World Cup 2019: Team-wise one underrated player who could be huge

The clock is ticking faster but these last few days before the kick-off for the ICC World Cup 2019 will feel like an eternity for all the cricket lovers. The greatest carnival of the gentleman’s game has arrived at the home of cricket, with hosts England pipped as the favourites to materialize the song “It’s coming home”. The Indian Premier League and also the other International tours are completely done, which means the whole focus will be on the World Cup for now. Fans from across the world are heading to the United Kingdom and one thing the Indian side can be absolutely sure of is that they will have an outright majority in the English stadiums among fans, even if they’re playing against the hosts. This World Cup, just like some previous editions, will bring into the limelight some new players at the global stage. With the tournament just a week away from commencement, let’s take a look at one under-rated player from each side who will hog a lot of limelight. 1. Afghanistan – Hazratullah Zazai Hazratullah Zazai. (Photo Source: Twitter) He still is relatively new to the International circuit and maybe has not done enough to prove that he could be a match-winner at the highest level, but Hazratullah Zazai is some talent. The southpaw first came into limelight during the Afghanistan Premier League and after that, he made his International debut soon. He is swashbuckling and can run away with the result if he gets going. He will definitely love life batting on the current English tracks. Afghanistan will be sending Zazai to open alongside another dashing opener in Mohammad Shahzad and if the duo can work their way, they could potentially be one of the best opening pairs in the tournament. 2. Bangladesh – Soumya Sarkar Soumya Sarkar. (Photo Source: Twitter) One of the very impressive youngsters in the Bangladeshi circuit, Soumya Sarkar has been scoring runs in a lot of countries in the last few years. He was a very young member of their most successful World Cup campaign in 2015 and with loads of experience to his name at the age of 26, Sarkar will be hogging some limelight although he’s not the biggest player in the side. Bangladeshi batting unit always is dependent on Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim to get the runs. Once again these players will be under the pump, which should give Sarkar some freedom. With a career average of 36.67 and a strike rate almost touching 100, he has very impressive stats in ODIs which backs our point that he could be huge. 3. Australia – Nathan Coulter-Nile Nathan Coulter-Nile. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images) Australia has one of the finest pace attacks in the World Cup this time with previous edition’s Man of the tournament Mitchell Starc and Allan Border medal winner for 2018 Pat Cummins forming its crux. But one underrated member in that bowling lineup will be Nathan Coulter-Nile, who has been above par in the ODIs for the Aussies in the last 18 months. With 48 wickets in 27 ODI games at an economy of around 5.5, his stats speak for himself. The whole focus tilting towards Cummins and Starc is a huge blessing for Coulter-Nile, who will be feeling the pressure a little less than his other bowling partners. This is a tournament where you don’t go unnoticed for a long time, but as it stands, he remains very underrated and could potentially be a huge asset. 4. England – Chris Woakes Chris Woakes of England. (Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images) This English side is filled with stars capable of winning games by themselves in white-ball cricket. Among all those stars, Chris Woakes doesn’t precisely get the credit he deserves. The 30-year-old from Birmingham has become one of the finest bowlers in the circuit in the last four years and despite all the credentials, he still remains underrated. Woakes has picked up over 200 wickets in International cricket and is a more than capable batsman at number 8. England have ticked all their boxes perfectly for the 15-man squad and even if their top order fails, they have enough depth to help the side get to a decent total. With Stokes and Moeen Ali hammering away all the limelight, Woakes is perhaps their most underrated all-rounder. 5. India – Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images) When India won the Champions Trophy back in 2013, Ravindra Jadeja was the most important bowler for MS Dhoni. He finished the tournament with the most number of wickets and although the expectations from him are not similar, Jadeja’s exploits in England were no passing clouds. He has the experience to bowl in those conditions, making him a significant threat for oppositions. His place in the playing XI is still in jeopardy, as India might be playing with two spinners (Kuldeep and Chahal), two quick bowlers (Shami/Bhuvi and Bumrah) and one all-rounder. That one all-rounder slot is up for grabs between Jadeja and Pandya and currently, the latter is the front runner. Not many are even considering to be a big player this time, but the southpaw could turn out to be a game-changer for the Men in Blue. 6. New Zealand – Tom Latham Tom Latham. