Debuts seem to be the flavour of the season. Teams giving a chance to youngsters isn’t anything new but quite a few of them have made an immediate impact, which has been a pleasant surprise.
Two players that have stood out so far for their eye-catching efforts are both 19 years of age. First came diminutive Bangladesh off-spinner Mehedi Hasan, seemingly another addition to the long list of disciplined subcontinent slow bowlers.
When Bangladesh hosted England for a two Test series last month, the experienced Shakib Al Hasan was expected to the lead the way as the Tigers had as many as three debutants in their side.
But Bangladesh are masters in their own den. They had crushed heavyweights like India, Pakistan and South Africa and thus the morale of the side was high even though they were taking on a top-class team.
Plus, the pitches were tailor made to suit Bangladeshi spinners and that made it easier for Hasan to ease into the international arena. In the two Tests, Hasan picked up an astounding 19 wickets, including a six-wicket haul in the second innings of the second match that handed England a crushing defeat.
Mehedi Hasan's got a lot to celebrate: Man of the Match, Man of the Series and up to 33rd in the bowling rankings! https://t.co/DDmiyrJW7n pic.twitter.com/kyRod42Zbb
— ICC (@ICC) November 1, 2016
That chastening loss at the hands of a young off spinner forced England to make some changes for the India tour and they pushed a teenager of their own into the battlefield.
Lancashire opener Haseeb Hameed had created quite a buzz in the 20 first class games he had played, so much so that captain Alastair Cook said he was certain his tenth opening partner since Andrew Strauss’ retirement was here to stay.
In the first two Tests against India, Hameed proved that he is the real deal. It is apparent he has that extra bit of time to face pace or spin which is a priceless ability for opening batsmen.
Moving to South Africa, they fielded left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj in the first Test against Australia this month and even though he didn’t set the stage alight, his four wickets and a workload of nearly 60 overs in the Test were proof of the faith the Proteas have in the 26-year-old.
India put their weight behind the stable off-spin and subdued batting of Jayant Yadav in the Vizag Test against the Englishmen and he was up to the task, picking up a wicket in the first innings and scoring 35 and 27 crucial runs. Nothing spectacular but reassuring.
The Kiwis too had a couple of secret weapons up their sleeve when they hosted Pakistan in the first Test this week. Colin de Grandhomme is 30 years of age but his all-round abilities had been honed over 11 years in the domestic circuit and were thus well established.
While his man of the match performance in the Christchurch Test – 6/41 and 1/23 – was heartening, the Kiwis will be a lot more buoyed by the debut of opener Jeet Raval. The left-handed batsman scored 55 and 36 in a low-scoring match that didn’t event last three days and weathered some probing spells by Pakistan’s pacers.
The Pakistanis, on their part, eased some youngsters into the Test arena this year. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz was stable in the three Tests he played – five wickets – while batsman Babar Azam scored a fifty in two Tests. All these players had memorable debuts but not everyone had a dream start on the world stage and we saw some uninspiring debuts.
Three players tried out by Australia this year failed to get going, which doesn’t come as a surprise. Batsman Callum Ferguson and pacer Joe Mennie have been dropped after one Test against the Proteas and the third debutant of the year – left-arm spinner Jon Holland has gone off the radar.
Australia have made six changes to the side that lost the Test series to South Africa and there will be a handful of debut caps handed out ahead of the third Test in Adelaide.
If we look at the trend that has emerged this year in Tests, players who have debuted in ‘stable’ teams have done well. It is true that Ben Duckett has struggled for England while pace bowler Hardus Viljoen played just one game for the Proteas. But even so, it can be said that youngsters in teams like England, South Africa and India have a better chance of easing into the international arena at the moment.
So that means players lining up for their first match for a team like Australia should be prepared for a rough initiation. A downcast dressing room makes a tough job even harder and you have got to feel for the young Aussie players coming through the ranks as they look to stop the rot that has set in Australian cricket.
There can always be an exceptionally talented player who rises above all such challenges but the chances of that happening in Australia any time soon look remote.
So in a season of debuts, some players had a headstart, if you can say so. And credit to them for making the most of the opportunities.
