Spin To Win: 5 Young Spinners To Watch Out For In The 2024 Season
TCCP Founder Aaron Viles takes a look at some of the brightest spin prospects on the circuit heading into the Summer of 2024.
So here we are folks, the start of the 2024 County Championship is almost upon us.
It’s been a long, cold, and often times, dreary Winter but the promised land of sunshine, warm weather and red ball cricket beckons ever closer with each passing day. The mere thought of it is enough to make your heart smile a thousand times over.
With this in mind, I decided to use this article to take a deeper dive into one of my great passions in this wonderful game of ours; the magical, and often times underappreciated, art of spin bowling.
Admittedly, given my questionable 13.33 bowling average in the 4th Division of the Cotswolds Hills League, I may not have the talent to make it as a spinner in the county circuit, but the 5 prospects that I’ve mentioned in this piece certainly do, so without further delay and in no particular order, let’s get into today’s article:
Tazeem Ali - Warwickshire
I’ve never been one to shy away from my love of leg spin bowling on the podcast, so we’re kicking off today’s proceedings in style by taking a closer look at one of the most promising young leggies on the entire circuit right now.
Back in 2020, I happened to have a chat with Jake Lintott about Warwickshire’s next big spin talents, during which he spoke very highly of an emerging 14-year-old leg spinner from Attock Cricket Club by the name of Tazeem Ali; I should have known back then that we would be in for an absolute treat as Bears fans.
After making his senior debut against Derbyshire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup last season, a game in which he trapped Haider Ali LBW and claimed economic figures of 1/49 from 10 overs, Taz went on to have a sensational Winter for the England Under-19’s, resulting in a thoroughly deserved call-up to the 2024 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup squad.
Over the course of that tournament, the 17-year-old spin wizard took a staggering 14 wickets in 4 matches, the highlight of which was a truly mesmerising 7/29 against Zimbabwe in Potchefstroom which suddenly catapulted him into the spotlight of the mainstream cricket media.
During that particular performance, Taz put on what can only be described as a bona fide exhibition in leg spin bowling, concocting an eclectic mix of wrong ‘uns, top spinners and leg breaks which left the shell-shocked Chevrons batting line-up completely at sea.
If you haven’t already seen the highlights of it, go and check them out right this instant; you won’t regret it.
Whilst there are still some areas of his game that he can work on, like any young spin bowler he does have a tendency to over-pitch deliveries when the adrenaline kicks in, Taz possesses the necessary attributes and character to make it all the way to the international level in my view.
Given proper nurturing at Edgbaston, as well as the opportunity to showcase his talents with the white ball in the Metro Bank One Day Cup this season, 2024 has all the hallmarks of a memorable year for the teenage spin sensation, and I for one can’t wait to see where the game takes him over the next 5-10 years.
Shoaib Bashir – Somerset
Up next, we have one of English cricket’s brightest off-spinning prospects, Somerset’s Shoaib Bashir.
Following a rather underwhelming rookie season for the West Country outfit in the 2023 LV= County Championship, which saw him finish with a tally of 10 wickets at 67.00, Shoaib was perhaps a wildcard selection for the England Lions tour of the UAE back in November, but in the months that have passed since, it’s clear to see the immense level of talent that he possesses with the red ball in hand.
Take, for instance, the recently concluded 4th Test against India in Ranchi, a game which saw the 20-year-old take match figures of 8/198 and claim his maiden 5-wicket haul in First-Class cricket in tremendous fashion.
Whilst the focal point of his bowling to date has been his high release point, an attribute which was on full display with his dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja in the first innings, Shoaib also exuded a great deal of confidence and clarity in his bowling plans for the duration of the Test, qualities which will set him up nicely heading into the remainder of his career.
Factor in his natural tendency to turn the ball sharply, his ability to generate pronounced top spin and the wily variation of his bowling speeds, and suddenly you have all of the makings of a clinically effective red-ball off spinner in the palms of your hands.
The only question in 2024 will be where he plies his trade in the County Championship, with Somerset Head Coach Jason Kerr alluding to the potential for a loan move should opportunities at Taunton become limited due to the presence of fellow England spinner Jack Leach.
Regardless of which county Shoaib ends up representing this year though, the key to his development will be continued opportunities in the First-Class format. As is the case with any young spin bowler, this craft takes time, and a certain degree of patience is required in order to get the very best out of individuals who wish to fully hone their skills in the red ball arena.
Should he get those aforementioned opportunities in the Championship however, the ceiling for Shoaib’s game has the potential to grow exponentially by the day; let’s just hope that he continues to get more chances to display his talent over the course of this upcoming season.
Luc Benkenstein – Essex
If you weren’t fully aware of Luc Benkenstein’s bowling abilities before this article, please feel free to thank me later.
Bursting onto the scene with an awe-inspiring 6/42 against Glamorgan at Chelmsford in the 2022 Royal London One Day Cup, the 19-year-old all-rounder has made quite the name for himself as one of the hottest commodities on the circuit, combining pin-point accurate leg breaks with potent wrong ‘uns to great effect in the white ball arena.
