Salt, Stokes and Ahmed make their mark on cricket in 2023
As 2023 draws to a close, Telegraph Sport will rank the UK's top 30 players across a range of sports. Our series began with women's soccer on Monday and men's soccer on Tuesday. Now it's time for men's cricket.
To be in the top 30, players must be playing domestically in the UK right now.
Do you agree with Tim's choice? Scroll down and use the tool at the bottom of this article to improve your Telegraph reader rating.
30 – Moeen Ali (Warwickshire and England)
A wonderful 10-year international career is coming to an end. The T20 World Cup in June looks likely to mark the end of Moeen's international career.
29 – Matthew Potts (Durham and England)
Only played a solitary Test against Ireland but, at the age of 25, is tipped to return in 2024 they will have more chances with both the red and white ball.
Matthew Potts took England's final wicket as Ireland were bowled out for 172 on the first day of the Test match. Photo: Getty Images/Glyn Kirk 28 – Brydon Carse (Durham and England)
England hopefuls Liam Plunkett's long-time successor as a power bowler in the middle overs in white-ball cricket. Cars' improved performance should help him win further innings, possibly including in Test cricket.
27 – Gus Atkinson (Surrey and England)
Selected for the England squad largely on the basis of his pace, Atkinson's early performances in international cricket lived up to his faith. Now the tour of India will also test his suitability for Test cricket.
26 – Ben Foakes (Surrey and England)
Foakes' withdrawal from the Ashes squad was one of England's most controversial decisions in recent years. However, his return to the house was typical: he continued to keep an excellent eye on the wicket without fuss, averaging 40 to help Surrey regain the county title. The new central contract indicates Fox remains in England's thoughts.
25 – Dawid Malan (Yorkshire and England)
Malan's insatiable scoring rate knocked Jason Roy out of a World Cup berth where he was England's top scorer. If his international career comes to an end, Malan will finish with an ODI average of 56.
Dawid Malan was top scorer and centurion in a weak England team in India Photo: AP/Aijaz Rahi 24 – Liam Livingstone (Lancashire and England)
An indifferent World Cup. No matter how reliable his bowling became, Livingstone's game did not develop as desired. However, he is 30 years old and is now one of the senior players in the white ball system.
23 – Sam Curran (Surrey and England)
A year after he became player of the tournament in the victorious T20 World tournament. The FA Cup still seem unsure of Curran's best role. It might be wise to use his batting more prominently and reduce the pressure on him to bowl all the overs.
22 – David Willey (Northants)
Retired from international cricket after, understandably, reasons, was disappointed that he did not receive a central contract. But a wonderful World Cup, including a man of the match in his last game, was a very telling answer.
David Willey ended his international career by taking his 100th ODI wicket in England's World Cup victory over Pakistan. Photo: AP/Rafique Maqbool 21 – Liam Dawson (Hampshire and England)
Average 40 with the bat – typically batting for six and 20 with the ball in an outstanding First Division campaign for Hampshire. No wonder England want him to tour India. But for all his domestic achievements across three formats, Dawson has no central contract and his international career could be over.
20 – Jack Leach (Somerset and England)
Eight wickets in England's one-off defeat to Wellington showed Leach's adaptability. But a stress fracture in his lower back prevented him from showing his development at Ashes.
19 – Reece Topley (Surrey and England)
England's best bowler at the World Cup, combining pace, swing, bounce and left-arm delivery . – arm angle until he gets another injury.
18 – Josh Tong (Nottinghamshire and England)
A surprising selection of Tests that once again demonstrates England's willingness to trust raw materials – pace and bounce – rather than County Championship statistics. Five wickets on his debut against Ireland and five in his only Ashes Test at Lord's were impressive – only Tong suffered injuries that prevented him from playing in the white-ball format as well.
17 – Phil Salt (Lancashire and England)
A gallant performance against the West Indies, including back-to-back T20 hundreds, repeated Jason Roy's role as opener in England's recovery from the 2015 World Cup. At 27, Salt will belatedly receive an extended chance to play for England.
16 – Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire and England)
Ahmed's remarkable influence is evidenced by the fact that England fans have become accustomed to the 19-year-old hiding his leg. By the end of 2024, Rehan could yet become the first choice in all three formats. England believes his batting will do the trick, too.
