Players to Watch in World Cup 2007 : BBC's Pick

[Miraz]

Australia



Bangladesh - Three to watch

SHAHRIAR NAFEES

Age 21, left-handed batsman
Bangladesh's cricketer of year in 2006, Nafees was tipped as a future Test captain even before he was selected to tour England as a 19-year-old.
Scored 75 in his fourth ODI against Australia and was made vice-captain for the Champions Trophy in India.
Made an unbeaten century there against Zimbabwe, and took another hundred off them a few weeks later in a one-day series the Tigers won emphatically 5-0.

MASHRAFE MORTAZA
Age 23, right-arm fast-medium, right handed batsman
A strong, aggressive quick bowler who made his international debut aged 18.
A consistent wicket-taker, he captured 3-54 in the home series against Australia, dismissing none other than Ricky Ponting for just five runs, although the Champions Trophy was not so prolific for him with only two wickets in three matches.
Proved his worth with the bat against Scotland late last year, blasting five sixes in an unbeaten 51 from 27 balls, a match in which he also took two wickets.

AFTAB AHMED
Age 21, right-handed batsman, right-arm seamer
Made a duck on his debut against South Africa in the 2004 Champions Trophy staged in England, but a wiry top order batsman who is an integral part of the Tigers team.
Hit a half-century against India and then added another, featuring two sixes, in the first match of the away series against England.
Fired two more sixes in 59 from 55 balls against the West Indies in the Champions Trophy in India, and warmed up for the World Cup with successive fifties in the 2-0 home series win against Scotland.
Bermuda - Three to watch

DAVID HEMP
Age 36, left-handed batsman

Veteran middle-order batsman who made his Glamorgan debut in 1991.
Toured Bangladesh and India with the England A side in 1994-95 and moved to Warwickshire in 1997, before returning to Glamorgan in 2002.
Opted to play for Bermuda, the country of his birth, and made a second-ball duck on his debut in November, before notching 55 against Canada.

DWAYNE LEVEROCK
Age 35, slow left-arm
Fair to assume he will be the largest man in the tournament, Leverock is a spinner who is built more like a bouncer than a bowler.
His formidable frame will not be suited to saving quick singles but he took 2-9 from eight overs against Canada last August.
He then opened the bowling against Kenya in November and recorded the first five-wicket haul of his career.

IRVINE ROMAINE
Age 34, right-handed batsman, off-break bowler
Powerful, stockily-built all-rounder who hit 62 against Zimbabwe in the Tri-Series in the West Indies last year.
Captured two wickets in an over against the same opposition in that series with his gentle off-spinners.
Captaining the side against Canada, he struck five sixes and 13 fours in his maiden one-day international century.
Canada - Three to watch

JOHN DAVISON
Age 36, right-handed batsman, right-arm off-spin
Shot to prominence in the 2003 World Cup by scoring the fastest century in the history of the competition, a stunning 111 from 76 balls with six sixes against the West Indies.
For good measure he added the third-fastest fifty, smashing four sixes in 75 from 62 balls against New Zealand.
Also a regular wicket-taker with his slow bowling, Davison has played in Australia for Victoria and took over the Canada captaincy in 2004.

QAISER ALI
Age 28, right-handed batsman, right-arm off-spin
Born in the Punjab, the portly figure of Ali has played only a handful of one-day internationals for Canada, with little success.
But in December, in the longer form of the game he made a commanding 174 with 19 fours and two sixes in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match, although it was still not enough to prevent defeat by the Netherlands.
That followed a 91 against Kenya earlier in the summer, when Ali was widely praised for his expansive range of strokes.

GEORGE CODRINGTON
Age 40, right-handed, batsman, right-arm seamer
Senior statesman, who skippered the side in their latest match against the Netherlands.
Some stoic, if unspectacular, displays with bat and ball during his clutch of ODIs, he claimed a career-best 4-33 bowling third change against Bermuda in the ICC Tri-Series.



