Twenty20 / Andrew Hughes / 18 October 2009 / Leave a comment

The Champions League has given cricket fans the chance to see some talented but unfamiliar players from around the world. Andrew Hughes profiles the tournament's five most promising new faces

"An agile, loose-limbed patroller of the point position, Engelbrecht has taken some astonishing catches there and is showing the same instinct for smelling run-outs that made Rhodes such an asset in the field"

Sybrand Engelbrecht

He's twenty-one, has just five First Class games under his belt and has only featured once for the Cape Cobras in the Champions League, his single over costing nine runs. But he has already built a reputation as a livewire fielder, with his performance at last year's Under 19 World Cup leading some to suggest that he could be the new Jonty Rhodes. An agile, loose-limbed patroller of the point position, Engelbrecht has taken some astonishing catches there and is showing the same instinct for smelling run-outs that made Rhodes such an asset in the field. He has the potential to be a proper all-rounder but right now, his bowling looks to be his strongest suit. An ambidextrous off-spinner, he tosses the ball from hand to hand as he runs up to the crease, a disconcerting sight for any batsman.

Cornelius de Villiers

His full name is longer than that but we'll keep it simple. A gangling fast-medium bowler who can also swing a bat to good effect, he has represented South Africa at Under 19, A and Emerging Players level and has become an essential player in the Diamond Eagles team, helping them to reach the final of South African's domestic competition earlier this year. So far in the Champions League he has picked up two Man of the Match awards and recorded the best figures of the tournament, his 4-17 demolition of the Somerset top order. He was also responsible for ending Sussex's interest in the competition by blasting out Dwayne Smith and Rory Hamilton-Brown in the first two balls of the Super Over.

Moises Henriques

Born on the Portuguese island of Madeira he was brought up in Australia and showed considerable ability at an early age, earning a place in the Australian under 19 team when he was just sixteen. He was called up to replace Andrew Symonds for the series against Bangladesh last year and is inching ever closer to a more regular international spot. A strongly built all-rounder, he bowls quickly, hits the deck hard and is thought good enough to be given the new ball by New South Wales captain Simon Katich. He is also a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, promoted to bat at number three in the game against Trinidad & Tobago and managed a fine unbeaten half-century against Sussex, a match in which he also took three wickets and earned the Man of the Match award.

Aiden Blizzard

A left-handed batsman who has struggled to break into the Victorian four-day team, he has nevertheless been a regular for them in limited overs cricket since lashing 89 from 38 balls on his Twenty20 debut against South Australia in 2007. A coruscating batsman with a Twenty20 strike rate north of 150, he hasn't set the tournament alight yet, but his cameo innings against the Cape Cobras on Saturday showed what he could do. Coming in at three, he hit four boundaries and restored momentum to a Victorian innings that had been faltering badly. Indeed, until he sliced a full toss to cover, he was looking impossible to bowl too, despatching short and full deliveries alike. It won't be long before he is snapped up by an IPL franchise.

William Perkins

An opening batsman with an attacking mindset, he has been responsible for getting Trinidad & Tobago off to a good start, giving them crucial momentum during the Powerplay overs. He has scored at better than a run a ball and has helped make up for the comparative failure of his opening partner, Lendl Simmons. One of many young Caribbean players to benefit from the advent of Twenty20 cricket, he has played very few First Class matches but he is hugely talented and the prospect of him one day opening the innings with Chris Gayle is an exciting one. Trinidad & Tobago are currently [3.7] to win the Champions League.

Tags: Cape Cobras, Champions League Betting, cricket betting, New South Wales, Victoria