Kiran Carlson

An explosive batsman with a strong, wristy game, Kiran Carlson became the youngest player to score a first-class century for Glamorgan - at 18 years and 119 days - in 2016, and in the process became the club's most promising young player.

His previous best score in four innings had been 10, all adding to the unpredictability of a day that started late because Glamorgan's kit van was stuck in traffic on the A12. His introduction to county cricket had begun with 5 for 28 on debut with his offspin on a dry Northampton pitch a couple of weeks earlier but his hundred, eclipsing that of Mike Llewellyn in 1972, was less of a surprise. Batting at No. 6, he produced several stylish drives and cuts.

He studied engineering at Cardiff University, but combined his degree with cricket, scoring a career-best 191 against Gloucestershire at the end of the 2017 season. The following year looked likely to be his breakthrough, as he slammed a quickfire Championship ton and shone in the T20 middle order, with a televised 58 off 32 balls in a win at The Oval the highlight. But his form fell away dramatically in 2019 - after an early-season hundred on a featherbed against Northants, he failed to make another half-century for the first team and lost his place in all formats.

The abbreviated 2020 season was another shocker: 109 runs in eight Bob Willis Trophy innings, and 23 in five hits in the T20 Blast. But at the start of 2021, with his degree nearing its end, he made twin tons against Sussex in the second Championship game of the season and was the second-leading scorer in the country after six rounds of fixtures. He remained proactive and positive, and appeared to have developed his off-side game.

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