20 Most Underrated Cricketers You Should Know in 2022

When somebody mentions cricket we think of the big stars of the game like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, etc.

But today, there are many players who give their all to the country, yet are unable to become fan favorites. Here is the list of the 20 most underrated cricketers you should know in 2022.

#20 Henry Nicholls

30-year-old Kiwi middle-order batsman, Henry Nicholls has already played more than 100 international games for New Zealand. The left-hander who made his test debut in 2016 has been an integral part of the squad since then.

He has a healthy average of 40 in tests, which is a very good number considering he plays in tough pitches of New Zealand. Despite all this, he has never been considered to be a big player in the NZ team. But now, with Ross Taylor retiring it could be time for Nicholls to step up and become a key player in the NZ team.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	43	65	6	2393	174	40.55	4857	49.26	7	12	266	4	28	0
ODI	52	50	11	1409	124*	36.12	1717	82.06	1	11	131	10	21	0
T20I	10	9	1	100	36*	12.50	112	89.28	0	0	9	0	3	0

#19 Imam Ul Haq

Left-handed opening batsman Imam Ul Haq became only the second Pakistani batsman to score a century on ODI debut. He also became the 1st player in ODI history to score 4 centuries in his first 9 matches. Despite having an ODI average of 49, he is still not rated as much as his teammates Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan.

This could be because he does not have a good record in the other 2 formats. Imam will hope that with time he can cement his place in the Test and T20 sides of Pakistan and become a vital player across formats

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	11	21	2	485	76	25.52	1042	46.54	0	3	59	3	7	0
ODI	46	46	5	2023	151	49.34	2519	80.30	7	10	161	16	8	0
T20I	2	2	0	21	14	10.50	25	84.00	0	0	2	0	0	0

#18 Lasith Embuldeniya

The tall left-arm spinner from Sri Lanka, Embuldeniya is touted to be the successor to Rangana Herath. In a short career of 13 tests, he has already picked up 62 wickets with five 5-wicket hauls.

He has been one of the shining lights in an underperforming SL team. SL will hope that Embuldeniya will mature with time and become a world-class spinner who can win many games for his team.

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
Test	13	23	3928	2065	62	7/137	10/210	33.30	3.15	63.3	3	5	1
FC	41	71	9992	5209	205	9/86	10/123	25.40	3.12	48.7	11	17	5

#17 Nkrumah Bonner

Middle Order Batsman Nkrumah Bonner had made his T20i debut for West Indies in 2011. But, he failed to grab that opportunity and become a regular member of the squad. After waiting for 10 years, he got a call-up to the WI Test team for the tour to Bangladesh, because many regular members were not available.

Since then Bonner has become a very integral part of the WI test team. He has played 9 tests averaging 41 with the bat. But most importantly he has played many important knocks for his team. WI will hope that Bonner continues his initial success and becomes a successful Middle-order batsman.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	9	16	2	577	113*	41.21	1623	35.55	1	3	60	2	9	0
ODI	3	3	0	51	31	17.00	95	53.68	0	0	3	0	0	0
T20I	2	2	0	27	24	13.50	38	71.05	0	0	2	0	0	0

#16 Mark Adair

Irish seamer Mark Adair impressed everyone when he picked 6 wickets on his test debut vs England. Adair has been an integral part of the Ireland team for the past few years. His stats in T20 Internationals are among the best in the world.

He currently has the 8th best bowling strike rate in T20 Internationals. Adair will hope that he gets more chances in franchise cricket and that helps him improve as an international cricketer.

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
Test	1	2	166	98	6	3/32	6/98	16.33	3.54	27.6	0	0	0
ODI	22	20	935	971	23	4/19	4/19	42.21	6.23	40.6	2	0	0
T20I	31	31	681	798	51	4/23	4/23	15.64	7.03	13.3	2	0	0

#15 Temba Bavuma

Temba Bavuma made his test debut in 2014 and has since been a regular member of the South African Test Side. He was recently chosen as the white ball captain for South Africa. Despite having a decent average of 33 in Tests, Bavuma is more known for playing crucial knocks when the team is in trouble.

After the retirement of greats like AB De Villiers, Faf Du Plessis, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy, Bavuma has become a very vital member of the South African team in all 3 formats.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	46	77	10	2258	102*	33.70	4684	48.20	1	17	282	5	21	0
ODI	13	12	2	499	113	49.90	568	87.85	1	2	42	4	8	0
T20I	21	20	2	501	72	27.83	407	123.09	0	1	43	12	9	0

#14 Lungi Ngidi

Another South African on this list is Fast Bowler Lungi Ngidi. Ngidi impressed everyone in his debut test vs India in 2018. Due to injuries, Ngidi has had a very stop-start career so far. Despite all this, he has always performed well whenever he has gotten a chance to play for SA.

