World Cup 2019: The World Cup XI that might not play the next edition

The One Day International(ODI) World Cup is the greatest cricketing celebration as the world comes together to celebrate the carnival of sport. Irrespective of what happens in the four years in between, it is this tournament that matters the most and it holds the biggest prize in cricket.

This year’s World Cup Final was arguably one of the greatest ODIs ever played and the best World Cup Final ever. The final at Lord's between England and New Zealand ended in a tie. As the super-over also ended in a tie, England became World Champions based on the number of boundaries scored in the match. The last few overs was a spectacle in itself. There was so much thrill, drama, excitement, agony, and confusion. Nevertheless, the match was more than worthy of a World Cup final.

As England became champions for the first time, here we take a look at an eleven from the teams that were a part of this World Cup and who might not be available for the next edition of the World Cup.

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#1 Openers: Chris Gayle and Hashim Amla

Chris Gayle

Hashim Amla and Chris Gayle will easily make it to the eleven as openers. The former has scored 8113 runs in 181 matches in ODI cricket. He was the second-fastest to reach the 8000 run landmark.

However, at the age of 36, it is highly improbable that Amla would survive till the next World Cup. The lack of form adds up to the fact that we might have seen the last of Amla in ODIs.

On the contrary, going into the World Cup Chris Gayle had told that he would be retiring by the end of this World Cup. Halfway through the tournament, Gayle announced that he would not retire after the World Cup and will play the home series against India. The explosive opener was the first player to hit a double century in 50 over World Cups in 2015 against Zimbabwe.

The series against might be the last series for Gayle as he crosses 40 in a couple of months. “Mighty Hash” with his stroke-play and “Universe Boss” with his brutal hitting will be an ideal combination at the top order.

#2 Middle-Order: Francois Du Plessis, Ross Taylor, MS Dhoni (C&wk), and Mohammed Hafeez

MS Dhoni

Francois Du Plessis will be an ideal no. 3 for this team. He has scored 926 runs at an average of 57 in World Cup cricket. South Africa had a bizarre tournament as their key players were affected by injuries. Faf himself had remarked earlier that he is uncertain about how long he will continue representing South Africa. He is an impact player and will play ideal foil to Ross Taylor at no. 4.

Though Ross Taylor has been in top form since 2017, the New Zealand batsman ended up on the losing side in both 2015 and 2019 World Cups. He might still be wondering what went wrong last Sunday. Both him and Faf are excellent middle-order batsmen with the ability to play spin well; there weren't many options to replace them with. At 35, this might be the last we saw of them in World Cup cricket.

Then there’s MS Dhoni, the man who can walk into any World Cup eleven. The World Cup-winning captain will bat at no. 5 and he can anchor the team and accelerate at the death overs like has done all these years. He will also be the captain of this World Cup XI.

Mohammed Hafeez at the age of 38 will be the number six batsman of this side. The Pakistan batsman’s ability to hit spinners and his part-time off-spin bowling will be extremely useful in the middle overs.

#3 All-Rounders: Mohammad Nabi and Mashrafe Mortaza

Mohmmad Nabi

The former Afghanistan captain will make to this eleven as one of the two all-rounders. In this World Cup, his ability to hit boundaries in the death overs and take wickets in the middle overs was invaluable.

Though he didn’t have a great tournament with the bat, he almost took his team to victory against India. Had Afghanistan won that match, it would have been the biggest upset in the World Cup. He ended the tournament with 10 wickets at an economy of 4.61. At 34, it might be his last 50 over World Cup. Additionally, Afghanistan might also look to build a team for the future. Thus, indicating that the 2015 edition was the last we might have seen of the Afghan in World Cup cricket.

Mashrafe Mortaza has been captaining the Bangladesh team for long enough and his contribution to Bangladesh cricket can’t be measured by his numbers. The way the all-rounder has brought this team together and their growth in the past 5 years is incredible. They have reached the Quarterfinals of the 2015 World Cup and the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy in 2017.

In this edition too, Bangladesh played very well though they failed to make it to the top four of the points table. But, the Tigers have to look forward to the future as Mortaza is 35 years old and his career has been curtailed by injuries more often.

#4 Bowlers: Lasith Malinga, Plunkett, and Wahab Riaz

Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga carried the Sri Lankan bowling on his shoulders at this year's World Cup. The Sri Lankan is the third-highest wicket-taker with 56 in World Cups only behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Glenn Mcgrath. His death bowling prowess and wicket-taking ability are known to the world. In his race against time and fitness, this World Cup could be the last for him.

Liam Plunkett has been the workhorse of England's bowling attack in this World Cup. Though he has not been a regular in the eleven, Plunkett was the go-to bowler for England in crucial matches. He played an important role in the World cup Final by dismissing Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, and James Neesham. He has been the unsung hero of this successful World Cup campaign for England. This might be his last World Cup as he 34 already and can’t see him play another edition four years down the lane.

Wahab Riaz at age of 34 wasn’t even the part of the first probable squad of Pakistan. He dreamt of his World Cup selection and there he was at the World Cup when the squad was announced. Though Pakistan didn't have a great World Cup, Wahab Riaz had his moments with reverse swing and his spell against Shane Watson in the 2015 World Cup was one for ages. In an injury curtailed career, it hard to imagine him playing the next edition of the World Cup.