Fabian Allen

A slow left-arm spinner and a good hitter down the order, Fabian Allen has been a find for West Indies cricket. Allen is a good T20I bowler and has a good international record. However, his ODI numbers don’t quite reflect his talent and he has just bagged 4 wickets in just 14 matches. 

It was in a Caribbean Premier League match in 2017 that Allen hogged the headlines after a sensational catch at deep point. It went viral on youtube and he gained instant recognition across the globe. It was during the same season when Allen scored three consecutive half-centuries for Jamaica. 

Allen was quite brilliant with the bat in the following season which included a stroke-filled 169* against Trinidad and Tobago which was also his maiden first-class century. The innings finally made people take notice of the talented youngster who was destined to be a future international star. After impressing in the domestic circuit, Allen was roped in by the St Lucia Stars in the 2017 Caribbean Premier League. 

Following his success in the CPL, he was selected in the Cricket West Indies B side in the Global T20 Canada. Allen hasn’t played enough international cricket so far but given his talent and exceptional all-round skills, he could turn out to be a potential match-winner for West Indies in the future if nurtured well. 

Allen made his international debut for West Indies in the 2018 ODI and T20I series against India. He didn’t quite make a mark but it was understandable given the star-studded Indian batting line-up. Allen was named in the West Indies squad for the 2019 World Cup and impressed with the bat in one of the games. 

He scored a half-century against Sri Lanka and shared a great partnership with Nicholas Pooran which almost sealed the match for the Windies.  He was finally awarded the central contract before the start of the 2019-20 season.

Allen also bagged a contract in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) after being snapped by the Sylhet Sixers in the 2018-19 BPL. After the coronavirus break, Allen was slated to play for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the CPL 2020. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, Allen missed the tournament after missing his flight. 

In the recently concluded Super 50 cup, Allen was the talisman of Jamaican Scorpion’s squad. With his all-round skills, he led Jamaica Scorpions into the semi-finals against Trinidad and Tobago of the coveted tournament but lost the knockout match. Released from the Sunrisers Hyderabad before the 2021 edition of IPL, Allen was signed by Punjab Kings for a price of INR 75 lakhs. Riding on his recent domestic form, he would be looking to light up this year’s IPL with every opportunity he gets.

(As of March 2021)