His stats are on par with some of the best bowlers in the world. SA will hope that Ngidi can maintain his fitness and become a regular member of the team.

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
Test	12	23	1777	917	43	6/39	8/102	21.32	3.09	41.3	1	3	0
ODI	29	29	1392	1304	54	6/58	6/58	24.14	5.62	25.7	2	1	0
T20I	23	23	473	706	36	4/19	4/19	19.61	8.95	13.1	1	0	0

#13 Curtis Campher

All-rounder Curtis Campher is touted to be the next big thing in Irish Cricket. He first came into recognition after an impressive performance in his debut series against England. Since then he has been consistently doing well for Ireland.

He recently took a hat trick in the T20 World Cup 2021. Ireland will hope that Campher continues his improvement and becomes one of the top all-rounders in the world.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
ODI	11	9	1	365	68	45.62	498	73.29	0	4	30	2	1	0
T20I	9	9	2	109	24	15.57	93	117.20	0	0	9	2	3	0

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
ODI	11	8	315	292	9	2/31	2/31	32.44	5.56	35.0	0	0	0
T20I	9	9	181	246	13	4/25	4/25	18.92	8.15	13.9	2	0	0

#12 Deepak Chahar

A right-arm swing bowler who is also a handy lower-order batsman, Deepak Chahar has impressed in the limited chances he has got for the Indian Team. In his short career, Chahar has already picked up the best figures in T20 International Cricket with his 6/7 against Bangladesh in 2019.

With Bhuvneshwar Kumar not in good form, India will hope that Chahar can take his place and consistently deliver as a bowler.

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
ODI	5	5	216	219	6	2/37	2/37	36.50	6.08	36.0	0	0	0
T20I	17	17	367	496	23	6/7	6/7	21.56	8.10	15.9	0	1	0

#11 Usman Khawaja

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	45	79	7	3125	174	43.40	6109	51.15	10	14	335	17	37	0
ODI	40	39	2	1554	104	42.00	1848	84.09	2	12	150	13	13	0
T20I	9	9	0	241	58	26.77	182	132.41	0	1	31	5	5	0

#10 Rassie Van Der Dussen

A late starter in International Cricket, Rassie Van der Dussen made his international debut when he was almost 30. Since making his debut he has consistently performed to cement a place in the side in all 3 formats of the game.

Currently, his ODI average of 65.56 is the 2nd highest ODI average of all time. With South Africa currently in a transition phase with the retirement of many legends, they will hope that Van der Dussen steps up and becomes a reliable batsman in the middle order.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	12	21	1	665	98	33.25	1605	41.43	0	6	80	4	18	0
ODI	29	23	7	1049	123*	65.56	1222	85.84	1	9	69	22	11	0
T20I	34	31	7	933	94*	38.87	713	130.85	0	6	55	40	10	0

#9 Mominul Haque

Bangladesh’s current Test Captain Mominul Haque has been a consistent performer over the years. He had scored half-centuries in 11 consecutive test matches. In doing so, he became only the 3rd batsman to achieve this feat.

Bangladesh will hope that Mominul can consistently bat as well as he does and also shape the future of Bangladesh Cricket as captain.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	48	89	6	3464	181	41.73	6443	53.76	11	15	401	7	30	0
ODI	28	26	1	557	60	22.28	749	74.36	0	3	60	1	4	0
T20I	6	4	1	60	26*	20.00	50	120.00	0	0	5	2	1	0

#8 Mahmudullah

Mahmudullah has been one of the most consistent players for Bangladesh over the years. He made his international debut way back in 2007. His international stats may not be among the best but it is important to understand that he plays the role of a finisher.

He has been one of the best batsmen to bat at No.5,6,7 for the last few years. He has also picked up more than 150 wickets, making him a very useful batting all-rounder.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	50	94	7	2914	150*	33.49	5456	53.40	5	16	338	24	38	1
ODI	200	174	45	4469	128*	34.64	5800	77.05	3	25	337	70	69	0
T20I	113	105	23	1971	64*	24.03	1672	117.88	0	6	152	60	41	0

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
Test	50	66	3423	1958	43	5/51	8/110	45.53	3.43	79.6	0	1	0
ODI	200	139	4205	3618	78	3/4	3/4	46.38	5.16	53.9	0	0	0
T20I	113	67	825	995	36	3/10	3/10	27.63	7.23	22.9	0	0	0

#7 Ish Sodhi

For the past few years, Ish Sodhi has been New Zealand’s premier white-ball spinner. He was also ranked the Number 1 T20 spinner around 2018. But for some reason, he is not rated as highly as his competitors.

