It’s that time of year again where we can take stock of everything that has happened in the last 12 months while speculating on what 2022 will bring. In regards to cricket, there’s lots to look forward to including another T20 World Cup plus an expanded edition of the Indian Premier League.
In England, a new format known as The Hundred appeared in 2021 and it will be fascinating to see if the concept is taken up in other parts of the world.
Watching young cricketers break through is all part of the pleasure of following this great game. There are far more platforms available to the best developing talent and here are five players worth taking a close interest in across the New Year.
Umran Malik
Little was expected of pace bowler Umran Malik when he stepped into a struggling Sunrisers’ Hyderabad side. SRH were on the verge of being eliminated from the tournament and, while Malik could do nothing to arrest the slide, he offers hope for a better future for the men in orange.
The youngster was just a net bowler when the tournament began but he made the headlines in the UAE when he sent down five consecutive deliveries in excess of 150 kph.
When betting markets open fully ahead of the 2022 IPL, Sunrisers are set to be down among the outside bets. Early indications suggest that the best betting sites attached to the sbo.net portal will have Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians up among the favourites.
SRH will be close to the bottom but some strong performances from Umran Malik could see that change. As the tournament develops, sbo.net’s panel of bookmakers will report on live markets and they will adjust based on results from each match.
News articles from around the cricket world will appear here and readers can take things further if they wish. The panel of recommended sportsbooks are all happy to take on new customers and many of them have welcome deals in place.
A choice of funding methods can get that account up and running while coverage of additional sports and the possibility of live streaming cricket matches are among other benefits. It’s a useful website even if Umran Malik can’t quite get Sunrisers Hyderabad up among the favourites.
Marco Jansen
Many were surprised when defending IPL champions Mumbai Indians acquired young South African all-rounder Marco Jansen ahead of the 2021 tournament. In such a successful side, the 20-year-old had little opportunity to impress but it’s hoped that he will return and make an impression on the competition in the future.
Will Smeed
While The Hundred has its share of critics, it gave a chance for many young players to show what they could do on a bigger stage. One of those who fully made use of their opportunity was Somerset batsman Will Smeed who turned in some strong performances while on duty with Birmingham Phoenix.
At the age of just 20, Smeed has outside interests to occupy his mind as he studies for a mathematics degree but, when the time comes to focus on cricket, he’ll be a serious talent.
Rachin Ravindra
New Zealand’s young all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has already enjoyed a taste of international cricket. The 22 year old had already played six T20 internationals before he made his test match debut against India in November.
A left hander, Ravindra has made a big impression on domestic first class cricket where he has made three centuries with a highest score of 144. He’s effective with bat and ball and has returned best T20 international figures of 3/22.
Tanveer Sangha
Spin bowling sensation Tanveer Sangha made his Big Bash debut in Australia as recently as December 2020 but he went on to become one of the players of the tournament. The teenager has claimed 21 wickets in just 15 games and is being tipped to make an international debut in 2022.
Sangha may need to work on his batting if he wants to become a regular in the Australian national team but his wicket taking ability isn’t in question and he’s another cricketer set for a stellar year.