World Cup 2019: Rating the all-rounders of all teams in the tournament

All-rounder plays a huge role in modern cricket these days. Moreover, if he is someone like Jacques Kallis who bats in the top order and bowls a few overs, then he is like gold to the team. The role of an all-rounder becomes even more important in limited-overs cricket. In the upcoming World Cup, players will dual responsibilities are going to be crucial for their respective teams.

With high scoring pitches in England, a hard-hitting batting all-rounder who can bowl his fair share of overs is almost priceless in this World cup. Having multiple all-rounders provides the captain with a few extra bowling options and increases the depth of the batting line-up.

Here we rate the all-rounders of all the participating teams in the World Cup 2019:

England – 8.5/10

The hosts are the hot favourites to win the title. While England’s main strength heading into the mega event will definitely be their batting, their all-rounders make sure they bat deep and provide Eoin Morgan with the option of an extra seamer and an extra spin bowler. Ben Stokes has established himself as one of the best seam bowling all-rounders in the last couple of years. Moeen Ali is a more than capable batsman and as mentioned earlier, will act as an extra spin option.

Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer are two bowling all rounders who are all expected to feature in the playing XI. Jofra Archer could be the player to watch out for in this World cup as his death bowling can trouble the opposition batsmen in a tight run chase. Apart from these 4 world class all-rounders, England can also call upon their reserve all rounders Liam Dawson and Tom Curran if needed which just goes to show their depth in the squad.

Windies – 8/10

When it comes to Windies, you cannot help but think about their all-rounders. Almost all of their players can bat and bowl. Although a lot of their stalwarts such as Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine have had issues with the management and will not feature in the World cup, the Caribbeans still boast of a few very talented all-rounders. Andre Russell will be the one to watch out for. His hitting ability will be on show on the flat pitches in England and although he isn’t the fast bowler he used to be, the Jamaican is still a superb bowler.

Carlos Brathwaite is another good seam bowling option. He might not have the calibre of his West Indian counterpart, but he proved at the T20 World Cup in 2016 that he can deliver on big occasions. Their skipper Jason Holder is also a bowling all-rounder who can tonk the ball during the death overs. Fabian Allen is unproven at the international stage, but this could be his chance to shine.

Australia – 7.5/10

The five-time champions are expected to reach the semi-finals of this tournament and can go the distance if things go their way. Their team’s success will again depend on their top order and their fast bowlers but they do possess a hard-hitting batting all-rounder who can bowl medium-fast. Stoinis has evolved superbly over the years and is now one of the mainstays of the Australian line-up.

Glenn Maxwell will play the role of a finisher in the Australian batting line-up, but his off-spin can also provide yet another bowling option. Both these all-rounders are known for their ability to clear the boundary rope and the Aussie fans will be banking on the duo to deliver. Both of them have to be consistent though as there are no capable replacements in the squad for them if they get injured.

South Africa – 7.5/10

South Africa once had Jacques Kallis in the team for more than a decade. But they are yet to find a player like him. In the current World Cup squad, they have decent all-rounders but none of them can turn the game on its head. Chris Morris was added to their World cup squad because Anrich Nortje suffered an injury. Although Morris has established himself as a very good all-rounder in the T20 leagues around the world, his track record in 50-over cricket isn’t that great.

JP Duminy is one of the most experienced batsmen heading into this World cup. He will play the role of an anchor in their middle order and can also bowl a bit of off-spin. Andile Phehlukwayo is a genuine all-rounder and one of the brightest talents from South Africa. Dwaine Pretorius is another bowling all-rounder in the squad.

Afghanistan – 7/10

Afghanistan are the underdogs of this World cup. They defeated Pakistan in the warm-up fixture and can upset any team on their day. Two of their main players, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi are both very good spin bowlers. While Nabi is a genuine all-rounder, the former is one of the best bowlers in the limited overs format and claims to be a pinch hitter down the order.

Their newly appointed captain Gulbadin Naib is a useful all-rounder who bats low down the order and chip in with a few overs of medium pace. Samiullah Shenwari is a right-handed batsman who can also bowl leg break. Rahmat Shah is one of their bright batsman who has scored more than 2000 runs in ODIs. He is also a leg spinner. The abundance of all-rounders is clearly visible in this squad and their success will also be heavily reliant on these players.

Bangladesh – 7/10

Bangladesh continue to improve and now could be considered a serious threat to the opposition. They are no more a team who perform well on odd days and seriously possess the talent of making it into the top four. Shakib Al Hasan is probably their best player of all time and they will again be dependant on the all-rounder to win games on his own.

He has scored more than 5000 runs and claimed almost 250 wickets in this format of the game. Mahmadullah is another key all-rounder who started of as a bowler but is primarily a batsman now who can bowl. Mehidy Hasan is a very good talent emerging from Bangladesh. He is a bowling all-rounder who has an economy rate of 4.38 in ODIs. Mosaddek Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin are two young all-rounders in the Bangladeshi squad who could contribute decently in whichever department needed.

Sri Lanka – 6.5/10

Sri Lankan cricket has gone downhill over the last few years. After being finalists in both the 2007 and 2011 World Cups and winning a T20 World Cup as well, they have really reached a place where nothing much is expected from them anymore. They have only a handful of match winners, two of which do come in the all-rounder category but even these players have seen better days with both bat and ball.

Angelo Mathews was once regarded as the best all-rounder in the world but is now average at best, especially with the ball. Another player who will be key to their fortunes is Thisara Perera. He is a medium pace bowler and a swashbuckler with the willow. Jeevan Mendis, Isuru Udana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana are four all-rounders above the age of 30 and none of them have a great record in limited overs cricket, to say the least.

New Zealand – 6.5/10

New Zealand possess some of the brilliant specialists in the batting and bowling department. However, like every team, even they have included a few all-rounders in the line-up. Colin de Grandhomme and Jimmy Neesham are probably the most genuine all-rounders they have who do similar jobs for the Kiwis to what a Pandya does for their India.

Mitchell Santer is a left-arm off spinner who has the ability of being a pinch hitter lower down the order. Colin Munro is one of the most explosive batsmen in the limited-overs version of the game, but he can roll his arms for a couple of overs if required.

Pakistan – 6.5/10

Pakistan have a lot of all-rounders in their squad. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, both in their late 30s, have got a last chance to win the WC. The title “Jack of all trades, master of none” fits perfectly for both these experienced players. However, they can win matches with the bat on their day for the team.

Imad Wasim looks a genuine all-rounder who bowls his quota of overs and bat at seven or eight according to the match situation. Shadab Khan is no mug with the bat either and qualifies as the all-rounder while Haris Sohail who averages 47 in the ODIs can also bowl left-arm orthodox if needed.

India – 7.5/10

India are not known to have great all-rounders in the past. Apart from the great Kapil Dev and maybe Yuvraj Singh, they have been a team of extremes: either batsmen or bowlers. This current squad has a few all rounders but it will again rely upon the top 3 batsmen and specialist bowlers such as Bumrah, Kuldeep and Chahal. Hardik Pandya is the only genuine all-rounder in India’s World Cup squad and if his IPL form is considered, he could be the trump card for the Men in Blue this year.

Vijay Shankar and Kedar Jadhav could be the other two all-rounders who will play the first game of the tournament. Although the former has been selected primarily as the no.4 batsman, he has proven to be a decent seam bowling option in the past. Jadhav will fulfil the role of a finisher and a bowler who can provide a breakthrough in the middle overs. Ravindra Jadeja is also in the squad, but his involvement in the tournament will depend on the form of India’s spin twins Kul-Cha.