Unfortunately, a stress fracture in 2023 put a temporary halt to his momentum, ruling him out for three months and preventing him from bowling in last year’s Metro Bank One Day Cup, but thankfully, the injury seems be healing, with the Essex youngster sending down a total of 19 overs at the 2024 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
Whilst most people, myself included, would have liked to see him bowl a few more overs at the World Cup, Benkenstein still demonstrated his ability to have an instant impact with the ball in hand on a couple of occasions, the most apparent example of which came in the form of a nifty 3/41 during England’s 7 wicket victory over Scotland in Potchefstroom.
Heading into the next few years however, I want to see Luc really take centre stage down in Chelmsford and establish himself as a go-to spin option for Essex, whether that’s in the white-ball formats or, indeed, in the County Championship.
Now that’s a lot easier said than done given the presence of a certain Simon Harmer, who happens to be rather good at bowling spin, but there’s no reason to suggest that he can’t become the heir apparent in 5-7 years’ time and take up Harmer’s mantle of tearing through opposition batting line-ups with his formidable amalgamation of flight, drift, turn and variations. His ceiling really is that high.
For this upcoming season though, my expectations for Luc remain rooted firmly in the present. More than anything, I just want him to stay injury-free and slowly get back into a rhythm with his bowling, because as long as he does that, we’re in for some serious entertainment once the 50-over format returns into our lives come August.
Ben Kellaway – Glamorgan
The second of the spin-bowling all-rounders to appear on today’s list, 20-year-old Ben Kellaway was an absolute no-brainer to include in this article; he’s quality.
Unlike the other spinners mentioned beforehand, especially in comparison to the leggies, Kellaway doesn’t necessarily utilise the same degree of turn to his advantage but what he does possess is flight, drift, and a fantastic level of game awareness for such a young cricketer.
This high standard of cricket IQ was on full display when Glamorgan faced off against Derbyshire at the Incora County Ground in the Metro Bank One Day Cup last season, with the former Clifton College pupil varying his lines, lengths and bowling speeds superbly against the likes of Luis Reece, Haider Ali and Matt Lamb to finish with admirable figures of 3/41 from his 8 overs.
As if this wasn’t already impressive enough, given that he had only made his List A debut against Worcestershire at New Road 2 days prior, Kellaway would go on to finish as Glamorgan’s leading wicket taker in the competition, ultimately claiming 13 wickets at 22.92 over the course of 7 group stage matches.
And it wasn’t just his bowling efforts which left an instant impact on fans of the Welsh outfit either, he also happened to score 195 runs at 32.50 with the bat in hand over the course of that tournament; not a bad return at all for a young all-rounder in their first season as a professional cricketer.
Whilst the Chepstow CC product is by no means the finished article, he’s still only entering his second year in the county circuit after all, the initial signs look very promising indeed and if he continues to display a similar level of cricketing intelligence and maturity beyond his years yet again this season, he could certainly prove to be a key asset for the Welsh outfit across all 3 formats heading into the future.
Alex Russell – Northamptonshire
My final pick for today’s article is a Newport-born leg spinner that I’ve grown to have great respect for in the past year or so, Northamptonshire’s Alex Russell.
Looking at his stats from last season in isolation, you may think this is a slightly left-field choice but there’s a good reason as to why I’ve decided to include the 21-year-old’s name on this list; he’s a student of the game who’s constantly striving to improve.
Indeed, whilst 2023 may have been a steep learning curve for Alex, with his 6 FC wickets coming at 64.5 runs apiece and white-ball opportunities proving limited, the former Herefordshire leggie has spent considerable time honing his craft over the course of the off-season, with his outstanding performances for the Mashonaland Eagles in the recently-concluded Logan Cup offering a testament to this admirable work ethic.
In fact, his staggering tally of 37 wickets at 30.97 in 8 matches, which included a career-best 7/84 from 23 overs against the Matabeleland Tuskers in Harare, was the highest figure of any bowler in the entire competition, thus resulting in the promising leg spinner bagging the Bowler of the Tournament Award in his very first outing on Zimbabwean soil.
That right there is an impressive overseas stint if ever I’ve seen one.
If I was to offer one minor improvement to his bowling at this moment in time however, it would be his discipline during longer spells.
Although his current First-Class economy rate of 5.04 runs per over doesn’t sound too bad, he easily has the ability to reduce it to around the 4 runs per over mark by resisting the urge to overpitch deliveries and maintaining control with his stock ball, an attribute which holds the key to success for leg spinners in red ball cricket.
This attribute, as I’ve mentioned before however, will come with time.
Should Alex master the art of control though, the potential for Northants to create a formidable spin duo for many years to come looms large, especially in the white-ball formats, with 22-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Freddie Heldreich providing a more aggressive, stump-to-stump style of bowling which might act as the perfect foil to his right-handed contemporary’s metronomic, pressure-building archetype.
This is all hypothetical of course but you can’t deny that the outcome would be anything other than mouth-watering; who doesn’t love a good two-pronged spin attack at the end of the day?
I think it goes without saying at this point, but I’m excited to see what the future holds for Alex; let’s just hope that this upcoming season provides him with the opportunity to showcase his talents across formats on a more regular basis.
Article written by Aaron Viles