The Rising Stars – Best Young Batsmen In T20 Cricket

T20 Cricket has allowed youngsters from all over the globe to make their name on the world stage. In the past, we have seen some of the best young batsmen in T20 Cricket such as Rishabh Pant and Quinton De Kock, become established international batsmen. This has been purely because they have been noticed in competitions such as the IPL.

Every generation, there are a handful of young talents that have the potential to take the world by storm. In this article, we will be analysing the four best young talents in T20 Cricket, that have not represented their country more than a handful of times in the format.

So, who are the best young batsmen in T20 Cricket currently?

Josh Philippe

Josh Philippe was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the 2020 IPL Auction. He is due to play for them when the IPL starts on the 19th of September. In 32 T20s Philippe has scored nearly 800 runs at a batting average of 33 and strike rate of 139. His half-century against the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League final 2020 helped the Sydney Sixers to their second triumph.

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He is very highly rated by pundits across the world, not least Shane Warne. The legendary leg-spinner named Josh Philippe as one of Australia’s best young talents and one of their players to watch out for the in the future. He has the ability to break into the Australian team for the World T20 in 2021 and could slot in as an opener, if David Warner is happy to bat in the middle-order.

Watch – Red-Hot Philippe Hammers 81

Josh Philippe is number four on our list of best young batsmen in T20 Cricket.

Janneman Malan

Janneman Malan has already had a solid start to his One-Day International career. Despite being yorked on the first ball by Mitchell Starc in his first game, he responded superbly to score an unbeaten century in the second, to guide South Africa to victory. His overall T20 average of 33 and strike rate of 136 shows that he has the ability to play a similar role in the T20 format for South Africa.

At just 24 years of age, Malan is a very promising player for South Africa in all formats of the game. He could challenge for a spot at the 2021 World T20, to open the batting alongside Quinton De Kock. Temba Bavuma currently occupies this spot, but he could be shifted to number three to accommodate such a rare talent.

Malan’s only downfall is perhaps is ability to pick high quality leg-spinners. This could be a crucial reason as to why he might struggle to break into the starting XI for South Africa, with the abundance of leg-spinners playing T20 Cricket.

Janneman Malan is number three on our list of best young batsmen in T20 Cricket.

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is one of the most exciting prospects to come from India in the last decade. He has the ability to thrive in all three formats, but his T20 skillset is very strong. In 27 T20 matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders, Shubman Gill has scored 499 runs at a batting average of 33.26.

His strike rate of 132 is also solid, considering that he does not play many risky shots. In fact, Gill is more of a classical batsmen who is likely to be consistent in T20 Cricket. KKR would ideally want him to continue opening the batting for them for years to come. He has an outside chance of making India’s World T20 Squad for the 2021 World T20, should he continue such fine form.

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He has scored four half-centuries in the IPL, with a highest score of 76. Gill would like to convert his half-centuries in centuries in order to challenge the Indian selectors. This is because the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul all have the ability to amass big scores in T20 Cricket.

Shubman Gill is number two on our list of best young batsmen in T20 Cricket.

Tom Banton

Tom Banton is unarguably the most exciting young talent that there is currently in T20 Cricket. His all-round game is excellent and he has been churning out the runs for the past 12 months. A couple of days ago, he gave the world a timely reminder of his skills, with a superb 71 against Pakistan in the first T20 International.

Watch – Tom Banton Smashes Shadab Khan For A Six

Banton was the second highest run scorer at the T20 Blast 2019. He scored 549 runs for Somerset at a batting average of 42 and at a strike rate of 162. Only Babar Azam scored more runs than him in that tournament. His performances meant that he was selected in the Big Bash League in 2020. Tom Banton did not disappoint and put in some excellent performances for the Brisbane Heat.

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At the age of 21, Tom Banton has a real chance of becoming the next T20 superstar in world cricket. It is almost certain that he will be part of England’s T20 Squad at the World T20 in 2021. Should he continue such performances and he may well break into England’s starting XI, at the expense of either Jason Roy or Jonny Bairstow at the top of the order.

Tom Banton is number one on our list of best young batsmen in T20 Cricket.

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