World Cup 2019: Team-wise one player who will be missed during the tournament

The biggest cricket tournament in the world will begin on the 30th of May. The first match of the World Cup 2019 will be between the hosts, England, and South Africa. Meanwhile, India will kick-start their campaign on April 5, by playing their opener against the Proteas. Every match will be a cracker of a game and the fans are waiting for this majestic event to begin. The World Cup will go on for the next two months till the 14th of July, where we shall see the two best teams playing against each other for the greatest title. Back in 2015, the finalists were Australia and New Zealand. The Aussies had to gun down 189, which they were easily able to get in just 33 overs to lift the trophy for the fifth time. The preliminary squads have been submitted by all the team and changes could be made until May 23. Few of the teams look set to alter a couple of names as they are currently fighting it out in a bilateral series. Some of the deserving players are on standby and might not get the opportunity to feature in the tournament unless someone is injured and ruled out of the tournament. Here we bring you one player from each team who will be missed during the tournament: 1. Rishabh Pant (India) Rishabh Pant. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) This 21-year-old kid is just breathtaking to watch. He can play some of the hardest shots with such ease and is known for his ability to hit boundaries quite frequently. Many are already touting him as MS Dhoni‘s successor as he has done well in the Test format. Rishabh Pant averages close to 50 in nine Tests and 23.25 in the five ODIs he has featured in. He also showed great form in the ongoing IPL winning his team some of the games on his own. In January 2019, Rishabh Pant was named the ICC Emerging Player of the Year. He is also the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England. Many still think he is only a T20 batsman, but he has shown us his temperament from playing Test cricket. If he was selected in the World Cup squad, he could have been the ‘X factor’ for India. The left-hander can play both the anchor role and become a power hitter. If Kedar Jadhav is ruled out, India can still include him in the squad. 2. Wahab Riaz (Pakistan) Wahab Riaz. (Photo by Harry Trump – IDI/IDI via Getty Images) In the 2015 World Cup, we saw him bowl brilliantly and moreover, he bowled an excellent over to Shane Watson, which is still one of the best spells of the tournament ever. Wahab Riaz has the ability to bowl above 145 kph consistently and can hit the 150-mark too. He has taken more than 100 wickets with an economy of under six, which actually proves why he could be a match winner. He has the ability to bowl well both with the new ball and can reverse it later as well. Pakistan might miss his experience and in conditions like England, the left-arm seamer could’ve been a lethal weapon. Though Wahab tends to leak runs, he is more often than not amongst the wickets which is crucial in the ODI format. 3. Alex Hales (England) England batsman Alex Hales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) This player will be a surprise since he was initially named in the squad, but then he has been withdrawn from the England team in order “to create the right environment” around the national team. Alex Hales was banned for recreational drug use which didn’t go down well with the captain Eoin Morgan and the other team members. His replacement will be announced soon by the ECB. Hales was the back-up opener for the likes of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow and the selectors will now be looking up to James Vince who is part of the squad for the ongoing Pakistan series. Hales has the ability to start aggressive, and then he plays big innings like his 171 vs Pakistan. Hales was one of the most important players for England and his average of 38 in 69 ODIs suggests the same. 4. Josh Hazlewood (Australia) Josh Hazelwood. (Photo by James Elsby/Getty Images) He was once Australia’s premium bowler alongside Mitchell Starc. He is an abundantly talented player, but since the Aussies is a country which is rich in the fast bowling department, Hazlewood was just unfortunate to miss out. In the 44 Tests and 44 ODIs he has played, Hazlewood has taken a staggering 164 and 72 wickets respectively. He is a wicket-taking bowler and has the ability to strike regularly. He is known for his ability to swing the bowl both ways and for his accuracy due to which he is often compared to Glenn McGrath. Australia are saving Hazlewood for the Ashes which follows the World Cup but leaving him out is a big call and he will be missed during the tournament. 5. AB de Villiers (South Africa) AB de Villiers. