World Cup 2019: Team-wise one player who might not feature in the starting XI

The World Cup is now closer than ever. Only a few days are left for the biggest tournament in the world to begin and all the teams have now finalised their squads, while some have made a couple of changes in their initial team-list. All the players are physically and mentally prepared for this grand competition. This is most likely to be the best World Cup ever since the teams are now more competitive than ever and also the format has now been changed slightly. A 15-member squad of each team will compete in the tournament but only 11 players will get a chance to make a mark on the field on a given day. While most of the teams are also sorted with their XIs some of them are travelling with the teams as backups. Only if a preferred player in that particular role is injured, then only these backup players are likely to get a chance. As of now, with no injuries, all teams look settled and the backup players look set to warm up the bench. Here, we bring you one player from each team who might not make it to the starting XI at the World Cup: 10. Mohammad Hasnain (Pakistan) Mohammad Hasnain. (Photo Source: Twitter) He is just a 19-year-old, right-arm fast bowler and was lucky to be named in Pakistan’s World Cup plans. Mohammad Hasnain made his debut recently against Australia and it has not even been three months until his rise into the big stage. He proved his mettle in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year and the selectors might have rushed him into the highest level. Lacking the experience at this stage would be a big factor and during pressure situations such issues will certainly be showcased. Many still think Pakistan missed a trick by picking him up since he has not done anything spectacular so far to make into the squad so quickly. In the five matches he has played, he has taken five wickets with the best figures of 2 for 52. His economy is also not so impressive going for nearly 7.5 runs per over. With the likes of Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Shaheen Afridi in the line-up, Hasnain is unlikely to get a nod in the first few matches at least. Having said that, the youngster can use this chance to learn as much as he can and get better. 9. Jeffrey Vandersay (Sri Lanka) Jeffrey Vandersay of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) He is one of the biggest surprises in the Sri Lankan World Cup squad. They dropped many big names like Dinesh Chandimal, Akila Dhananjaya. Jeffrey Vandersay last played an ODI in October 2017 against Pakistan. After not being picked up for this long and suddenly getting a World Cup call would surely be a bombshell for both him and the Sri Lankan fans. There is almost nothing for the spinners on England’s flat pitches and that might go against Vandersay at the start of the tournament. Sri Lanka already have Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana and Dhananjaya de Silva who are all-rounders and are also spinners. A couple of these three players might play in the starting XI in the first few matches before Vandersay gets a go. 8. Aftab Alam (Afghanistan) Aftab Alam. (Photo Source: Twitter) Afghanistan, a country with immense talent and is certainly a team to watch out for this World Cup. They could bring in some surprises and spoil the joy of other big teams. Aftab Alam is one among the many talented players of their squad. The 26-year-old is a medium pace bowler and has played 24 matches in which he has taken 37 wickets, with an impressive economy of under five. He is young player and has a very bright future ahead of him. Afghanistan will be looking to play some of their expeirenced players first up to start with the event. They will be going for more experience and wicket-taking bowlers like their spin-trio Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and their pace bowlers will mainly be Hamid Hassan, Dalwat Zadran and their newly appointed all-rounder and captain Gulbadin Naib. Aftab Alam might have to wait for his chance and could well be in with a chance to play if the UK weather changes and assists swing bowling. 7. Chris Morris (South Africa) Chris Morris of South Africa. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images) Chris Morris who was once South Africa’s premium bowler will have to sit out for the major part of the World Cup. The Proteas currently have some of the best fast bowlers in the world such as Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. No wonder this trio will walk into the playing XI on merit and Morris is possibly the backup for the all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo who is also coming into the tournament on the back of some good form. Morris last played an ODI against India in 2018 and a decent show in the IPL has led to getting called up after Anrich Nortje got injured. The talented all-rounder might have to wait for his chances and one feels his chances would be very few at the event this time around. 