Current game-changers XI in world cricket

After undergoing a revolution for the past few decades, Cricket, today, is so much more exciting than it used to be till the early ’70s. The addition of ODI format on the 5th of January, 1971, gave this game a new life, after people, some say, were getting bored of the one-dimensional nature of the gentleman’s game, that only consisted of five-day cricket back then. This revolution not only got people to be involved more than ever in this sport but also gave the world some dynamic players with superhuman skills. Sir Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd were two of the earliest ‘magicians’ to grace the 22 yards. The emergence of game-changers like Sir Ian Botham, Sir Richard Hadlee, Dennis Lillie, Malcolm Marshall, Sir Curtly Ambrose among others, helped a great deal in making cricket popular across the globe. Since the retirement of some of the biggest names in world cricket in the ’90s and earlier, cricket has been fortunate enough to have never fallen short of breathtaking players, not even briefly. The current lot of ridiculously talented youngsters has far more offensive ways of ruling the game, than the ones before them. Let’s find out some of them in our game-changing XI of international cricket today: 1. David Warner (Australia) David Warner celebrates his century. (Photo Source: Twitter) This pocket-sized dynamite from down-under has earned himself a reputation of hitting monstrous sixes and brutal fours. The sheer power and surprising elegance in his strokes has arguably made him the fan-favourite among the power-hitters in cricket right now. Warner, after receiving a one-year ban last year for his involvement in the infamous Sandpaper Gate, had mentioned that he wasn’t sure if he would ever play for Australia again, but here he is, in the Aussie World Cup squad, ready to make the 22-yards his own. He is definitely a game-changer when it comes to dominating the oppositions and it was evident during his 12-game stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He is hungrier more than ever and could continue in the same vein in the World Cup. 2. Babar Azam (Pakistan) Babar Azam. (Photo Source: Twitter) An extremely talented youngster, with surprisingly good skills and temperament for a 24-year-old, first announced himself to the world a couple of years ago when he scored three centuries on the trot against the Windies in the UAE. Today, Babar is one of the main batsmen, or probably the main batsman, for Pakistan. His amazing consistency in the One-Day and T20 formats has earned him widespread applause. Right now, he is ranked number one in international T20s and number seven in the 50-over format. Though he is yet to make a major impact in the longest format, Babar Azam certainly has the potential to become one of the greatest and the glimpses are already on show. He is another player who will be key for Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup in England. 3. Virat Kohli (India) (C) Virat Kohli. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) The Indian captain’s presence in this list comes as a no-brainer and probably requires no justification, but for the sake of formalities, Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world right now. The way he has dominated world cricket, more so, after his failure in England in 2014, has made him one of the top sportspersons in the world across all sports. The 30-year-old, by many, is considered to be the second-best batsman of all time, after Sir Donald Bradman, while some, including the former England captain Michael Vaughan, consider him to be the ‘G.O.A.T.’ or the Greatest Of All Time. 4. Faf du Plessis (South Africa) Faf du Plessis. (Photo Source: CHRISTIAAN KOTZE/AFP/Getty Images) Faf du Plessis is another name that comes to one’s mind when someone brings the word ‘game-changers’ up. The experienced South African has been a headache for bowlers for years now, and his current form only suggests that the bowlers will have to live with that headache for a good few more years. The 34-year-old, along with Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock and the now-retired AB de Villiers, gave South Africa one of deadliest top-order batsmen in the world, and a major chunk of the Rainbow nation’s success in recent times can be attributed to them. Faf is a rock solid batsmen across the three format for the Proteas and no wonder he is the best active batsman in the country at the moment. He is carrying the South African on his shoulders right now and will be looking to do the same in the near future as they build the team. 5. Ross Taylor (New Zealand) New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Ross Taylor, after looking at his statistics, can be considered as one of the most underrated players in cricket right now. He has been the backbone of the Kiwi middle-order for more than a decade now, playing over 200 one-dayers and averaging almost 50. Ross is one of the very few players who can play Test match cricket, one-day matches and T20s at their respective paces. The 35-year-old is a perfect mixture of brute force and timing, and he has shown that on numerous occasions. In the upcoming World Cup, he will have a huge responsibility on his shoulders and if he undertakes that responsibility on its merit, New Zealand might just win their first title. 