England are welcoming teams for the Champions Trophy in June this year and the eight cricketing nations are preparing themselves for another showdown. ODIs are in focus as teams try different combinations to fix on the final 15 to take to the tournament.
While some teams have a pretty settled ODI outfit, some others are still trying out newbies to fill the last 2-3 slots in their line-up. Most teams have a few more ODIs before they name the squad for the showpiece tournament although India do not have any ODIs scheduled.
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End of last year and the beginning of this year has seen bouts of ODI bilateral series' and some players have put themselves up as potential players to watch out for in the upcoming tournament. Here we take a glance at 10 players who have built some amazing form going into the tournament.
#10 Ben Stokes - England
The England all-rounder is one vital player for the home side in the tournament. His ability to up the ante at the death overs will be something that will give headaches to opposition teams. Stokes also had the knack of breaking partnerships with his pace and extra bounce. Since 2016 August, Stokes has taken 8 wickets at a strike rate of 45.7 and has accumulated 469 runs at an average of 67.0.
#9 Hasan Ali - Pakistan
The new fast bowler in Pakistan's ODI setup, Hasan Ali has been amongst the wickets. Opening the attack with Mohammad Amir, Ali used his pace to good effect in the series against the Aussies.
He is the second highest ODI wicket taker since 2016 August with 23 wickets in 13 games with a best of 5/52 and a strike rate of 28.12. Hasan Ali is building up the right kind of form to be Pakistan's go-to bowler in the Trophy.
#8 Mitchell Starc - Australia
The Australian quick is arguably the best ODI bowler in World Cricket today. He possesses a searing yorker and can bring the ball back into the right-handers at pace. Starc is ODIs’ top wicket taker in the past five months with 28 wickets in 13 games at an average of 20.10 and a best of 4/42. Starc will be crucial factor in the death overs where his ability to hit the blockhole makes him a huge threat for batsmen.
#7 Kedhar Jadhav - India
Kedar Jadhav is India's latest recruit in the lower middle order. But unlike the experiment with Manish Pandey, Jadhav has been knocking runs at will and has been hailed as a potential replacement to MS Dhoni at no. 6. Short in stature, Jadhav can play shots all around the wicket and has been very consistent in the past few months where in eight matches he has scored 322 runs at an average of 64.40.
His scintillating batting was a revelation in the series against England. Jadhav should see himself at no. 6 for India in the Champions Trophy.
#6 Quinton de Kock - South Africa
The South Africa wicket-keeper is a dangerous opening batsman with an ability to play the long innings once settled. de Kock has been in terrific form for the Proteas in the past few months and has been a thorn in the batting line-up for opposition bowlers.
He can be a crucial factor in the powerplay overs where he is fearless and consistently clears the inner circle with lofted hits. De Kock boasts of an average close to 60 in the past few months and will be one player to watch out for in the Trophy.
#5 Steven Smith - Australia
The Aussie skipper has been among the most consistent batsman in World Cricket in all formats. Mostly known for his exploits in Tests, Smith has carried on that form in ODIs with three hundreds and four half-centuries in the past five months.
He has been in phenomenal touch for Australia and along with Warner remains the two most threatening batsmen in the upcoming tournament. Smith has amassed 755 runs in 16 matches since August 2016 at an average of 53.92.
#4 Jason Roy - England
England's dynamic opening batsman has been in sensational touch in ODIs. He hit three back to back half-centuries in India but his ability to convert the 50s to 100s will be in focus. Roy has five half-centuries in the past five months but none of them have been converted to a 100.
With Root, Morgan, Buttler and Stokes all to follow, Roy has set a firm platform for them to launch, although, he would be looking to improve his conversion rate in the Trophy.
#3 David Warner - Australia
The Aussie opener is the latest no.1 in ODI World rankings after a period of exceptional form. He has scored an astonishing seven hundreds since August 2016 and has scored over 1200 runs in the past five months.
His strike rate of 108 is another stunning factor in Warner's stats. His ability to score at a rapid pace will put immense pressure on the opposition, especially with Australia having a stable middle order to follow after Warner and Smith.
#2 Babar Azam - Pakistan
Pakistan finally seem to have found a dependable middle order batsman in ODIs with Babar Azam knocking off some valuable runs in the past few months. The no. 3 batsman is the second highest run-getter after Warner in ODIs in the last five months with 793 runs at an average of 56.64.
Azam has four hundreds to his name in the period under discussion, with three consecutive ones in a series against the West Indies. His current form means that Azam will be the most scrutinised batsman in the Pakistan line-up in the Champions Trophy.
#1 Virat Kohli - India
The dynamic Indian skipper is an epitome of modern day batsmanship combining consistency with intent. Kohli has been phenomenal for India in ODIs and has owned run chases like no other batsman in World Cricket.
He will undoubtedly prove to be a huge headache for teams, especially in good batting conditions. Kohli carries some spectacular form into the tournament with 2 hundreds and 3 fifties in the past few months at an average above 90 and will be the batsman to watch out for in the upcoming Champions Trophy.
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