Sports

New Kids On The Green

Three batsmen, three bowlers—six men who promise to set the field on fire with their skill and panache

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New Kids On The Green
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Suresh Raina

Michael Hussey
The left-handed opener has reinvented himself while batting in the middle order in ODIs, easing into Michael Bevan’s shoes. Averaging 81.5, the Western Australian has taken the top slot inICC’s batsmen rankings in ODIs. It baffles many that Australia confined him to the domestic circuit; that at age 31, he has played only 43 ODIs and 11 Tests.

Ian Bell
With tenacity, technique and mental strength, this 24-year-old from Warwickshire has emerged as a consistent batsman for England in the past year. He hit three successive Test centuries against Pakistan. He has also come up with good efforts at No. 3 in ODIs, including an unbeaten 86 helping England turn the tide against Pakistan.

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Mohammed Asif
This pace bowler from Sheikhupura, Pakistan, is quite a handful on any track as the Indian batsmen who played against him would testify. The 23-year-old has had a string of good performances in Tests and ODIs since returning to the national side in the game’s shorter form against England last season. He is economical and attacking, all at once.

Munaf Patel
The 23-year-old paceman from Ikhar in Gujarat has put his hand up and delivered good spells for India with the new ball and old. He caught the eye with a splendid show in his Test debut at Mohali last season. He sticks to the basic tenets of line and length without overly sacrificing pace and promises to serve India for a long time.

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Mitchell Johnson
The left-arm paceman’s four-wicket haul against India in the DLF Cup in Kuala Lumpur last month marked him as a long-term prospect for Australia. In that spell, he showcased pace and accuracy, delivering the ball from a height and hassling batsmen. But, due to his stress injuries, Australia may treat him the 24-year-old with kid gloves.

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