2017 in Review: Top 5 emerging players of the year

2017 has been a year of emerging players. Each of the top teams had at least one young player that burst onto the scene and forced one and all to turn their attention to them. Throughout the year, we witnessed these emerging players rising through the ranks and establishing themselves as the prominent players of their teams. Interestingly, there were more bowlers than the batsmen who grabbed the eyeballs this year and some of them have stormed through our list of top emerging players of the year. There is no doubt that these players are going to be the future superstars of their countries.

Here are the top 5 emerging players of 2017

#1 Hasan Ali

Pakistan is always known for producing top-notch fast bowlers. The country has a habit of coming up with such talented pacers every now and then and this year, it was Hasan Ali who took the world by storm. Although he made his debut last year yet he was an unknown commodity until he struck gold in the ICC Champions Trophy. The men in green lost to India in the group match and everyone had written them off. But an inspired Pakistan side went on to create history and defeated the same opposition in the final to be crowned the champions. The biggest credit of the triumph goes to Hasan Ali who ended up being the highest wicket-taker of the tournament and won the Golden Ball award. The 23-year-old also finished as the leading wicket-taker in ODIs in 2017 with 45 scalps to his name.

#2 Kuldeep Yadav

India has a rich vein of history when it comes to spin bowling as the country has given the game some of the finest spinners. But this year, it was something different as Kuldeep Yadav, the first of his kind bowler, represented the team at the highest level. He was the first chinaman bowler from India and his uniqueness became his strength. He made his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala earlier in 2017 and the 4-wicket haul in the first innings proved to be the match-winning one. He got his chances in colored clothing as well and the 23-year-old hasn't looked back since. He bagged 22 wickets in ODIs and 12 wickets in T20Is this year and due to his unpredictability, became the trusted spinner for Virat Kohli. The youngster has a bright future and has got plenty of miles to cover in international cricket.

#3 Rashid Khan

It's been a year of the wrist spinners and one of the bowlers who popularized the trend was Rashid Khan. The Afghan leg-spinner had an outstanding 2017 as he shone in every tournament that he featured in. The 19-year-old was put on the world map after he bagged a whopping bid of INR 4 crores in the Indian Premier League from the franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad. The leggie proved his money's worth as he bagged 17 wickets in the league. For his national side too, he was the standout performer. He picked up 43 wickets this year from 16 ODIs and ended up being the second highest wicket-taker of the year. To go with that, he claimed 17 wickets from 10 T20Is and finished 3rd on the list of leading wicket-takers. Players like Rashid Khan have done wonders for Afghanistan's cricket and as a result, the country has earned the Test status.

#4 Babar Azam

Pakistan, a country known for its prowess in the bowling department, was struggling a bit in the past few years when it came to contributions with the bat. With the retirement of the legends like Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, there was a severe need for batsmen to take the legacy forward. One batsman who has shown promise this year is Babar Azam. The right-hander was the most consistent batsman throughout the year for his team. He was the highest run-getter in ODI and T20I cricket for Pakistan with 872 runs in ODIs and 352 runs in the shortest format. He scored 4 centuries and 2 half-centuries in ODIs at an average of 67. Even though his strike rate was below 80, but the 23-year-old is bound to get better in the coming years.

#5 Akila Dananjaya

The Sri Lankan team had an awful time this year as they lost to Zimbabwe at home in ODIs and then they were thrashed by India both home and away across all formats. The captains kept changing, the batsmen failed to deliver and the bowlers couldn't produce the goods. But amongst all the darkness, there was a sole bright spot in the form of Akila Dananjaya. Continuing on the legacy of mystery spinners of Sri Lanka, Dananjaya showcased the bag of tricks he possesses. He bowls leg spin, off spin, wrong uns that keep the batsmen guessing. Once, the Indian batsmen were floored by his spin and he almost won the game for his side. Even though he had too much to do all alone yet he is one to look forward to for the nation even in Test cricket.

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2017 in Review: Top 5 emerging players of the year

#5 Akila Dananjaya