6. Carlos Brathwaite (Windies) Carlos Brathwaite. (Photo Source: Twitter) Carlos Brathwaite made a name for himself by hitting four consecutive sixes in the World T20 final in 2016. But since then, he has been a pale shadow of himself. Even in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the all-rounder couldn’t justify his price tag and completely looked out of touch. Though he played an attractive knock with the bat in the unofficial warm-up match against Australia on May 22, Brathwaite is unlikely to make it to the XI with Andre Russell playing. Russell is going through the purple patch as an all-rounder and with the skipper Jason Holder also in the same role, the big man from Barbados will definitely have to wait for his chance. 5. Sabbir Rahman (Bangladesh) Sabbir Rahman. (Photo Source: Twitter) Sabbir Rahman made a comeback recently for the New Zealand tour and his selection on that tour itself had raised many eyebrows. He is one of the best batsmen in Bangladesh but controversies have never allowed him a long run in the team and the man himself is to blame for the same. A brilliant century in a losing cause sealed a World Cup ticket for Sabbir but it looks like he will have to warm the bench. More often than not, he bats at seven in the line-up for his country and with Mosaddek Hossain proving his mettle in the final of the tri-series in Ireland, it will be toss up between these two players. The latter is expected to be preferred thanks to all-round skills and the team will need an extra bowler on flat pitches in England. Sabbir is a brilliant batsman and a consistent failure of one of the top order batsmen is the best way it seems for him to get into the XI. 4. Colin Munro (New Zealand) Colin Munro of New Zealand bats. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) The 32-year-old Colin Munro is very famous for his ability to get runs quickly. He is one of the dangerous players in the shortest format of the game. However, he is not the same player when it comes to the ODIs as the left-hander lacks the ability to play with patience and struggles to build an innings. After blowing away his chances during the home season, the team management tried Henry Nicholls at the top of the order and were convinced with his show. Martin Guptill and Nicholls will open the innings for the Kiwis in the World Cup and Munro will have to anxiously wait for his opportunity. In case, one of the openers consistently fail to make a mark, then only the swashbuckling batsman is likely to get a chance. 3. James Vince (England) James Vince of England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) James Vince is another batsman who hasn’t justified his talent. His elegant cover drives are such a joy to watch and he plunders runs in the domestic cricket to get picked in the national side only to fail. Vince’s inability to convert starts into big scores at a highest level should keep him out of the starting XI of a strong England side. Moreover, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are going to open the innings for the team and Vince is only the backup opener of the team. An injury to one of these two players will present an opportunity for Vince to prove himself at the world stage. 2. Shaun Marsh (Australia) Shaun Marsh of Australia. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images) When Australia needed him, he was there plundering runs in losing cause over the course of 2018. Shaun Marsh has revived his ODI career with some classy batting. But he will be the unluckiest to miss out on the playing XI when it comes to playing in the proper tournament. With Steve Smith and David Warner returning to the team, the top four is getting crowded for Australia which is actually a good problem to have. A player like Shaun Marsh will have to be benched to accommodate Smith and at the moment, it seems like the former has no place in the star studded line-up. Batting at five or six would be too low for his standards as Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell will bat at those positions and look to finish the innings on a strong note. Marsh is a kind of an accumulator and can only bat in the top three or four which looks filled at this stage. 1 Dinesh Karthik (India) Dinesh Karthik. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) The chief selector MSK Prasad cleared after the announcement that Dinesh Karthik is purely being looked at as the backup wicket-keeper in India’s World Cup squad. Only if MS Dhoni gets injured or needs rest, the Tamil Nadu player will make it to the XI. This made it clear that he will be warming the bench for the majority of the tournament. No doubt that Karthik is supremely talented and has fought his way back into the team. Also, he can bat at four at some stage which depends on Vijay Shankar and KL Rahul’s performance. To start off things though, Karthik will have to carry the drinks in England.

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World Cup 2019: Team-wise one player who might not feature in the starting XI

While some of the players are only travelling as the backups, a few of them just might not make it due to too much talent in the team.

1 Dinesh Karthik (India)

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