Top five cricket players who made their debut in 2024

In 2024, international cricket saw several young talents making their debut and displaying their brilliance at the highest level. Sam Konstas of Australia stunned everyone with his aggressive Boxing Day debut. The 19-year-old opener took on India’s ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, smashing an unbeaten 34 off 33 balls, including two sixes in a single over.

India’s Akash Deep came out as a reliable pace option for the side. Debuting against England in Ranchi, the pacer claimed 15 wickets in seven Tests. Australian all-rounder Beau Webster also made a memorable debut, coming in during the fifth Test against India, scoring 57 and an unbeaten 37, and played crucial innings helping Australia reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade.

Apart from the longest format of the game, many players made their presence felt in the white-ball format. From Riyan Parag to Jacob Bethell. The year 2024 was special for these players who went on to perform consistently and registered important wins for their teams.

Here are the five cricketers who debuted in 2024:

5. Nitish Kumar Reddy (Tests):

21-year-old all-rounder from Andhra, Nitish Kumar Reddy had a dream debut series for India during the recently concluded 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The highlight of his tour came in the Boxing Day Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he hammered his maiden Test century. Walking in at No. 7 with India struggling at 221/7, Nitish smashed 114 off 189 balls. His knock, featuring 11 boundaries and a six, helped India reach a first-inning total of 369.

Across the series, Nitish scored 298 runs at an average of 37.25, becoming India’s second-highest run-getter, after Yashasvi Jaiswal. Throughout the series, Reddy’s bat did the talking, especially in the first two Tests. With the ball, Reddy bagged five wickets and bowled those crucial overs.

Reddy’s selection was in question after the squad announcement, looking at his limited experience. The youngster made his T20I debut in the three-match series against Bangladesh, scoring 90 runs, including a player of the match knock of 74 in the second T20I in Delhi. For his performance in the last edition of IPL, the all-rounder not only received his maiden national call-up but was also retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 4 crore.

Also Check: Top 10 cricketers who retired in 2024

4. Abbas Afridi (T20Is):

Pakistan’s pacer, Abbas Afridi made a brilliant T20I debut against New Zealand on January 12, 2024, in Auckland at the age of 22. The right-armer picked three wickets and conceded 34 runs, in his quota of four overs. His performance earned him a place in Men in Green’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and featured in the game against Ireland, but went wicketless.

In his debut year, he played 18 matches and took 30 wickets at an average of 14.96 and a strike rate of 10.7. His best figures of 3/17 came against Australia in Sydney. Notably, he ranked 29th for most wickets in a calendar year. The pacer has gone on to make his place in global T20 leagues, including Pakistan Super League and Global T20 Canada.

3. Sarfaraz Khan (Tests):

After years of hard work and consistent performance, Sarfaraz Khan finally made his international debut in February 2024. Legendary Indian bowler Anil Kumble handed the batter his Test cap in Rajkot against England in the third Test. The 27-year-old made an immediate impact, scoring back-to-back fifties in his maiden Test. His debut innings of 62 included nine boundaries and a six, followed by another knock of 68 in the second innings, making him just the fourth Indian to score over fifty in both innings on debut. In that series, he went on to play the following two Test matches and ended with 200 runs in five innings.

His next Test assignment came in October 2024 where he hammered his maiden century and ended with a sensational 150 against New Zealand at Bengaluru. His knock, featured 13 fours and three sixes. Sarfaraz’s 177-run partnership with Rishabh Pant was key in helping the hosts get back in the game. The youngster after his century-knock had an underwhelming performance in the remainder two games, scoring just two runs across four innings. The Mumbai-born was also named in India’s squad for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy but didn’t get any match to play.

2. AM Ghazanfar (ODIs):

In 2024, Afghanistan’s 18-year-old off-spinner, AM Ghazanfar, became one of the emerging young prospects in white-ball cricket. Making his ODI debut against Ireland in March at just 16 years and 236 days, he quickly went on to make headlines.

Despite a slow start, Ghazanfar registered impressive performances throughout the year. Against South Africa, his match-winning figures of 3/20 helped Afghanistan secure their maiden ODI victory over the Proteas. His maiden five-wicket haul (6/26) against Bangladesh led to a 92-run win, making him the fifth youngest player to take a five-wicket haul in 50-over cricket. His second five-fer came against Zimbabwe in Harare, bowling them out for 127.

Ghazanfar finished 2024 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 13.57, and an economy of 4.05. He became the first teenager to achieve multiple five-wicket hauls in ODIs, joining the elite list including, Waqar Younis and Rashid Khan. Furthermore, he was signed by Mumbai Indians for INR 4.80 crore in the IPL 2025 auction.

1. Gus Atkinson (Tests):

England’s Gus Atkinson made a sensational debut against the West Indies at Lord’s on July 10, 2024. The 26-year-old tore through the Caribbean batting line-up on Day 1, picking seven wickets for 45 runs in 12 overs, which led to the visitors bundling for 121. Atkinson’s match figures of 12/106 was the best by an England debutant in 134 years, earning him Player of the Match honours.

Atkinson joined an elite club, becoming one of only 12 bowlers to take five-wicket hauls in both innings of their debut Test. His figures made him the fourth-best on debut in men’s Test history and the second-best for England against the West Indies. By the year’s end, Atkinson had picked 52 wickets in just 11 Tests, becoming the second-fastest bowler to surpass 50 wickets in a debut calendar year.

In 2024, the speedster also took a hat-trick, which came against New Zealand in Wellington, making him the 14th bowler from his country to take a hat-trick in Tests. The Chelsea-born also contributed with his bat, scoring 352 runs, including a ton against Sri Lanka in September.

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