By Fintan Daly
As the cricketing world gears up for the 2024/25 summer, anticipation is building for what promises to be an exciting few months. Here is a few storylines to look out for ahead of the upcoming season.
International Series and Tournaments
India and Australia will face off in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, playing 5 games starting from the 22nd of November. These two powerhouse teams faced off in the World Test Championship final last year, and they are both in good positions to make the final again this year. The BGT will be a clash of experience, with India’s powerful young squad going up against Australia’s seasoned veterans. But Australia will be searching for and trialling a new opener, who will have to withstand the terrifying new-ball bowling of Jasprit Bumrah.
Overseas, New Zealand will be hosting England in a three-match series that could shake up the WTC table significantly. NZ will be looking to carry through their great form from their series against India, but when everything goes right for England’s progressive XI, spearheaded by the powerful Ben Stokes, they can be hard to stop.
Domestic Competitions
The Big Bash League will be starting up again on 15 December. The dominant Perth Scorchers will be hunting for their sixth championships, but the reigning champs Brisbane Heat and the Adelaide Strikers, who had a great back-end to the season last year, will be out to stop them. Other domestic competitions in Australia include the Sheffield Shield, which is known for its role as a breeding ground for future Aussie test superstars, and the One-Day Cup, which is exciting and offers a way to watch cricket superstars in action for free. I went to watch a NSW vs WA one day match at Cricket Central in Western Sydney a couple of weeks ago, and it was an awesome experience at a great facility.
Next year the IPL will also be starting, which will feature countless international stars and seasoned veterans. Sunrisers Hyderabad boast the impactful Travis Head and Australian captain Pat Cummins, and will be a force to reckon with in the upcoming season. But RCB will be formidable as always, led by bowler’s nightmare Virat Kohli, and backed by millions of fans across India.
Emerging Talent
This summer is destined to reveal a number of hidden gems within the cricketing world, with new spots needing to be filled from retired players like David Warner. In Australia, young guns such as Sam Konstas (Cranbrook old boy), Teague Wyllie and Jake Fraser-McGurk will be looking to prove themselves in search of an elusive Test spot to face India.
Elsewhere, in England, 26-year-old Gus Atkinson will be looking to continue on his trajectory to stardom after an unbelievable debut against the West Indies earlier in the year. Aamir Jamal stunned people with his standout performance against Australia last summer. Could this be the season that he elevates himself to an international superpower?.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is hard to look past when considering players who could make a massive impact this summer. The explosive nature of his batting and his fearless approach makes him a threat to every team that comes across him. His philosophy is to “prepare well and trust myself to execute my shots”. Will his confidence be enough to beat Australia’s quicks?
Key Players to Watch
Another player to keep an eye on is Pakistan’s Babar Azam. He is in a deep form rut, and his career may be on its last legs if he is not to revive it this summer. He stepped down as Pakistan captain after the World Cup last year, and Pakistan has shown recently against England that they don’t need a firing Azam to win matches against good sides. This summer could be the sunset, or the revival, on Babar’s career.