CWC 2019: Best XI of players featuring in their last World Cup

The ICC World Cup 2019 is all set to go with teams preparing for the mega event with a couple of warm-up games. As teams enter the fray, there are some players in each team who are on the wrong side of 30. These players might not be around for the next World Cup in 2023. The cricket fraternity would certainly miss such legends.

As these players make their final World Cup appearances, let us try to figure out to form a playing XI with players who are playing their last World Cup.

Openers: Chris Gayle and Mohammad Hafeez

Chris Gayle is the master blaster of the West Indies team. His presence in this World Cup gives his team an outside chance of making it to the semi-finals. In his recent more refined version, Gayle believes in playing the waiting game in the beginning and to go on an all out attack at the later stages of his innings. He has been proved successful in his new role. He is the opener in this team.

Mohammad Hafeez - The batting all-rounder

Mohammad Hafeez has been around for more than 15 years now. He has opened for Pakistan in 120 ODI innings. He scored a 50 in the recently concluded ODI series against England. He has been relatively successful this year with 3 half centuries. But the last time he scored a hundred in an ODI was back in November’2015. As a result, he has been in and out of the Pakistan team.

It was his bowling which kept him in the team for so long. In ODIs, he has taken 137 wickets at a good economy rate of 4.15. 78 of his 137 wickets were either bowled or leg before wicket. He has been more effective against left-handers.

The experienced Mohammad Hafeez is the second opener in the team and the backup spinner.

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Middle Order: Hashim Amla, Ross Taylor, and Angelo Mathews

Hashim Amla has an average of 50 in ODIs. When he first came on to the International scene, he was not considered suitable for ODIs. But like Rahul Dravid, Amla proved to the world that a class player like him could play all formats of the game successfully. He has scored as many as 27 hundred in ODIs. His strike rate is not far behind at 89. At No. 3, Amla personifies solidity.

Ross Taylor - The Best No 4 in the World

Ross Taylor is the highest run scorer for New Zealand in ODIs. Taylor has been New Zealand’s No 4 for the past 10 years. He has been in tremendous form this year having scored 593 runs at an average of 74 and strike rate of 95. He is the best No. 4 in the world in a crisis.

Angelo Mathews has been Sri Lanka’s prominent all-rounder not so long ago. But of late, he had his fitness issues which prevented him from bowling. But in the past, he has proved that he has been a match-winner for Sri Lanka with the bat. In the current year, he has played only one ODI against Scotland. But he had a batting average of 47, 64, and 52 in 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively. Mathews is one of the finishers in this team.

Lower middle-order: MS Dhoni (c, wk) and Mohammad Nabi

MS Dhoni at present is the best wicket-keeper in the world. He doesn’t drop that many and his lightning stumpings are unbelievable. To top it all, he has scored more than 10,000 runs in ODIs at an average of 51. He has been in good form right through this year both in ODIs and in IPL.

Dhoni is a three dimensional player with his batting, wicket-keeping and leadership skills. He is the captain of this team.

Mohammad Nabi - The underrated all-rounder

Mohammad Nabi has been a consistent performer for Afghanistan both with the bat and the ball. Though he has played a majority of his matches against associate countries, he has a batting average of 33 against India, 40 against the West Indies and 58 against South Africa.

Nabi has been impressive with the ball as well against Test playing nations. His economy rate is less than 5 against West Indies (3.35), Bangladesh (3.73), New Zealand (4.67), and India (4.94).

Nabi is the all-rounder in this team.

Bowlers: Mashrafe Mortaza, Dale Steyn, Lasith Malinga, and Imran Tahir

Mashrafe Mortaza - Accurate with the new ball

The Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has taken 265 wickets in ODIs at an acceptable economy of 4.82. He completes most of his spells with the new ball. In the recently concluded tri-series in Ireland, he took a 3 wicket haul in two back-to-back matches against the West Indies. He dismissed Shai Hope and Jason Holder twice in succession in two matches.

Mortaza is the new ball bowler in this team.

Dale Steyn is back into international cricket after an injury lay off. He bowled with a lot of venom and fire in the 2 matches he played for RCB in the IPL. Before that, he had a successful ODI series against Pakistan. He is the most feared fast bowler of the current lot when fit.

Lasith Malinga is the yorker specialist who can turn any match on its head at the death. He is deadly accurate with his yorkers and slower balls and a very difficult customer to handle at the death. He is the third fast bowler in this team.

Imran Tahir was the Purple Cap holder in this year’s IPL. He troubled all Indian batsmen on tailor-made home wickets. He has to his credit 162 ODI wickets. For a leg-spinner, his bowling economy of 4.63 is exceptional. He is the leg-spinner in this team.

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Edited by Aditya Joshi