15 – Will Jacks (Surrey and England)< p>The future of English white-ball cricket, making a decisive contribution both with the bat and with a ball in the Caribbean. There is no central contract, but he is almost signed for the T20 World Cup.
14 – Adil Rashid (Yorkshire and England)
Quietly had a wonderful World Cup with 15 wickets at 27 each. Changed the English attitude towards leg spin in white-ball cricket; now for the first time Rashid faces competition for his place.
13 – Ollie Pope (Surrey and England)
Injury limited the England vice-captain to two Tests in the Ashes when he failed to make 50. The coming year should also be chance to establish himself in ODIs.
12 – Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire and England)
Technique and temperament carried through the Ashes, although his performance declined slightly as the series went on. His adaptability and ability to counter spin means he is being tipped as England's new white-ball number four – at least until Ben Stokes returns again.
11 – James Anderson (Lancashire and England)
He struggled in the Ashes, but England's leading Test wicket-taker has been given a new central contract that will take him to 42 years of age. Now returns to India – the place where perhaps his most famous end comes – in 2021.
10 – Jofra Archer (Sussex and England)
Started the year with a resounding display of quality – 12 wickets from 16 in four ODIs. . A subsequent spate of injuries only highlighted how much England missed him, and serious questions were raised about whether Archer would be able to play Test cricket again.
9 – Zak Crawley (Kent and England)
Unexpected Ashes star confirms England's long-standing belief that his game is particularly well suited to combating pace, especially against short balls. Crawley's 189 from 182 balls at Old Trafford left Australia in the lurch. England believe these qualities will translate into the white-ball game.
Zak Crawley's performance at Old Trafford underlined his importance to the team. Photo: Getty Images/Stu Forster 8 – Ollie Robinson (Sussex and England)
At 30, Robinson should now lead England's Test attack. His superlative qualities only add to his absence due to injury, including in the last two Ashes Tests.
7 – Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire and England)
Returned to the Ashes in his old role as wicketkeeper-batsman, opening again. The eternal debate in English cricket. Started unconvincingly but improved with both gloves and bat, although disappointed in defense at the World Cup.
6 – Chris Woakes (Warwickshire and England)
His first Baseball Test certainly lived up to the hype: Woakes made such an outstanding contribution that he was named player of the series. The only shame was that the ODI World Cup continued Woakes' trend of being slow to start white-ball tournaments.
5 – Jos Buttler (Lancashire and England)
A torrid World Cup campaign as captain and batsman as he endured his longest slump in international cricket. But remains one of the most fearsome white-ball batsmen in the world.
4 – Harry Brooke (Yorkshire and England)
Ash's good first series, including a match-winning innings at his home ground, confirmed the quality Brooka. Now the only England batsman to be automatically selected in all three formats.
Harry Brook played a key innings at Headingley – a superb 75 – to keep the Ashes alive. Photo: Getty Images/Stu Forster 3 – Mark Wood (Durham and England)
An outstanding Ashes showed how Wood's blistering pace can be overwhelming even for the world's best players. Unsurprisingly, England signed him to a three-year central contract.
2 – Joe Root (Yorkshire and England)
Another outstanding year with the bat, averaging 66 in Tests thanks to his reverse scoops. But like England, the World Cup was a disaster.
1 – Ben Stokes (Durham and England)
Finished the year on crutches after knee surgery, but not before putting in a string of brilliant performances. His stunning 155 in the Ashes Test at Lord's nearly replicated his Headingley heist in 2019; his 80 at Leeds brought England back into the series.
Ben Stokes dismissed for 155 but gets a standing ovation from both sets of Lord's fans 👏 🏴 Football Football Football 🇦🇺
What a pitch. What a player. What a leader ✨ pic.twitter.com/amj5eNxagw
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 2, 2023
Without the rain at Old Trafford, Stokes could well have become the first Englishman to win the Ashes with the score 2–0. His determination to get England to stick with his Baseball method after losing the first two Tests was perhaps the most impressive achievement of his entire Test captaincy career.
After Stokes called off his ODI retirement, he missed the first three games of the World Cup but still ended up with an average of 50.7. If he is indeed capable of playing a full role with the ball, England will be hoping he has even more to offer next year.
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