Cricket's Hot 24 - From Abbas to Yadav

The old adage that rings in one’s ears at the dawn of a new year is ‘Out with the old and in with the new’ – this is just the same with our list of 24 Cricketers.

So who has been retained in 2019? Who has been let go? And who are the new faces?

Retained players

Shakib Al Hasan

One of the most destructive players on the list in 2018 but held back by injury. If kept fit, 2019 could see him mount a serious challenge on the table.

Jos Buttler

Buttler’s inclusion in the 2018 list was a no brainer; as a T20 franchise favourite he was guaranteed big points. After adding Test cricket into his repertoire and finishing 5^th in the overall league it was obvious he should return into our second year.

Rashid Khan

The Afghanistan spinner was a busy boy in 2018. As the most active player in 2018 and the player that finished second in the overall league, he has to stay on our watch list.

Virat Kohli

Kohli is the biggest name in cricket. It would be pure sacrilege to not have him on a list of the top 24 cricketers in the world right now.

Simon Harmer

It will be no surprise to followers of this blog in 2018 that Harmer has been retained into 2019. The stalwart of Warriors, Essex and Jozi delivered wicket after wicket after wicket last year and should be able to reproduce this form into 2019.

Jeetan Patel

Alongside Rashid Khan, Patel was one of the players who was pushing Harmer for top spot throughout the year. The Wellington and Warwickshire captain should be able to replicate this but at (nearly) 39 – how long until old Father Time catches up with the veteran New Zealander?

Joe Root

Continual tussles with Virat Kohli marked out Joe Root’s year – both on the pitch and in our league placings. Kohli was the higher placed captain overall but will Root be able to overhaul this in an Ashes year?  

Kane Williamson

It was a disappointing year for Williamson in terms of points on the board and in terms of substantial matches played. He is still one of the finest batsmen of his generation so he is retained into 2019.

New players

This list can be split into three. New internationals who have started well, promising youngsters and players with a point to prove.

Mohammad Abbas

Many say that 2019 will be the year this Pakistani talent will take the bull by the horns and stake his claim as the number one bowler in Test cricket. An obvious reason to keep an eye on him.

Jonny Bairstow

At a point of turmoil in the England Test side but a star in the ODI set up. Could be a year of great flux for the wicket-keeper-batsman.

Joe Burns

The first of three Australian batsmen who have faded away from the Australian set up of late. As 2019 sees the Aussies reform, could Burns force his way into the set up?

Callum Ferguson

As time ticks on for Ferguson, he becomes more willing to farm himself out around the world. He signed on the dotted line for Worcestershire this year so will be featuring evermore in 2019.

Shubman Gill

Another great Indian talent forcing his way through domestic cricket. Definitely someone to keep on a list such as this.

Shai Hope

It seems about time we had a fully paid up West Indian national team player in our list and Hope, as a big hitting batsman, is the best candidate. In a World Cup year, Hope is one of the players to keep an eye on.

Shreyas Iyer

One of a group of players on this list with a point to prove. A solid domestic performer but oft overlooked by India – will he use 2019 to push the envelope?

Jack Leach

Leach was given a sniff of a chance by England this year and it was taken with both hands. The next challenge for the Somerset bowler is to keep his place for the Ashes – he has the West Indies to prove himself.

Glenn Maxwell

Very much the forgotten man of the Australian set up, Maxwell is using a well-trodden route to get his name back in the frame. With a lot of cricket scheduled for him in 2019 and the potential of a World Cup place, he needs to be monitored.

Morne Morkel

It has been a year of mixed fortunes for the ex-South African pacer. He absolutely destroyed all commers in Surrey’s charge to the Division One title but went unsold in the IPL auction – can he replicate 2018’s form and become the next Simon Harmer?

Duanne Olivier

Olivier has been a presence in South African domestic cricket for a few seasons now but ended 2018 with a destructive spell against Pakistan that put his name on the lips of all cricket fans. It remains to be seen whether he can become an established part of the Proteas set up or whether he will be a one Test wonder.

Wayne Parnell

Parnell has turned himself into something of a gun all-rounder for hire over the last few years. Couple this with him joining Worcestershire for the full season, he might just surprise a few this year.

Abdur Razzak

It is all very well and good performing at the very highest level with tonnes of adoring fans and sponsorship deals coming out of your ears, but can you do it in front of one man and his dog? Razzak hasn’t played for Bangladesh since February but has been putting in good performances for South Zone and Khulna so is definitely in the ‘Point to Prove’ camp.  

Ben Stokes

There were some rather large question marks over the inclusion of Stokes in the first year of our rankings. With that not an issue this year, he rightfully joins our fold.

Rohit Sharma

A devastating player in the ODI game and definitely someone to have on your list in a World Cup year. Will his domestic and Test output match this though?

Kuldeep Yadav

Another young bowler to have emerged in 2018 makes it onto the best 24 players in the world for 2019. Yadav was not favoured for the tour of Australia, he will be keen to force his way back into contention this year.

Released Players

We have had quite a number of high-profile players not selected this year. Inside the top ten from our 2018 list we see Jofra Archer, Sunil Narine and Aaron Finch all not included due to inconsistent performances.

In the 2019 list we have seen quite a dramatic swing towards English and Indian players at the expense of South African and Australian players. Steve Smith and David Warner do not get selected for obvious reasons and join George Bailey, Nathan Lyon, Shaun and Mitchell Marsh who we have shied away from due to the question marks over the Australian national team. In terms of South Africa; AB De Villiers’ semi-retirement sees him deselected alongside Quinton De Kock, Dean Elgar, JP Duminy and Hashim Amla.   

India’s Ravis, Ashwin and Jadeja, round off the list of discards.