5 performances from associate team players which has made an impact so far

The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup is gathering momentum steadily. All the teams have now played at least one game and undoubtedly the feature of this round has been the performance of the associate teams or the so-called “minnows”. They have been extremely competitive and have played with a lot of spirit and passion which has been heartening to see. Ireland even managed to beat the West Indies comprehensively in Nelson chasing down a stiff target of 305 runs.We look at the top 5 performances of players from these teams who have managed to make an impact in the tournament.

#5 Sean Williams vs UAE

Sean Williams’ all round performance against UAE gave Zimbabwe their first points of the tournament and also rescued them from a precarious position in the match. UAE looked to be on top when they got the key wicket of Brendan Taylor and Mire in quick succession and also forcing the required run rate above 7 rpo. But an unbridled Sean Williams along with Craig Ervine stitched together a match winning stand to take the pressure off Zimbabwe.

The highlight of Williams’ knock was his great temperament and an uncanny ability to remain cool during the pressure situation. He took the burden upon his shoulders and guided the chase brilliantly. He knew when to go for his shots and when to block the good balls. Earlier in the match Williams also contributed with the ball by picking up two wickets under run a ball and also helping to stem the flow of the runs somewhat.

#4 Shapoor Zadran vs Bangladesh

The one performance that stood out in an otherwise average Afghan bowling performance was that of the tall left arm fast bowler, Shapoor Zadran. Shapoor who resembles Mohammed Irfan a bit with his bowling style used his long run up and height to great effect. He bowled well in tandem with his new ball partner Hamid Hassan. His naggingly accurate length troubled the Bangladesh top order to a great effect and he managed to prize out two important wickets without giving much away. His efforts left Bangladesh in a spot of bother before Rahim and Al Hasan rescued them with a good fightback.

Shapoor generated a lot of buzz in the social media after his exploits against Bangladesh. His returned with impressive figures of 7-1-20-2, a miserly economy of just under 3. His all time favourite is Pakistani quick Shoaib Akthar.

#3 Matthew Machan vs New Zealand

A relatively unknown name to even the biggest cricket buff around, Matt Machan made his mark for Scotland against an in-form Kiwi side, who are looking to win their first World Cup. Walking in at 1-2 is no easy task and that too facing a bowler like Trent Boult- who was on a hat-trick and was swinging the ball first up is needless to say.

Yet, Machan slowly managed to steady himself and his side and along with Berrington put on a near 100 run stand which gave Scotland some hope of salvaging something from the game. His technique was tested a lot by the Kiwi bowlers especially with the swinging new ball and he did his reputation no harm with a steady knock that included 7 hits to the fence and one over it.

His knock which was full of grit and tenacity enabled Scotland to recover from an ominous 12-4 to 109-4 before another collapse ensured that they couldnt capitalise much on Machan’s efforts.

#2 Hamilton Masakadza vs South Africa

Zimbabwe’s chances against South Africa were pretty much written off by all the experts even before they took to the field. But they managed to make the favourites sweat a lot! They first had South Africa on the ropes at 83-4 before a record partnership by David Miller and JP Duminy took them to an imposing 339-4.

Zimbabwe were unfettered and it was there to see. Hamilton Masakadza came out all guns blazing and managed to dispatch the South African bowlers to all parts of the ground. In two separate partnerships, first with Chakabva then with Taylor he took Zimbabwe to a position of strength before unfortunately losing his wicket. He showed no respect to the big reputation that the bowlers carried especially Dale Steyn and treated them with disdain. His clean hitting was the hallmark of his innings.

We can surely expect more from this experienced Zimbabwean.

#1 Paul Stirling vs West Indies

The hero of the famous Irish chase, Paul Stirling played out of his socks and provided his side with a brilliant platform to build on. Known as a hard hitter among the English County circuit, Stirling had no two minds in going after the West Indies bowling. He took on Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor with a lot of plan and managed to clear the boundaries with ease.

His brutal hitting brought the run rate down to about 5 runs an over from the initial asking rate of above 6 and ensured that Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien had plenty of time and balls to get their eye in and guide Ireland over the finishing line. What was most pleasing to the eye was his repeated pull shots off Jerome Taylor who bowled with a lot of vigour and aggression. Stirling also managed to chip in with some useful overs of slow bowling and managed to keep the West indies in check.

Paul Stirling executed the chase perfectly and will remain a crucial player for the Irish if they are to make the next round.