New Zealand will hope that Sodhi can recreate his white-ball success in Tests as well, making him one of the rare modern generation spinners to do so.

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
Test	17	31	3186	1992	41	4/60	7/79	48.58	3.75	77.7	2	0	0
ODI	33	32	1620	1508	43	4/58	4/58	35.06	5.58	37.6	1	0	0
T20I	66	64	1359	1824	83	4/28	4/28	21.97	8.05	16.3	2	0	0

#6 Dhananjaya De Silva

During the abysmal transition phase of Sri Lankan cricket, Dhananjaya De Silva has been one of the few shining lights. The batting-allrounder who debuted in 2015 has gradually improved in Test Cricket to become one of the best Sri Lankan batsmen of this era.

Now that Sri Lanka has started to win more games and become consistent, the team will hope that De Silva becomes more consistent with both bat and ball.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	38	68	6	2472	173	39.87	4357	56.73	8	9	294	17	46	0
ODI	56	53	8	1199	91	26.64	1574	76.17	0	7	118	8	27	0
T20I	23	22	2	412	62	20.60	380	108.42	0	2	32	6	6	0

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
Test	38	56	2635	1465	25	3/25	5/51	58.60	3.33	105.4	0	0	0
ODI	56	46	1346	1162	28	3/32	3/32	41.50	5.17	48.0	0	0	0
T20I	23	12	144	171	5	2/22	2/22	34.20	7.12	28.8	0	0	0

#5 Adil Rashid

Leg Spinner Adil Rashid always goes under the radar in the star-studded English Team. But he has been one of the major reasons for the transformation of England into arguably the best white-ball team currently.

Rashid has consistently delivered and picked wickets in the flat English wickets which makes him a very valuable asset to the team.

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
Test	19	34	3816	2390	60	5/49	7/178	39.83	3.75	63.6	5	2	0
ODI	112	106	5573	5251	159	5/27	5/27	33.02	5.65	35.0	7	2	0
T20I	68	65	1400	1725	74	4/2	4/2	23.31	7.39	18.9	2	0	0

#4 Shreyas Iyer

Right-handed middle-order batsman, Shreyas Iyer has been a consistent performer since his recall in the national team in 2019. He has been touted to be the No. 4 batsman for India in time to come.

He recently struck a vital century and a half-century in his debut test vs NZ in Kanpur. Iyer is also touted to be a captaincy candidate for India in the future.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	2	4	0	202	105	50.50	345	58.55	1	1	24	5	2	0
ODI	22	20	1	813	103	42.78	810	100.37	1	8	81	17	8	0
T20I	32	28	7	580	67	27.61	439	132.11	0	3	46	22	9	0

#3 Dimuth Karunaratne

Current Sri Lankan Test Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne has been a vital player for SL in Tests over the years. Also known for his Tactical brilliance, the left-handed opener is currently ranked 7 in the ICC test rankings.

Despite all this, he is not rated as highly as his competitors. This could be due to the fact that he plays for a slightly lesser ranked opposition

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	74	143	5	5454	244	39.52	10909	49.99	13	27	563	9	55	0
ODI	34	30	2	767	97	27.39	1030	74.46	0	6	71	1	11	0

#2 Dean Elgar

Current South African Test Skipper Dean Elgar is 2nd on the list. The left-handed opening batsman who is known for his gritty style has been one of the most consistent performers in International cricket.

He has been a pillar for the South African team which is in a transition phase after the retirement of batsmen like AB De Villiers, Faf Du Plessis, Hashim Amla, etc. He is among the most underrated openers around the world.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	71	124	11	4549	199	40.25	9716	46.81	13	19	577	25	75	0
ODI	8	7	1	104	42	17.33	177	58.75	0	0	6	0	4	0

#1 Shardul Thakur

Fondly called, the ‘Lord’, Shardul Thakur has been instrumental over the last year with major contributions in some historic test wins for India.

Mainly known as a Seam Bowler, Thakur has made some very important contributions with the bat, with 3 half-centuries in 6 tests. He has also had decent success in White ball cricket. Thakur could be the solution to India’s fast bowling all-rounder problems.

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10w
Test	6	11	861	488	24	7/61	8/108	20.33	3.40	35.8	1	1	0
ODI	15	15	723	818	22	4/52	4/52	37.18	6.78	32.8	2	0	0
T20I	24	23	482	739	31	4/27	4/27	23.83	9.19	15.5	1	0	0

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	6	10	1	232	67	25.77	307	75.57	0	3	30	8	2	0
ODI	15	8	3	107	30	21.40	74	144.59	0	0	9	6	4	0
T20I	24	6	3	69	22*	23.00	38	181.57	0	0	5	4	6	0