were somewhat forced to pick him at an age of 31 due to the lack of options. Though, Finch didn’t disappoint one bit making his Test debut in alien conditions in the UAE. The 32-year-old played four Tests for Australia thus far. In eight innings, he scored 267 runs at an average of 33.38 including two half-centuries. Even though he looked slightly off the mark in the series against India, Finch scored 181 runs in his debut series marking an impressive debut. 4. Rishabh Pant | India Rishabh Pant. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) In the absence of Wriddhiman Saha, India had troubles finding a reliable wicket-keeper. Runs weren’t coming consistently enough as earlier and the selectors were forced to bring Rishabh Pant in despite him not being highly proficient with the gloves. The dashing keeper batsman made his debut in England. Despite him failing terribly with the gloves in his debut series, Pant had a very memorable outing with the bat. The 21-year-old has featured in seven Tests thus far. In 12 innings, he scored 465 runs at an average of 39. His 114 against England in the final Test was a splendid knock indeed that almost won the game for India. 5. Shimron Hetmyer | Windies Shimron Hetmyer. (Photo Source: Twitter) Another interesting prospect who made his T20I debut this year is the hard-hitting Shimron Hetmyer. He made his debut against New Zealand in January at the Bay Oval. Interestingly, this Guyana batsman, who is known for his brutal hitting, made his Test and ODI debut before his T20I debut. In six innings, he scored 77 runs till date at a strike rate of 122. Even though these numbers do not really speak, Hetmyer is a highly talented batsman. This 21-year-old could be one of the most important members in the Windies side in the times to come. He was also picked by the RCB at the IPL auction for INR 4.20 crores. 6. Ben Foakes (wk) | England Ben Foakes. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) The 25-year-old Ben Foakes has been in the reckoning for quite some time now. However, he has had to wait for a while to get his opportunity at the highest level. He is terrific with the gloves, his primary skill and is not far behind with the bat in hand. Ben Foakes made his Test debut in Sri Lanka in November this year and has impressed right from the start. In six innings, he has accumulated 277 runs at an average of 69. He notched his first century in the longest format of the game under high pressure in a difficult situation. Foakes looks to be a great talent and has got a long way to go. 7. Sam Curran | England Sam Curran of England bats. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) Another Englishman in this XI is the 20-year-old Sam Curran who played a critical part in the series against India. The bowling all-rounder first made his debut against Pakistan and was terrific in the series after that. He added some extremely important runs coming in down the order and picked up some crucial wickets in the hour of need. Sam Curran did much better than a few regular batsmen which makes him such a brilliant cricketer altogether. In 12 innings, he scored 404 runs in the willow at an average of 37 coming at 8 or 9. He also has 14 scalps in 7 Tests which is decent enough for starters. 8. Rashid Khan | Afghanistan Rashid Khan bowling. (Photo Source: Twitter) With the kind of form he is in at the moment, Rashid Khan only needs to find the smallest of excuses to fit into this XI. Even though he has been around for a while now, Rashid made his Test debut only in 2018 which is also Afghanistan’s first ever Test. The leg-spinner is also quite handy with the bat down the order. However, lack of experience playing red-ball cricket has resulted in a poor performance from this 20-year-old. He bowled the limited-overs lengths and the Indian batsmen took him to the cleaners. But, this is a learning curve for the Nangarhar-born cricketer and he will only improve from here on given the quick-learner that he is. 9. Akila Dananjaya | Sri Lanka Akila Dananjaya. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The 25-year-old Akila Dananjaya also made his Test debut in 2018 against Bangladesh at Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Although he made his limited-overs debut in 2012, it took him a lot of time to find his feet in international cricket. This unconventional spinner played five Tests this year. In 10 innings, the right-arm off-break bowler picked up 27 wickets which are massively impressive numbers. However, he didn’t really have a good end to what has been a fruitful year. In December, he was suspended from bowling in international cricket due to illegal bowling action. 10. Jasprit Bumrah | India Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Jasprit Bumrah was earlier only a limited-overs specialist. Considering his unusual bowling action, he wasn’t really considered to be an option in the longest format of the game. Yet, as it turned out to be a surprising pick, he eventually made his debut in South Africa with the backing of the skipper and the team management. The pacer is an extremely quick-learner and adapted fast to the conditions in the Rainbow Nation. He has played 8 Tests overall this year and has absolutely been brilliant. He accounted for 39 wickets thus far which is terrific for a bowler who hasn’t played really much of first-class cricket. 11. Lungi Ngidi | South Africa Lungi Ngidi. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Lungi Ngidi made his Test debut in the series against India. He replaced an injured Dale Steyn in the side and grabbed the opportunity with both the hands. The 22-year-old hits the deck hard and notches up a great pace. In 8 Tests this year, Lungi Ngidi picked up 15 wickets at an average close to 20. He often pushes the batsmen onto the backfoot with his sheer pace and together with Kagiso Rabada could evolve into a highly dominative force. The pacer picked up a 6-wicket haul right in his debut Test match. Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

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Cricket in 2018: Debutants XI of the year

This eleven can go on to give a tough competition to any side.

6. Ben Foakes (wk) | England

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