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) Make him open or make him bat in the middle order at number 5, Tom Latham is a constant source of runs no matter where he bats. The consistency he has shown despite batting at different positions over the last couple of years is truly remarkable and a steady head like him in the middle order is always a great asset for any side. There are still some doubts loitering over his fitness, much to the disappointment of the Kiwi fans. He is expected to miss the warm-up games just to be ready before the big games begin. While the focus will remain heavily on the Munros, Guptills, Williamsons and Taylors, New Zealand’s vice-captain will remain a very important and underrated member of the middle order. 7. Pakistan – Imad Wasim Imad Wasim. (Photo Source: Twitter) Not many are expecting England pitches to graciously host spinners in the upcoming tournament, but with the amount of cricket that happened in the last 3 months, the pitches might get a little dry and slow. Imad Wasim showed us glimpses of how spinners could turn up big for the tournament in the 4th and 5th ODI between England and Pakistan. The all-rounder will have to be at his best in all departments, more specifically with the ball given the conditions do assist him. He can also bat to great effect and averages above 40 in the 50-over format in the 46 ODIs he played. Shadab Khan will definitely be their most important spinner, but having someone like Imad assisting him is an added advantage. 8. South Africa – Chris Morris Chris Morris. (Photo by Shaun Roy/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Chris Morris was initially not picked in the 15-man squad, but he eventually was roped in after Anrich Nortje was ruled out due to an injury. One can call it a blessing in disguise as Morris doesn’t just fill the void of Nortje as a fast bowler, but also brings in his outstanding ability to bat in the lower order. He might not be in great form, but he did play decently for the Delhi Capitals in the few games in IPL. He has played only 34 ODIs in his career and maybe his stats aren’t that promising, but the world is not oblivious to the ability he possesses. He has four first-class hundreds to his name, just to back his strength with the willow and can crank up the high 140s with the ball. Every bowler with extra pace is an advantage in this World Cup on these flat decks. 9. Sri Lanka – Dimuth Karunaratne Dimuth Karunaratne. (Photo by Rob Jefferies/Getty Images) Perhaps the only captain who remains underrated in this World Cup is Dimuth Karunaratne. It was astonishing to see the Lankan board opting for him as a captain despite not representing Sri Lanka in a coloured jersey since the 2015 World Cup. Despite that, one cannot disregard his performances in the longest format and he got off to a positive start in the 2nd ODI against Scotland. Sri Lanka perhaps has the weakest squad on paper right now and they need their skipper to step up big time. Although they have some decent names like Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews etc., they have been too inconsistent. His first major assignment in ODI cricket being a World Cup is not an easy pill to swallow, but Karunaratne will be up for the challenge. 10 Windies – Nicholas Pooran Nicolas Pooran. (Photo by Francois Nel – IDI/IDI via Getty Images) Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis are currently hogging all the limelight, but Nicholas Pooran could turn out to be the real game-changer in the middle order. The youngster made his IPL debut this year and impressed everyone with his swashbuckling stroke play. His fearless approach could doom a few teams if things work his way. The 23-year-old has played just one ODI in his career, but going by his performances in various T20 leagues, he packs a punch and relies on his power-hitting a lot. The ball will come nicely on to the bat in this World Cup and more often than not, he will relish batting on these tracks. It isn’t easy to stay cool-headed in a tournament with such pressure, but you never know with youngsters like him.

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World Cup 2019: Team-wise one underrated player who could be huge

This World Cup, just like some previous editions, will bring into the limelight some new players at the global stage.

9. Sri Lanka – Dimuth Karunaratne

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