The stage has been set for the much-awaited mega-event in the cricketing world. In just a day, some of the world’s best nations will be competing in the biggest competition the realm of cricket has to offer. In this highly anticipated tournament, the spotlight doesn’t only shine on national teams but also on the exceptional individuals who make up the squads. Speaking of best, let’s take a look at the top-ranked players from each team.
Top-Ranked Players from Participating Countries
India
Top-ranked Batter: #2 Shubman Gill
Top-Ranked Bowler: #1 Muhammad Siraj
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #7 Hardik Pandya
India is currently ranked as number one in the ICC ODI format, three of their payers have been ranked within the top ten and they are the hosts for the mega event. Nothing can be more confidence-boosting than this. Led by Rohit Sharma, team India are definitely the favourites for the event, having recently won the Asia Cup also.
Their last outing in the 2019 Cricket World Cup ended in heartbreak when Martin Guptill’s rocket direct hit sent the bails dancing and Dhoni, India’s only hope at the moment, had to return to the pavilion. They lost the semi-final by 18 runs. And now with Rohit’s army as strong as ever, they will do anything to reclaim glory that too in their own backyard.
Pakistan
Top-ranked Batter: #1 Babar Azam
Top-Ranked Bowler: #8 Shaheen Afridi
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #13 Shadab Khan
The undisputed king of the ODI’s and the owner of the classiest cricket shots, Babar Azam will be leading team Pakistan in the tournament. With ace pacer Shaheen Afridi as his main man and ace bowler and Shadab Khan as the vice-captain, Team Green seems ready for the big games.
Unpredictability being their second name, they have the ability to play both world-class and street-style cricket regardless of the opposition. Despite having a glitch in the Asia Cup, the men in green are one of the favourites to qualify for the finals as also predicted by many cricket greats and sit at the number two spot in the ICC ranking. It will be really interesting to see Babar and his men play since it’s the current lot’s, with the exception of two players, first time playing in India.
Australia
Top-ranked Batter: #6 David Warner
Top-Ranked Bowler: #2 Josh Hazlewood
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #14 Josh Hazlewood
David Warner just doesn’t get tired of making runs and that’s why he is currently the top-ranked player for Australia in the batting category having aggravated 6397 ODI runs. Josh Hazlewood on the other hand has been the Kangaroo’s mainstay in the bowling category and has secured the top position for quite a while now. He was recently dethroned by Muhammad Siraj after his Asia Cup final stint against.
Winning World Cups for Australia is no big deal. They have already bagged five trophies and are almost always the most talked about contender to win the Cup.
South Africa
Top-ranked Batter: #3 Rassie van der Dussen
Top-Ranked Bowler: #14 Keshav Maharaj
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #23 Aiden Markram
South Africa is ranked fourth on the table of 50-over format ranking and the fact that they have played just 24 ODIs in the cycle says a lot about this team. Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen ranked 23 and three are the sources where the majority of runs come for South Africa. Maharaj on the other hand has made a big name on the SA bowling side having debuted in 2017.
The Proteas were really off-colour in the 2019 version of the 50-over World Cup. the team managed to win just three of nine games and finished seventh on the table. But with a few changes ever since, this new side is a more match-winner side.
England
Top-ranked Batter: #14 Dawid Malan
Top-Ranked Bowler: #12 Chris Woakes
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #21 Chris Woakes
The top-ranked players from England, fall below the 10th rank. Dawid Malan has held the fort of best batter for England for a long time now. There is no doubt that Chris Woakes is the best bowler and best all-rounder for the English side in recent times. The right-arm quick has 163 wickets in 110 50-over innings.
The three Lions will grace the tournament as defending champions and will do everything in their power to maintain their prestige.
New Zealand
Top-ranked Batter: # 28 Kane Williamson
Top-Ranked Bowler: #5 Trent Boult
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #11 Mitchel Santner
Skipper Kane Williamson ranks 28th on the list of best batters and is truly an asset in the New Zealand batting set-up. Boult ranks fifth and is just two points behind Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan. While left-hander Santner occupies the 11th spot in the ranking.
The Kiwis are the only team yet to lay their hands on the Cricket glory. What an effort they put in the final of the 2019 World Cup that sadly did not pay them the results they wanted. Maybe 2023 is the year for them.
Sri Lanka
Top-ranked Batter: # 27 Charith Asalanka
Top-Ranked Bowler: #16 Maheesh Theekshana
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #17 Dhananjaya de Silva
Charith Asalanka is a new name in the Sri Lankan batting set-up and is already on the rise with his latest ranking at 27. In the bowlers’ category Theekshana has made his way to the 16th spot and rightly so after a magnificent performance in the Asia Cup. 32-year-old de Silva is cosy in the 17th slot of the all-rounders’ category.
Team Sri Lanka is composed of fairly young players and they thrive on the energy the youngsters bring to the ground. They are a strong side and capable of beating any team regardless of their ranking.
Bangladesh
Top-ranked Batter: #21 Mushfiqur Rahim
Top-Ranked Bowler: #17 Shakib Al Hasan
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #1 Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan is truly a star for Bangladesh. He’s number one in the all-rounder category and 17th in the bowling set-up. The veteran Mushfiqur Rahim ranks 21 and is only a few points ahead of player Tamim Iqbal.
The Bangla team has seen good days and bad days in the ODI cricket. They are in the eighth spot on the team ranking and finished eighth in the last World. But it would not be right to write them down. After all, they are The Tigers.
Afghanistan
Top-ranked Batter: #18 Ibrahim Zadran
Top-Ranked Bowler: #3 Mujeeb Ur Rehman
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #2 Mohammad Nabi
The number ninth lined Afghanistan has two out of three players seated in the top two spots. Mujeeb Ur Rehman at number three is one of his team’s finest bowlers. Muhammad Nabi on the other hand, with his performances hasn’t let anyone take his position for a long time now. With his batting prowess, Ibrahim Zadran is slowly making his way up the batters category.
Afghanistan may have finished the last World Cup with zero wins, but they are a different team now. The men in blue have regenerated the fierce spark in them recently and they will be a force to reckon with. They are one of the most balanced sides in the tourney.
Netherlands
Top-ranked Batter: # 39 Scott Edwards
Top-Ranked Bowler: #51 Logan van Beek
Top-Ranked All-Rounder: #49 Bas de Leede
One has to dive deeper to find the top-ranked players of the Dutch side but for them, it’s not about the ranking. All three players along with their mates have done wonders for their team and the fact that they are here to play their first ever 50-over marquee event is a big enough proof.
The Netherlands in the World Cup qualifier put their blood, sweat, and tears to qualify and after a close encounter against Scotland, the orange team were finally able to book themselves a spot in the final ten. They may be new to the set-up but they are tough and fierce and for them the opposition doesn’t matter, winning does. They are an exciting new entry into the World Cup circuit.
Also, Read
