KARACHI: The prestigious cricket magazine Wisden has released its list of the world’s top young cricketers, featuring four promising players from Pakistan. The list which was published for the first time since 2019 includes 40 cricketers under the age of 23 selected based on their current performance and long-term potential.
The Pakistani players who have earned a spot in this esteemed list are fast bowler Naseem Shah, aggressive opener Saim Ayub, hard-hitting middle-order batsman Hassan Nawaz, and spinner Ali Raza, known for his ability to trouble batsmen.
Wisden’s top 10 list did not feature any young cricketer from Test and ODI world champions, Australia.
The list is topped by Indian cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal, followed by West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales in second place. England’s Jacob Bethell is third, with New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke and South Africa’s Luan-dre Pretorius completing the top five.
Pakistan’s talented fast bowler Naseem Shah was ranked as the sixth-best young cricketer in the world. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz is seventh, followed by South Africa’s Kwena Maphaka at eighth. India’s Sai Sudharsan and Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran are ninth and tenth, respectively.
Other Pakistani players on the list include Saim Ayub at 11th, Hassan Nawaz at 26th, and Ali Raza at 37th.
In terms of country representation, India has the most players on the list with six. Australia also has six cricketers, while England has five. Pakistan and Afghanistan each have four players featured. South Africa has three, while West Indies, Bangladesh, and New Zealand have two each. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are represented by one player each.