Stuart Thompson - Ireland - Bowling Allrounder

A high utility medium pacer, who doubles as a stylish middle-order left handed batsman, Stuart Thompson first made waves at the under-19 stages where he struck a sublime 67 against Uganda, which saw him being picked up for the 2011-13 Intercontinental Cup.

Ever since then, Thompson's been a regular part of the Ireland squad, with notable contributions in all the associate cricket and the limited international opportunities Ireland got through the 2013 and the 2014 seasons. One such example was his first ever match against a Test side, where he scored 33 and picked up two wickets against the West Indies.

In 2016 however, he suffered a bout of performance anxiety, which forced him to take a two-month break from the game to deal with it. It perhaps was the culmination of a lean patch of runs that began from the winter of 2014 that took a toll on his mental health. On return, he sent out a timely reminder notching up his maiden First-Class ton for North West Warriors in the 2018 Inter-Provisional Championship right before Ireland's maiden Test venture.

Quite obviously, he was a part of the historic eleven in May 2018 to represent Ireland in their first ever Test. He did impress in the second innings with a fifty, hence becoming only the second half-centurion from the country after Kevin o'Brien. In his side's journey as they become a full member, Thompson's role is set to be vital in helping them set a firm footing.

Vineet Anantharaman