The names may not be familiar now ... but they soon will be. Wisden writers pick out five young players who should make their mark on the cricket world this year Ian Bell (England) Age 19 Born Walsgrove-on-Sowe, Coventry, April 11 1982
Batting style Right-hand middle-order
Bowling Style Occasional right-arm medium, offspin
Teams Warwickshire

Ian Bell will need nursing through to the full England side, but I am sure he will make the grade. Technically he is very sound defensively - always a good start - and he has this innate ability to accumulate runs: often he seems to be in only for a short while and he has 25 on the board. He has a strong head on his shoulders and a wise one. He likes to keep things simple, though his extra-cover drive stands out. Bob Woolmer

Irfan Khan Pathan (India) Age 17 Born Baroda, 27 October 1984
Batting style Left-hand lower-order
Bowling style Left-arm medium-fast
Teams Baroda

No 17-year-old with a bowling average of 39 has a brighter future. A left-arm seamer with a strong action, zip off the pitch and a natural inswinger, Irfan bowls for Baroda alongside one of his two idols, Zaheer Khan. (Wasim Akram is the other.) He was selected for the Irani Trophy game against the Rest of India last year, and will spearhead the India attack in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand this month. Rahul Bhattacharya

Faisal Iqbal (Pakistan) Age 20 Born Karachi, December 30 1981
Batting style Right-hand top-order
Bowling style Occasional right-arm medium
Teams Karachi, Pakistan

A nephew of former captain Javed Miandad, Faisal has the pedigree to become the backbone of the Pakistan batting line-up for some years to come. A right-handed batsman and a bowler of offcutters, he has captained the Pakistan Under-15 and Under-19 teams and in the last Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka he scored 53 off just 71 balls. He made his Test debut early this year in New Zealand and began with scores of 42, 52* and 63, before fading slightly. A good front-foot player, he cuts and drives on both sides of the wicket with relish. He also loves to hook and is definite captaincy material for the future. At the moment he plays for Karachi, and is a prolific scorer in domestic cricket. He is currently touring Bangladesh with Pakistan. Qamar Ahmed

Sean Clingeleffer (Australia) Age 21 Born Hobart, Tasmania, May 9 1980
Allround status Left-hand middle-order, wicketkeeper
Teams Tasmania

It might be kinder to spare 21-year-old Sean Clingeleffer attention. As a keeper, of whom there can be only one in any national team, his progress to honours will never be swift. But his unobtrusive neatness behind the stumps for Tasmania has been impressive this season, and he has the fitness and dedication necessary to endure a long wait. After a tentative beginning to his first-class career with the bat, the left-handed Clingeleffer has also become an important bulwark in Tasmania's middle-order, compiling 395 runs at 79 so far this season. He first impressed during the 1999 Youth Test series against England, making 135 at Chester-le-Street, as well as executing 23 catches and three stumpings. Gideon Haigh

Andrew Strauss (England) Age 24 Born Johannesburg, SA, March 2 1977
Batting style Left-hand top-order
Bowling style Occasional left-arm medium
Teams Middlesex

Born in Johannesburg but educated in England, the left-handed Strauss has caused flutters of excitement wherever he has gone. A compact opener with a penchant for the leg side and an attractive line in straight-drives, Strauss impressed Justin Langer during his stay at Middlesex, and won a place at England's new academy, where he has caught the eye of the notoriously hard-to-please Rod Marsh. He was second only to Stephen Fleming in the Middlesx batting averages in 2001, scoring 1208 runs at over 48, and, unlike two other English left-handers, Nick Knight (aged 32) and Mark Butcher (29), Strauss (24) has time on his side. Lawrence Booth

Look out for five more to follow on Wisden.com next week.

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