The Test debutants of 2019

Good performances by those who made their Test debut in 2019:

Batting:

40 or more in an innings:

One century was made by Pakistan’s Abid Ali. He scored another century in his second Test.

The next highest was by I Zadran of Afghanistan.

DJ Mitchell did not play in the Aus-NZ series which followed his debut.

van der Dussen scored another fifty (68) in his second Test. He had also done well in the World Cup before his Test debut.

Muthusamy played only 2 Tests and does not seem to be in the running now.

80 or more in the match:

Zadran also scored over a hundred on debut. Muthusamy scored 82 without being dismissed.

Bowling:

4 or more wickets in an innings:

Embuldeniya has added a 4-for to his 5-for on debut.

Linde has not played in a Test after his debut.

Amir Hamza’s team has not played a Test after his debut. He also made 34.

6 or more wickets in a match:

While JA Richardson (with the curious forename of Jhye) did well on debut, he was not considered for Australia’s Tests later in the year. He is a regular for 20 and 50 over cricket.

Embuldeniya is now a regular, while Adair and Hamza await their side’s infrequent Tests.

Fielding:

3 dismissals in an innings:

Not much heard about them, although Klaasen had been a regular in 20 and 50 over cricket.

5 dismissals in an match:

Alikhil still awaits another Test for Afghanistan, and has played in 50-over cricket.

Patterson also scored a century in his second Test, but does not find a place in the current Australian side.

All-round:

40 runs and 4 wickets:

Only Linde, who is not in the current SA team.

30 runs and 3 dismissals:

I Zadran did well as a fielder, although Patterson may not add to his 2 Tests for a while.

The most promising of the newcomers seem to be Abid Ali, van der Dussen, Embuldeniya and Amir Hamza. Others have not done much, particularly as some teams have limited opportunities.