Cricket is a game of uncertainties. There have been several superstars this sport has given to the world. However, the number of those not making it big after a promising start is much more than the former. In the rich and glorious history of more than 100 years, there have been many examples of players with great debuts but a rather sorry career.
1. Faiz Fazal
The talented southpaw made a statement after scoring 183 runs against the railways in a domestic under 19 tournament. It also helped him be in India under the -19 squad for the world cup. After performing consistently in the domestic circuit for years, the 2015-16 season was a career-changing for Fazal. During the India tour of Zimbabwe Fazal found his way into the senior squad in 2016. In the first and the solitary One-day match which he played, Fazal scored a well-paced half-century and helped India to an easy win. After the return of the senior opening duo in Rohit and Dhawan, and with the likes of younger players such as KL Rahul and Mayank, it became difficult for Fazal to make a comeback. A domestic giant with more than 8000 runs, played only one match for the Indian team.
2. Narendra Hirwani
In his debut test, Hirwani picked up eight wickets in an inning and became only the 4th player to do so on debut. The leg spinner's heroics (16/136) helped India cruise through a superstar-driven West Indian team. During the India tour of West Indies of 1989/90, the batsmen seemed to pick up his turn on a rather batting-friendly track. After that tour, Hirwani could never quite make a statement for his national side. Narendra Hirwani’s career came to an end with 17 test caps.
3. Hamish Rutherford
An active First-class cricketer, Hamish Rutherford could never quite deliver what he had promised in the international arena. Rutherford, the leading run-scorer for his domestic team in the 2018-19 Ford Trophy, is not among the original choices in the Kiwi setup. The 32-year-old, who made a debut in 2013, hit the 7th highest score on debut. Rutherford’s 171 came against England. However, the left-hander hasn’t played a single Test since 2015.
4. Sudangsu Banerjee
Banerjee belongs to the list of those who made a great debut but never played for the team again. The pacer made his debut against the West Indies in the year of 1948. Banerjee’s hometown Kolkata was the venue of the match. In an inspired performance, Banerjee took five wickets and also took a couple of catches. Banerjee continued to play for his domestic team until 1953-54. Unfortunately, he could never play for India again.
5. Fawad Alam
Alam recently made it to the headlines after making a comeback in tests post a gap of 10 years. In 2009, when Fawad debuted against Sri Lanka, he became the first Pakistani to score a century on debut overseas. However, even after scoring an impressive 168, Fawad could only play his next test in 2019. Since then, he has been more or less regular in Pakistan’s test setup.
6. Bob Massie
Bob Massie had a dreamy debut. Playing at Lord’s, he took 16 wickets for 136 runs, a world record until Hirwani broke it in 1988. With his deadly pace and deadly swing, Massie had gained a lot of attention. Due to poor health in 1973, Massie could never gain his swing back. He retired after playing six matches.
7. Brendon Kuruppu
Brendon Kuruppu remains the only Sri Lankan and the only wicket-keeper to hit a double ton on debut. After batting for 777 minutes, Kuruppu scored 201 not out against New Zealand. Although a regular for a few encounters, Kuruppu could never really impress again. He ended his career with four tests and 54 ODIs.
8. Andy Blignaut
A hard-hitting batter down the order with decent medium-fast bowling skills took the attention of the world in his debut game. Blignaut took a 5-wicket haul in the game against Bangladesh, in 2001. When he took a hat-trick against Bangladesh in 2004, he became the only Zimbabwean to do so in tests. Andy Blignaut got into a controversy when he pulled out from the 2004-2005 season. He never played a test match. Blignaut played his last ODI in 2010.
9. Mathew Sinclair
Sinclair made his debut in the 1999 Boxing Day test match. He scored 214 in the debut match and holds the record of the highest score on debut to play at number 3. Even after following it up with another double century, Sinclair could never cement his spot in the national side. However, he continued to score regularly in the domestic circuit of New Zealand cricket. Sinclair retired after playing 33 tests.
10. Noel David
Sunil Gavaskar considered David to be one of the best fielders in the world and also compared him to the likes of Jonty Rhodes. A decent off-breaker and a handy batsman down the order, David held the record for the best bowling figures by a debutant for 24 long years. With his 3/21 against the West Indies, David helped India secure a comfortable victory in his first game. A team that later went on to have a new brand of spinners and all-rounders, Noel David, couldn't quite capitalize on the start and failed to make a strong statement.
Noel David played his last test in the same year he had made his debut, 1997.
