7 Future Stars of England Cricket

Cricket in England is in a phase of transition. That much we can be sure of. 

Rapidly fading is the nation's recent stranglehold on the international game, with a generation of stars who brought unprecedented success for England either approaching the end or, for men like Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann, have already found it. 

Indeed, Pietersen's controversial climax is hugely significant, for he is the last of England's most iconic group of players, the ones who captured a nation's imagination when leading the triumph in the 2005 Ashes series that—in terms of notoriety—has never been matched in this country. 

Consequently, we have a void: a period in English cricket lamentably more known for the actions and politics of a governing body.

Right now, England needs a new crop of stars.

Across the following slides, we examine seven players who could soon be among them. 

Alex Lees

Tom Shaw/Getty Images

Alex Lees might be in need of new mantelpiece, for 2014 was a prolific year for the 21-year-old.

In early September, Lees was named the LV= County Championship Breakthrough Player award for a season that featured 971 runs for title-winning Yorkshire. 

Later in the month, he collected the Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year award, before adding the Professional Cricketers' Association Young Player of the Year gong in October. 

That's quite a year. 

A heavily accumulator of runs at a tender age, Lees appears on track to be a future successor to Alastair Cook at the top of the England Test order, possessing the temperament, technique and steeliness required to thrive as an opener in the game's most arduous format. 

James Vince

Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

Integral to becoming a star across all formats in modern cricket is the ability to carry unwavering aggression. 

Being prolific is one thing; doing it in style is another. 

Such a trait can be found in James Vince, who, often compared with former England captain Michael Vaughan, collected his runs in a hurry in 2014. 

Indeed, the 24-year-old led the charge for Hampshire in their capture of the Division Two title in this year's County Championship, thumping a division-topping 1,525 runs at an average of 61.00 to play a key role in securing promotion for his side. 

But the most notable number for Vince in 2014 was his strike rate: He scored his runs in the four-day arena at almost 80 runs per 100 balls. 

In one-day cricket, he collected them at a strike rate of 100, and in the Twenty20 arena, thumped them at just under 150.

Figures such as those mark Vince as a future star across all formats for England.  

Adam Lyth

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Like Alex Lees, Adam Lyth may have had some trouble finding room for his collection of trophies and awards from the concluded county season.

The outstanding player of the domestic campaign, the left-hander amassed almost 1,500 Division One runs in Yorkshire's triumphant year to catapult him into Test consideration for next summer. 

As such, that's where Lyth differs from others on this list: The term "future star" has a distinct immediacy to it for the 27-year-old, who will likely stand at the top of the England Test lineup within the next 12 months.

The step up to Test level, of course, is a big one. But one senses Lyth is the sort of character who'll take it all in his stride. 

Jason Roy

Clive Mason/Getty Images

When England picked Jason Roy for the Twenty20 International that concluded India's recent tour of the country, it was widely viewed as a positive step forward for a nation that has often been slow to move with the game's trends. 

A limited-overs dasher, Roy is the sort of talent capable of propelling England back toward the forefront of the white-ball formats, combining aggression, power and ingenuity to form a truly modern batting cocktail.

Of course, the Surrey star didn't make an impact on his international debut, but it's only a matter of time before the 24-year-old follows the sort of the path currently being forged by Alex Hales, who's bolt to prominence in Twenty20 cricket is seeing him break into the 50-over game as well. 

For Roy, his chance to impress is likely to come as early as next summer. 

Jamie Overton

Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Raw pace is back in vogue. Speed, right now, is cricket's currency. 

For that, we can largely thank Australia's Mitchell Johnson, whose devastation against England and South Africa in 2013-14 evoked memories of past decades. 

The knock-on effect from Johnson's fury, of course, is that rival nations are now busy looking for their own fiery speedsters, having seen the colossal impact that can be made by just one lethal slinger. 

In England, Jamie Overton is one of the candidates to be that guy in the coming years. 

Still only 20, the towering seamer is already touching 90 mph regularly and appears to have been marked as a player ready to be fast-tracked through the English system. 

Perhaps more than any other discipline, there are a lot of "ifs" and "buts" that surround genuine fast bowling, and Overton has many obstacles to navigate to reach the level hit by Johnson—chief among them being injuries. 

But the concoction is there for Overton to be a true star if the necessary elements can fall into place. 

Tymal Mills

Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images

For much of what was just said for Jamie Overton, ditto for Tymal Mills. 

A left-armer of extreme pace, the 22-year-old's path is being fast-tracked, with stints in the England Lions team, the England Performance Programme and the senior team's training camp during the most recent Ashes series evidence of the plan in place for Mills.

Simply, it is hoped he can replicate Mitchell Johnson.

There is, however, considerable uncertainty surrounding the left-armer, who's yet to truly impress at county level and carries the burden of "extreme potential" that, at present, defies the standard of his body of work to date.

Mills, therefore, is something of an experiment for England, a major work in progress.

But if it does work—and that's a big "if"—the possibilities are endless.  

Jos Buttler

Stu Forster/Getty Images

A fixture in England's limited-overs teams and already the owner of three Test caps, there will be many who argue that Jos Buttler is already an England star; a player who shouldn't be on this list because his future is now. 

It's a valid stance, but it also misses a key point: Buttler could prove to be a generational talent for England. 

We're not talking here about a player capable of merely succeeding on the international stage; we're talking about the sort of player England might never have had before. 

The obvious comparison is with Adam Gilchrist, who revolutionised the wicketkeeper position in Test cricket and propelled an Australian era from great to iconic and legendary. 

Buttler might not be able to replicate that (he'll need considerably more quality around him to achieve what Gilchrist did), but there is the chance that the 24-year-old could genuinely alter the dynamic and essence of the England Test team if what we saw against India was a prelude to a spectacular career.