New Delhi: The cricket action for the year 2023 has finally come to an end, as a number of players who enjoyed a successful year wish that they can continue their form in the upcoming calendar year, too.
While a number of veterans enjoyed one of the best years of their careers in 2023, a number of new names also rose to fame.
2023 was also a memorable year for ICC tournament fans, as two ICC tournament finals were played this year, including the ICC World Test Championship finals and the ICC ODI World Cup finals, both featuring India and Australia, with the latter coming out on top on both occasions.
Amidst all these big events, which were filled with batting spectacles, there were some bowlers who made a name of their own, performing extraordinarily in both tournaments and bilateral series.
Let’s take a look at the top 4 young blowers who became a nightmare for the batsmen in the year 2023.
1] Ravi Bishnoi (India)
The 23-year-old spinner from India, despite making his international debut in 2022, was only given a handful of opportunities to showcase his talents.
Bishnoi actually rose to heights in the year 2023, especially in T20Is, in which he took 18 wickets in the 11 matches he played in.
After having an incredible series against Ireland earlier in the year, Bishnoi was added to the Indian squad for the Asian Games and was an important member of the gold medal-winning side.
No.1 T20I bowler in the world Ravi Bishnoi 🔥#ICCRankings #RaviBishnoi रवि बिश्नोई Renuka Singh pic.twitter.com/TwqnV4CWf5
— पूजा चौहान (@Pooja4C) December 6, 2023
Bishnoi, however, had his best run against the Australian team in the five-match T20I series at home, where he never went wicketless and was even the highest wicket-taker in the series.
2] Gerald Coetzee (South Africa)
After making his name in the franchise cricket in 2022, the 23-year-old South African pacer made his name in the international cricket in 2023.
The pacer broke into fame during the ICC World Cup 2023, where he became the highest wicket-taker for South Africa in a single edition of the World Cup.
Gerald Coetzee got the wicket of Marcus Stoinis
#AUSvsSA #SAvAUS #AusvSA #SAvsAUS #TembaBavuma #JawanReview #JawanReviews #JawanDay pic.twitter.com/V9kqaGymVt— 𝑮𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒗 𝑹𝒂𝒊 (@IacGaurav) September 7, 2023
Coetzee only featured in 8 of the 11 matches South Africa played but was able to pick up a record 20 wickets in the tournament.
Coetzee’s fighting spell against Australia in the semifinals of the World Cup, despite going down in vain in the end, will be remembered as one of the best spells in the history of the ODI World Cup.
3] Dilshan Madhushanka (Sri Lanka)
The 23-year-old Sri Lankan pacer made his debut months prior to the ICC World Cup 2023 but made his first-ever World Cup outing as one of the best first World Cup outings for any bowler.
Dilshan Madhushanka was the only good thing that happened to the Sri Lankan team at the 2023 ICC World Cup, as the 1996 champions finished second last on the points table.
Madhushanka impressed everyone with his ability to take wickets with the new ball as the pacer scalped a total of 21 wickets in the nine matches, with an impressive average of 25, and was one of the highest wicket-takers in the tournament.
4] Dunith Wellalage (Sri Lanka)
The 20-year-old spinner from Sri Lanka made his debut in 2022 but actually grabbed everyone’s attention during the Asia Cup 2023 when he led his team to the finals despite having a bad start in the tournament.
Wellalage’s best performance came against the Indian side, where he registered an impressive spell of 5 for 40. His team failed to win the match, but the spinner was able to make a name for himself, and with the age factor on his side, he can very well follow the footsteps of other legendary spinners from his country and will become a great spinner himself.
