When all the 10 participating teams put themselves on the shop window for the World Cup in England and Wales starting May 30, there will be members in each side who will not only be part of the leadership group, but will also be tasked with strategising on the team’s behalf, treading cautiously and wary of a slip which can cost them dear.
Every squad will have its designated captain and head coachto officially be responsible for the team’s travails. But few teams will alsohave some seasoned campaigners who will help the skipper with on and off fielddecisions vital to the team’s cause.
IANS takes a look at the chief strategist in each team whoare likely to play a pivotal role in their respective team’s campaign in theshowpiece event.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India)
There cannot be a bigger example than India when it comes tothe strategist in the team who is not the captain, but is the heart and soul ofthe squad when it comes to decision making.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has led India to two World Cuptriumphs (T20 in 2007, 50-over in 2011) besides leading Chennai Super Kings tothree Indian Premier League titles, is a colossus the team can’t do without.
Time and again, skipper Virat Kohli and his band of boyshave said in public that Dhoni’s inputs from behind the stumps are pricelessand key to India’s success in white ball cricket in recent years.
There were questions raised over Dhoni’s batting form, butin the last few months, the 37-year old has shown his finishing abilities arejust where they should be. And with the wicketkeeping gloves, he is as quick asanyone in the business.
Justin Langer (Australia)
The head coach of the Australia, Justin Langer will have toget the team together inside the dressing room which, in turn, will reflect onthe field.
Langer will be assisted by Ricky Ponting who will lend hisinvaluable experience to the side and also make sure that Steve Smith and DavidWarner become part of the leadership group seamlessly, something that Langerhad stressed on.
Not too long ago, Australian cricket was rocked by the balltampering scandal leading to the one-year suspension of then skipper Smith andhis deputy Warner.
The defending champions have performed well since then,especially in their Asia sojourn, but with Smith and Warner re-integrating withthe side, current captain Aaron Finch will need a more experienced hand on hisshoulders to ensure that the atmosphere within the team is in fine fettle.
Eoin Morgan (England)
Morgan’s England are ranked No. 1 in the world in one-daycricket and are bidding to win the 50-over World Cup for the first time.
England are hot favourites on home soil and though the teamhas the likes of Test captain Joe Root and experienced all-rounder Ben Stokesin their ranks, captain Morgan is expected to lead from the front as he hasdone on many occasions.
A limited over batsman par excellenece, left-handed Morganis a vital cog in England’s middle order who also has a cool head on hisshoulders when it comes to marshalling his troops.
Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
A hard-as-nails batsman and a captain who is as clear-eyedas he can be. Faf du Plessis will look to fill the void of A.B. de Villiers inthe side and South Africa will look to him both as a batsman and captain whowins his players’ trust as much with forthrightness as he does with hisdecisive leadership and gritty batting skills.
Sarfraz Ahmed (Pakistan)
The Pakistan cricket board kept faith in Sarfraz Ahmeddespite the stumper-batsman recently getting suspended for making racistcomments against a South African player. This goes to show his importance inthe side, which is young and needs someone to guide them.
Sarfraz’s side surprised many by winning the 2017 ChampionsTrophy in England but since that achievement, they have struggled to defeat thetop teams. The World Cup is the biggest stage to set things right and Sarfrazwill look to do an encore of 2017.
Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
One of the world’s best and New Zealand’s No. 1 batsman,Kane Williamson is the leader and strategist of a side which has experience butnot as much exposure as their 28-year old skipper. The Kiwis were runners-up in2015, and Williamson will be hungry to prove the doubters wrong that Kiwis arejust valiant losers after exiting in the semifinals of the World Cup on sixoccasion.
Jason Holder (West Indies)
The West Indies are considered the dark horse in this year’sWorld Cup and Jason Holder will be the captain of the ship which has many bignames, who are wily characters too.
Chris Gayle, 39, will be playing his fifth World Cup whileAndre Russell will also be making a comeback to the team. While they are bothmatch-winners in their own right, all has not been well between them and theWest Indies cricket board as they refused to represent their country on severaloccasions. Holder will have to ensure that the team gets the best out of them,both as players as well as leaders.
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka are considered one of the weakest teams in thecompetition and they have not done this image any good by dropping establishedstars like Dinesh Chandimal from the World Cup party. This makes veteran ofmany a battle Lasith Malinga a natural leader of the pack.
Malinga helped Mumbai Indians win their record fourth titlerecently and despite Sri Lanka naming Dimuth Karunaratne as captain who lastplayed an ODI in 2015, 35-year old Malinga will be expected to play a vitalrole in plotting the team’s journey.
Mashrafe Mortaza (B’desh)
Bangladesh courted controversy recently when Shakib Al Hasanwas not part of their team photo before they left for England. One of theteam’s main weapons, Shakib will form part of the leadership group along withMashrafe Mortaza who will also have to ensure the likes of uncapped fast bowlerAbu Jayed and recalled Mosaddek Hossain don’t get affected by unnecessarycontroversies during the tournament as they look to stage upsets.
Mashrafe has been around for a long time and his passion issecond to none, which makes him the undisputed leader of this pack.
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
The promising Afghanistan side will look to Rashid Khan,their most recognisable player and one of the best spinners in the world, todeliver the goods and inspire the team to pull off upsets. Rashid expressed his disappointment when AsgharAfghan was removed from captaincy two months before the World Cup, but he willhave to put all that behind and work closely with new skipper Gulbadin Naib to chartthe team’s path.