World Cup 2015: 8 all-rounders who can make an impact

Here is a list of 8 all-rounders who have the best chance of succeeding,and in turn help the team progress through stages,in the 2015 ICC World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand.

#1 Corey Anderson

The world can never forget his breathtaking 36-ball 100 against West Indies, which broke Shahid Afridi’s world record for the fastest international century ever scored, a 37-ball 100 against Sri Lanka back in 1996.

His hard-hitting strokeplay won him laurels and a permanent place in the shorter formats. His ability to take wickets and break vital partnerships, bowling at a brisk pace, has proven to be very useful for the New Zealand team, which will also be co-hosting the tournament along with Australia.

In familiar conditions and the small grounds of New Zealand, the 23-year-old can single-handedly take the game away from the opponents with the bat and his left-arm over angle with the ball is always bound to create problems. While he is assured of a slot, it would be interesting to see if James Neesham, a very similar type of player, can be paired with him down the order to relieve him of enormous expectations.

#2 Dwayne Bravo

West Indies, though criticized for not being consistent, have the big hitters and pace bowling all-rounders required to make it to the knockout rounds.

All of Dwayne Smith, Chris Gayle (if fit), Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo are capable of contributing in both the departments, but I have picked up Bravo, as he is the most capable and versatile of the lot and is a big match player.

With him, the side can always be assured that if he doesn’t perform with the bat, he will deliver with the ball, besides consistently saving 5-10 runs on the field.

The 30-year-old has always had a topsy-turvy ride in the international arena but has hardly had his spot questioned in the limited overs format. His heroics both with the bat and ball in the World Cup T20 in 2012 and 2014 showcase his abilities.

#3 Angelo Mathews

The Sri Lankan captain has a huge task ahead: he has to deliver both as a player and a captain. While there are no doubts in the fact that he is capable of performing well with the bat and the ball, it remains to be seen how he handles the captaincy load, despite the impressive series win against an inept England side led by Alastair Cook.

With their T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year, they have also proved that they could win the big events: something they struggled to do despite making it to the finals of a number of world cups since 2007.

Legendary players like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, in all probability, will be playing their last World Cup next year, and they will be looking forward to retire on a high.

Mathews has been getting better with every passing match as far as his captaincy is concerned. His clever variations in bowling and proper slogging in the death overs may well prove to be the difference in big matches. He is surely the player to look forward to for the opponents.

#4 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell, despite the recent slump in form and the opposition teams finding out his weaknesses, does remain a force , for he isn’t a mere slogger. Blessed with good cricketing brains and fearless approach, one can safely bet on this off-spinning all-rounder coming out of this temporary setback.

His reverse-sweeps and switch-hits will be the highlight of the tournament once he gets going. I’m sure the other teams must be having plans against him. I hope he is given the ball, too, as he has it in him to get through a few economical overs, and it will make him feels as an important part of the team. This guy has the ability to make or break the fortunes of his team.

#5 JP Duminy

The South Africans are renowned for their ability to choke in the crucial stages of mega events. Sometimes I feel they lack a genuine ice-man who can rescue the team from crisis situations. Though they have had world-class all-rounders in their ranks before – the likes of Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis – they have never entered the finals of a World Cup.

But, in JP Duminy, the current South African team can boast of having a man for the crisis, whose career has been in the ascendancy in the last couple of years.

Unlike most finishers, he isn’t just a slam-bang type. He could oversee testing periods, skillful opponents and demanding pitches with the bat.

He is also not shy of taking responsibility with the ball, opening the bowling for his side on slower pitches. He is energetic on the field, as well. AB De Villiers will be relying upon him to go all guns blazing and help the African nation get rid of the chokers tag.

#6 Ravi Bopara

Even if Alastair Cook isn’t axed, England, with the kind of quality they have, can surprise the cricketing world when they turn up in Australia and New Zealand next year.

Despite the likes of Sri Lanka, age-old rivals Australia and New Zealand in the same group, a top 4 spot shouldn’t be a cause for worry, especially when you have the players of the calibre of Eoin Morgan and Jos Butler in your side.

Ravi Bopara, despite coming lower down in the order than he ideally should, can add value. England have always been short of quality all-rounders after the retirement of Andrew Flintoff.

Bopara, although not belongs to the Flintoff category, fits the bill nicely with his cutters and solid, flexible batting abilities. Of late, he has become very difficult to get away with the ball in hand, too. He may well prove to be their ‘go-to man’ with the bat in the tournament, and, if he does justice to his abilities, England may hope to advance beyond the group stage.

#7 Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi has been playing for what seems to look like ages now, but he is still only 34 and doesn’t look like stopping any sooner.

His recent form in the Asia Cup and World Cup T20 in Bangladesh proved that he still has a lot to offer, both with the bat and the ball. However, for him to succeed with the bat, he needs to apply himself a lot more than he does.

Pakistan’s most destructive player will have a lot of expectations to fulfill, but he surely knows how to succeed on the big stage. Watch out for ‘BOOM BOOM’ Afridi!

#8 Ravindra Jadeja

The defending champions have a few all-rounders in their squad at present, and they will be hoping for good performances from them if they want to entertain any chances of winning the cup again, this time on completely alien decks.

While the hunt for a pace bowling all-rounder is still on, Ravindra Jadeja has shown enough promise for the Indian management to trust in him for the spin bowling all-rounder’s role.

With the chances of Yuvraj Singh’s inclusion in the team’s squad looking bleak, the onus will be on Jadeja. He has to play the role played by Yuvraj in the 2011 World Cup, albeit on lesser conducive tracks.

A livewire on the field, the 25-year-old has 120 wickets and 1541 runs in the 101 ODI matches he has played so far and is soon becoming Indian captain MS Dhoni’s most reliable player.