The Kids Are Alright: English Cricket’s Future Stars

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Young cricket player

Vaughan and Flintoff are names that bring back memories of a great summer of cricket in England. Back in 2005 Michael Vaughan was the captain and Freddie Flintoff the lion-hearted all-rounder and national treasure, as England finally won the Ashes. In a thrilling series they won 2-1, claiming the Ashes for the first time since 1986/87.

There were other heroes from that series of course, with Kevin Pietersen starring with the bat, and Simon Jones and Steve Harmison among the bowlers who excelled. In truth it was a real team effort, with almost every member of the squad chipping in when it was needed and delivering a stunning summer of cricket and a series for the ages.

Many hearing some of those names now, be it Pietersen, Marcus Trescothick, Flintoff, Vaughan or any of the others, will almost instantly recall that magical summer of cricket when the sort really captured the nation’s imagination. However, to real cricket fans, who follow the game closely, two of those names will cause excitement about the future, rather than warm feelings about the past.

On the 5th of February 2025, Vaughan took five wickets. But this was not Michael playing in a charity match, but rather his son Archie, skippering the England Under-19s side. Not long before that Flintoff hit a rapid-fire 100 on the 23rd of January. But once again, this was not Andrew/Freddie/Fred, but his son Rocky, playing for the England Lions against a Cricket Australia XI Down Under. England have many exciting young prospects who will hope to break through to the senior team in the years ahead. However, these two have not just the names for it, but the talent too, and may even be the very best of England’s youngsters.

Road Looks Anything But Rocky for Flintoff


Of the pair of hopefuls, Rocky is the younger, and has both the first and last name to be a sporting great, so we will start with him. Rocky will not turn 17 until April and yet already looks like a very capable batsman. His style and the shots he plays are very similar to his dad’s and if he has the potential to be a better player, at least with bat in hand, than his illustrious father.

His older brother Corey also plays in Lancashire’s academy but it is Rocky who has become the county’s youngest-ever first-team player. He also now holds the record for being the youngest to hit a century for the England Under 19s. He is also the third-youngest player ever to make a century in the 2nd XI Championship, doing so at the age of just 16 years and 16 days. In what must have been an immensely proud moment for Freddie, Rocky even scored some of those runs with brother Corey alongside him at the crease.

That innings made him the third youngest overall but his county’s youngest and once again there was a family connection as it was his own father’s record that the novice broke. Later in 2024 he made his debut for the first team in the County Championship and hit a respectable 32. Prior to that he had broken Ian Bell’s record for being the youngest centurion for the U19s and, more recently still, he broke another of his dad’s records by becoming the youngest player to make a ton for the Lions.

Freddie is the Lions coach on this tour and there was a little suggestion of nepotism when Rocky was called up, in part because of his very tender years and limited experience. However, batting down the order at nine, Rocky made a hugely impressive 108 from 127 balls, helping his side to a respectable 319 all out. He added 28 in the second innings when promoted to eight and helped his side earn a draw.

Archie Vaughan


Vaughan is further along in his development and turned 19 at the end of 2024. He has been with Somerset for some time and in May 2024 he signed a full, professional contract with the county for more than two years. Vaughan, like his father, is an opening batter but unlike Michael he is an adept bowler too, as he showed with his recent five-wicket haul.

In fact, in just his second County Championship game he spun his side to victory against Surrey, taking 10 wickets in the game. He may prove to be a genuine all-rounder in time and clearly has great ability with both bat and ball. It is very early days in his career but after four County Championship appearances he averages almost 34 with the bat (top score 68) and a brilliant 20.13 with the ball.

He is currently captaining the England Under 19 side and doing a fine job, as they have just sealed a 10-wicket away against South Africa. The skipper took six wickets in the match, adding 10 not out to win the game to the 24 he made in the first innings.

How Good Can Junior Stars Become?


It is very early days and we have seen lots of young cricketers impress before fading away. Haseeb Hameed is just one relatively recent example, the former Lancashire opener becoming England’s youngest Test player to make their debut as an opener when he played against India at the age of 19. His career slipped away and it remains to be seen whether he will add to his 10 Tests, though he had a fantastic 2024.

However, whilst there is reason for caution, there is certainly reason for great optimism too. Rocky and Archie have incredible talent and both will hope to play as all-rounders for England in all formats of the game. They obviously have excellent guidance and have that great mix of both nurture and nature.

There have been many great cricket dynasties and mini-dynasties, be that brothers playing together, fathers and sons, or even three generations of players, such as the Comptons (the founding father of the dynasty, Denis, is not only one of England’s best batters, but also won the FA Cup and league with Arsenal playing as a winger!). Living up to the Vaughan and Flintoff names is no easy task, but we fancy that Archie and Rocky may just be up to it, and the next five years or so could be very interesting for them, to say the least.