5 Future Stars of World Cricket to Watch for Under the Age of 22

It says a lot about the depth of young talent in world cricket that all bar one of the players listed here have already made their international debuts for their countries.

The advent of T20 has certainly helped foster talent around the globe, but it still takes somebody special to survive at the top.

While all of these players are very much at the start of their careers, their talent is evident.

There will be plenty more players out there, so add your picks in the comments.

Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

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South African Kagiso Rabada first made a name for himself during last year’s Under-19 World Cup.

He’s fast, accurate and claimed a One-Day International hat-trick on his debut earlier this year, per Sky Sports.

The paceman might have to wait a while before he gets to make his Test debut, but his first season as a franchise cricketer was successful, and he is doing an impressive job in limited-overs cricket for the Proteas already. Not bad going for a 20-year-old.

Matt Fisher (England)

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At the age of 17, Matt Fisher is the youngest player on the list and the only one who has not made his international debut yet.

A Yorkshire lad through and through, the teenager has thrived under the stewardship of Jason Gillespie at Headingley.

Fisher became the youngest player to feature in a competitive county game at the age of 15 years and 212 days in 2013, per BBC Sport.

A fast bowler to watch out for and who will thrive in all formats.

Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)

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Mustafizur Rahman is one of the most-talented players to come out of Bangladesh in recent years.

He's only just turned 20 and started his ODI career with two five-wicket hauls, only the second bowler to do so.

Rahman was immediately elevated to the Test ranks, but rain spoiled his party. The series against South Africa was washed out and the youngster bowled just 136 balls, but did take four wickets.

In a country not really associated with fast bowling, Rahman is a real gem.

Shai Hope (West Indies)

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Aside from the awesome name, 21-year-old Shai Diego Hope also has buckets of talent.

Having made his West Indies debut against England with just 14 first-class games to his name, Hope didn't quite make a stellar start to Test cricket.

However, he has plenty of ability and will certainly be a future gem.

Axar Patel (India)

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At the age of 21, Axar Patel has already played over 100 domestic limited-overs matches.

A solid effort for Kings XI in the 2014 Indian Premier League season earned him a call-up to the ODI squad to face Bangladesh that same year and he has been growing in stature ever since.

Most recently, his figures of 6-6-0-4 against South Africa A helped India A to an innings victory last month.

Spinners are a dime-a-dozen in India and it will be tough to survive, but Patel clearly is talented.