England






India


Ireland - Three to watch

EOIN MORGAN
Age 20, left-handed batsman, right-arm seamer, occasional wicket-keeper
Highly-rated stroke player who has already declared his wishes to follow Ed Joyce into the England team, and recently set the record for the highest individual score by an Irishman with 206 in the Intercontinental Cup.
Played six matches in the English county Championship for Middlesex in 2006, averaging only 13 with a top score of 13.
Hit seven fours and a six in his 99 against Scotland in the European Championships before he was run out, which prompted an irate reaction from the flame-haired Dubliner that saw him warned about his future conduct by the ICC.

WILLIAM PORTERFIELD
Age 22, left-handed batsman
An opening batsman who cemented his place in the team with successive unbeaten centuries in the recent World Cricket League in Nairobi, having only made his debut in August 2006.
Provides a steady flow of runs rather than a torrent of boundaries, but Ireland will not mind how they come if he continues his current rate.
After a relative failure against Canada, he finished the competition on a high with eight fours in his 84 against the Netherlands.

TRENT JOHNSTON
Age 32, right-arm seamer, right-handed batsman
Australian-born paceman who played for New South Wales before he fell out of favour in the 1999-00 season.
Claimed 3-45 against the United Arab Emirates in the ICC Trophy in 2005, a match in which he also fired four fours and a six in 67 from 68 balls.
Captained Ireland and opened the bowling in the inaugural one-day international match against England last summer, and dismissed former Sussex batsman Bas Zuiderent in the abandoned European Championship match against the Netherlands last August, which saw Ireland lift the overall trophy.
Kenya - Three to watch

TANMAY MISHRA
Age 19, right-handed batsman, right-arm seamer
A talented Indian-born batsman with a sound technique.
Batting in the middle order he made 46 in his second match for Kenya against Zimbabwe, and made two scores in the 40s against Bangladesh.
Struck his maiden ODI fifty with eight fours and a six in an unbeaten 64 that guided his team to victory in the one-day series against Bermuda.

STEVE TIKOLO
Age 35, right-handed batsman, right-arm seamer
A stalwart of Kenyan cricket, Tikolo, the most successful of three brothers to have played for Kenya, made his international debut in 1994.
An attacking batsman, who times the ball sweetly, Tikolo has a highest first-class score of 220.
Hammered 93 against the West Indies in the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2002, when he also took two wickets with his medium-pacers, and warmed up with 111 from 98 balls against Bermuda in November.

PETER ONGONDO
Age 30, right-arm seamer, right-handed batsman

Confirmed his place as Kenya's leading seam bowler with a profitable haul at the World Cricket League in Nairobi.
The swing-bowler captured 15 wickets in six matches, including an impressive 5-51 against Canada.
Yet to score consistent runs down the order but hit two fours and a six in his 36 against West Indies in only his second international in 2001.
Netherlands - Three to watch

RYAN TEN DOESCHATE

Age 26, right-handed batsman, right-arm seamer
South African-born big hitter who has spent the last three seasons playing county cricket in England for Essex.
Smashed three sixes and three fours in a blistering 65 against Bermuda in the ICC Tri-Series last November.
Yet to claim a major haul with his seam bowling, which is reckoned to be deceptively sharp, and yielded 25 Championship wickets for Essex in 2006, a county season in which he also scored a century and a fifty in eight four-day matches.

DAAN VAN BUNGE
Age 24, right-handed batsman, right-arm leg-spin
Spent his formative years on the Lord's groundstaff and became the fastest centurion in the history of the MCC young cricketers with a thrilling 38-ball hundred against Surrey U-19 in 2004.
In the 2003 World Cup in South Africa he took 3-16 in a match against England, dismissing Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff.
Underlined his batting promise again against Canada last December when he hit a six and four fours in 52 from 64 balls.

ALEXEI KERVEZEE
Age 17, right-handed batsman, right-arm seamer
Worcestershire spotted his potential and secured his services for after the World Cup on a two-year deal.
Born in Namibia, Kervezee was 12th in the Dutch national league batting averages as a 15-year-old in 2005, and scored 47 on his international debut against a strong Sri Lanka line-up in the summer of last year.
Run-out one short of a maiden fifty in the Tri-Series against Canada in November.