6. Jos Buttler (England) (wk) Jos Buttler of England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) This English wicketkeeper-batsman has given us more than enough reasons to feature him in this list. Be it his wicket-keeping skills, or his way of batting, Jos Buttler can not be kept out of this list. His use of ridiculous power in addition to the sublime timing while banging the bowlers to all parts of the ground, is something that anyone would be happy to pay and watch. The 28-year-old has a career strike-rate of over 110 in ODIs, and the fact that he has played over 100 matches at an average of around 40, makes it all that shinier. He is also the vice-captain of the Test team and his attacking approach while batting at number seven has impressed the selectors. 7. Andre Russell (Windies) Andre Russell of Windies. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) With the muscles Andre Russell possesses, it is quite expected that this Caribbean man could hit the cricket ball a long way. What’s even more interesting, is the fact that ‘Dre Russ’ can bowl as well, with great accuracy, at over 140 kilometers an hour consistently! This guy is not just another all-rounder fighting for relevance, Andre Russell is a brand himself, thanks to his heroics on the field. The ongoing IPL is a perfect example of how destructive he can be. Out of KKR’s five wins in the season so far, he has won the Man of the Match award in four of those by turning the match his team’s way single-handedly. 8. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images) The 20-year-old Afghan youngster has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years. His leggies, perfectly mixed with occasional googlies and quicker ones, have sent some of the top names in world cricket packing. He has not only been able to control the flow of runs while bowling for the teams he has played for, but has also taken a lot of wickets while doing so, throughout his career. Rashid, at just 20, is one of the best bowlers in the world right now. His big-hitting abilities with the bat add to his achievements and have also earned him the spot of the best all-rounder in ODIs. While the teams prefer playing him out in the T20s, Rashid is more a force to reckon with in the 50-overs format as it becomes imperative to score runs. 9. Pat Cummins (Australia) Pat Cummins. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) The lanky Aussie youngster with raw pace is another person who has been a game-changer and can repeat his heroics in the future as well. His accuracy with the ball travelling at over 145 kilometres an hour, is something few can only dream of. Pat Cummins doesn’t have the top portion of his middle finger of his bowling hand, but despite that, it has never seemed to bother him. The 25-year-old has one of the top-ranked pacers in world cricket and will have a big responsibility on his shoulders going into the World Cup. After sensational debut, he got injured to stay away from the game for a significant period. But Cummins has stormed back even fitter and has been immensely successful in the last 18 months. 10. Kagiso Rabada (SA) Kagiso Rabada. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images) After registering the best bowling figures on debut, of all time, against Bangladesh a few years back, Kagiso Rabada hasn’t really looked back. He has been going about his business pretty impressively, destroying the timber while also giving the batsmen chin-music to remember for life. Rabada’s accuracy is deadly and that is why any team in the world would want him to play for them. He can turn the game on its head in a matter of balls, making him a game-changer with a long way still to go. The numbers, 106 ODI wickets in 66 only 66 matches while 176 scalps in 37 Tests are enough to send the shivers down the batsmen’s spine. 11. Jasprit Bumrah (India) Jasprit Bumrah of India. (Photo Source: Getty Images) India’s yorker specialist and probably the fastest bowler as well, Jasprit Bumrah stands right up there with the best in the business. His dead-accurate yorkers, in addition to those brutal bouncers and tricky slower ones, can be a total blast on a given day. He has been pretty consistent for India of late and unsurprisingly will be heading into the World Cup as their strike bowler. Bumrah did struggle in the initial stages of his career, but the way he recovered from those jolts, has set the tone for him to stand on top of the world. He is also one of the fittest cricketers at the moment and clearly has a long way to go but has the potential to end up as one of the greatest ever to have played the game. 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Current game-changers XI in world cricket

Cricket, thanks to able athletes like the ones mentioned, is often referred to as the game of glorious uncertainties.

2. Babar Azam (Pakistan)

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