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images) We need no introduction to this South African legend. AB de Villiers said he had “run out of gas” when he announced his retirement from international cricket in May 2018. He was the heart of the South African line-up and could’ve made a lot of difference to the team in such a huge tournament He amassed a total of 9577 runs in his ODI career with an amazing average of 53.5. De Villiers also has 25 centuries and 53 half-centuries to his name. He has captained the South African team on numerous occasions and his experience, exceptional ability both with the bat and in the field and also his critical thinking will be highly missed. AB de Villiers’ loss will be a big one for the Proteas and it will not be easy to find someone of his quality. 6. Doug Bracewell (New Zealand) New Zealand bowler Doug Bracewell. (Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images) He made his debut way back in 2011 but because of inconsistency, Bracewell was in and out of the New Zealand squad. The selectors recalled him to the national side after his heroics in the domestic circuit. But with too many players vying for the all-rounders’ slot, Bracewell had to miss the flight to England. He has played 19 ODIs for the Black Caps and has done considerably well mustering 158 runs and accounting for 23 wickets. He has an economy rate of fewer than six and the best figures of 4/55. Bracewell could have played the role of a finisher and complete the quota of his overs more often than not. Did New Zealand miss a trick by not adding him into the World Cup squad? 7. Akila Dananjaya (Sri Lanka) Akila Dananjaya. (Photo Source: Twitter) Akila Dananjaya came into the limelight after wreaking havoc in the home series against India with his mystery spin bowling. He made his ODI debut in 2012 at the age of 18 but soon faded away since he could not make much impact. Later on, after five years he was recalled to the Sri Lankan national team where he was able to show his capability. Dananjaya is said to have seven variations in his bowling including the leg break, googly, carrom ball, doosra and his stock ball which is the off-spinner. In his ODI career, he has taken 48 wickets in the 34 matches with an economy rate of 5.16. He took his best figures of 6/29 last year against South Africa. His role is to control the run-rate and bowl through the middle overs. The 25-year-old is also used as the main strike bowler if the pitch assists the spinners. Sri Lanka might be missing a proper spinner and a wicket-taking bowler like him in the World Cup. 8. Marlon Samuels (Windies) Marlon Samuels of Windies. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) He is another all-rounder who we will not be seen in this World Cup. Marlon Samuels has played a vital role for Windies over all these years. He made his debut in the 2000 and since then has been a great player for them. He has played more than 200 ODIs in the maroon jersey. Samuels has scored 5606 runs and scalped 89 wickets in those games. He plays an anchor role to perfection, which now will have to be played by someone else. He is currently 38-year-old, which could be one of the reasons why they did not prefer him. His experience and his all-round ability would have been important but now they might miss a player of his talents. 9. Imrul Kayes (Bangladesh) Imrul Kayes. (Photo Source: Twitter) He is a left-handed opening batsman, who is currently 32 years of age. Imrul Kayes is one major player for Bangladesh, who was unlucky to miss out on the flight to England. He has played 78 ODIs for his nation to amass 2434 runs in the format. Kayes could’ve been the perfect foil to Tamim Iqbal at the top of the order. Soumya Sarkar is currently performing that role and has done well in the ongoing tri-series in Ireland. Imrul Kayes had to make way for him even though he was playing decently. Kayes could’ve bee utilised at number three as well as he brings stability to the innings. Bangladesh have missed out on picking a utility batsman like him. 10. Shapoor Zadran (Afghanistan) Shapoor Zadran. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shapoor Zadran is a left-arm medium fast bowler and has played 44 ODI matches for Afghanistan in which he has 43 scalps to his name. He is an economical bowler as well and has conceded runs at an economy of less than five. The 31-year old has some experience playing in the England pitches unlike younger players like Aftab Alam. The pitches in England will assist the pacers when it is cloudy and bowlers like Shapoor who bend their back generally extract more bounce out of it. Being a left-arm pacer also helps as he can create an angle across the right-handed batsmen and trouble them. Moreover, having at least one left-handed bowler is important in every team and this is where Afghanistan might miss him. Both their spinners and the seamers are right-handed bowlers which will not give them the surprise element or the unique angle. This is where Shapoor Zadran could have come in handy and created the ‘X-factor’ for them. Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the World Cup 2019, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com. ~Written by Jerin Varghese M

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World Cup 2019: Team-wise one player who will be missed during the tournament

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