New Zealand


Pakistan


South Africa


Scotland - Three to watch

RYAN WATSON
Age 30, right-handed batsman, right-arm seamer
Powerful Zimbabwe-born all-rounder who hit 80 from 85 balls against Pakistan when made captain on his one-day international debut.
He played a pivotal role in the European Cricket Championship victory over the Netherlands, taking 3-18 and adding 47 from 43 balls with a six and six fours.
Suffered a fractured cheekbone when he top-edged an attempted hook in Bangladesh last December but proved his fitness with a century in a warm-up match against a United Arab Emirates Development XI.
DOUGIE BROWN

Age 37, right-arm seamer, right-handed batsman
Venerable county stalwart with Warwickshire who made his international debut for England in the Champions Trophy.
Played nine ODIs for the 'Auld Enemy,' twice taking two wickets against the West Indies.
A steady performer with the new ball for the Scots, he had a fine match as Scotland lifted the ICC competition in 2005, with two sixes in his 59 plus 1-33 in the final against Ireland.
GAVIN HAMILTON

Age 32, left-handed batsman, right-arm seamer
Another experienced county player with previous international experience with England, Hamilton played in one Test for England in South Africa, bagging a pair and taking 0-63 in an innings defeat.
But in the 1999 World Cup a year earlier, the Lothian born all-rounder fired successive half-centuries, firing three sixes in his 76 against Pakistan, when he also captured 2-36.
Spent a decade with Yorkshire before moving to Durham in 2004, ended his professional career in 2005 after repeatedly struggling with a bowling form of the yips, but persevered as a batsman with Scotland and scored 59 in the ICC Trophy semi-final victory over Bermuda.

Sri Lanka



West Indies



Zimbabwe - Three to watch

PROSPER UTSEYA
Age 21, Right-arm off-spin, right-handed batsman
Took over the captaincy in the summer of 2006 for the series against Bangladesh which his team edged 3-2.
Hit five fours in 31 against Sri Lanka in the 2004 Champions Trophy but has yet to better that with the bat at one-day international level.
Better known for his subtle flighted off-spin, which yielded 3-35 against the West Indies in Antigua.

CHAMU CHIBHABHA
Age 20, right-handed batsman, right-arm seamer
After a third-ball duck on his debut against India, he made his mark with successive fifties in the West Indies.
Also took 2-39 on that trip but suffered a back injury that has hampered his progress as a seam bowler since.
Was dismissed for only one against the Windies in the recent Champions Trophy, while in the home series against Bangladesh that followed he made several starts without recording a half-century.

SEAN WILLIAMS
Age 20, left-handed batsman, slow left-arm spin
One of the most promising of Zimbabwe's group of young players, who led the U-19 side to victory over England in the U-19 World Cup.
Had played only one first-class match when he was selected for the main squad to tour South Africa, where he scored an unbeaten 33 in match two of the series.
His father, a former first-class player, was unhappy about his son neglecting his studies to play for Zimbabwe and Williams jnr initially rejected the offer of a central contract, only to have a change of heart and play against Bangladesh, firing successive scores in the 60s.

[bengaltiger]

nice post

[Kabir]

Thankfully, they didn't pick Ashraful. I agree with all three picks from BD team.

[Tigers_eye]

Who is between Sresanth and Zaheer? Is Sresanth in first 11?

No dada??

[Miraz]

Originally Posted by Tigers_eye


Who is between Sresanth and Zaheer? Is Sresanth in first 11?

No dada??

Robin Uthappa

Age 21
ODI debut: v England, April 2006 Robin Uthappa is a tall, clean-hitting, versatile opening batsman, who has kept wicket and now bowls occasional medium pace.
Enjoyed a fine debut, striking two fours in the first over he faced against England and making 86, the highest score by an Indian batsman on his one-day debut.
Progress since has been sketchy, but he proved his promise with 70 from only 41 balls with 11 fours and two sixes against West Indies. He returned to the team for the Sri Lanka series.

Link from BBC

[Tigers_eye]

How odd? Indians won't accept this and create a havoc. No dada, no Tendu, no Yuvraj, no spinners, lol?

[Tigers_eye]

I feel proud. 10 years from now when our batsmen 21 and 22 year old would become 31 and 32 how good they will be.

[Hatebreed]

Miraz bhai, if it's from BBC could you kindly include the link. Thanks.

[babubangla]

World Cup ??
Players to Watch ??

Here is my Pick for "Players To Watch"

VLC Media Player

Windows Media Player

Dish Player (DVR)

[Hatebreed]

BB bhai, you missed the real beauty-

[Miraz]

Originally Posted by Hatebreed
Miraz bhai, if it's from BBC could you kindly include the link. Thanks.

HB. it is mentioned in the title that it is from BBC.

I can't provide a single link as I had to compile it from 16 different pages. Do you want me to provide the link of all those pages.

[Hatebreed]

Originally Posted by Miraz
HB. it is mentioned in the title that it is from BBC.

I can't provide a single link as I had to compile it from 16 different pages. Do you want me to provide the link of all those pages.

In that case then don't worry, I was looking for it myself but got lost. If anyone wants to know, it's in the 'International Teams' section.

[Duck]

Originally Posted by Tigers_eye
I feel proud. 10 years from now when our batsmen 21 and 22 year old would become 31 and 32 how good they will be.

First, pray for their long existence and then calculate their age and predict performance! I hope their services wont be like that of Ashraful!!

[SMHasan]

Originally Posted by Kabir
Thankfully, they didn't pick Ashraful. I agree with all three picks from BD team.

Its even better. Just wait and see what happens in the WC. We might see some fireworks from him.

[kalpurush]

Originally Posted by SMHasan
Its even better. Just wait and see what happens in the WC. We might see some fireworks from him.

Hassan bhai: ekhon taholey Ash-k aro galagali korey ragiye dei....jodi aro fireworks dekha jay?!!

[Rabz]

Good post...

but one point...
is it me or something not right with the NZ pic...
isnt the first pic is that of Stephen Fleming??

if so. it shows him batting right handed position...
his body position and style is that of a righty...
lefty should be the other way round...and he is lefty ..

correct me if im mistaken...

[Miraz]

Originally Posted by Sydney
Good post...

but one point...
is it me or something not right with the NZ pic...
isnt the first pic is that of Stephen Fleming??

if so. it shows him batting right handed position...
his body position and style is that of a righty...
lefty should be the other way round...and he is lefty ..

correct me if im mistaken...

Sydney, here's the full picture. I must appreciate your analytical ability . After your post, I also got confused.

[Rabz]

Thanks for the clarification Miraz Bhai..
yes..i got confused too and realised the picture was not taken from a proper batting angle...
isnt it a bit funny that all they could post is a picture of a batsmen looking behind the keeper...that demonstrate the lack of ability rather than what a great batsman Stephen Fleming is...
or may be he is just glancing the ball down the third man area for a single...

[Tigers_eye]

Apart from the players mentioned I want to watch Tamim (first WC), Rafique (last WC), Shahadat (I want to see how well dada has learned to dance on some of the short balls).

[Kabir]

Originally Posted by Tigers_eye
Shahadat (I want to see how well dada has learned to dance on some of the short balls).

Does dada have any more teeth left in his gums? If no, then he can easily dance down the wicket. Otherwise, ja ache ta harabar bhoy e he may opt out!

[Arnab]

Originally Posted by Sydney
or may be he is just glancing the ball down the third man area for a single...

That's most probably what he is doing anyway. Looks like a deliberate play towards the thirdman region.

[insideedge]

Originally Posted by Tigers_eye
Apart from the players mentioned I want to watch Tamim (first WC), Rafique (last WC), Shahadat (I want to see how well dada has learned to dance on some of the short balls).

You are sure that Shahadat is faster than Malinga, Dilhara Fernando and Ntini ? Dada did not dance against them.

Moreover, if you look at BBC's picks, dada is not even among the players to look forward to. He is just one of the batsmen in the team.