Here are the players you must watch for ICC Champions Trophy
ICC Champions Trophy is all set to begin. Being the last Champions trophy’s winner India has made the first position in the test ranking after, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh.
Though there are many players who will be working hard to make a mark for the Championship, Here a few players according to us will carry the load of expectations for their respective teams.
Australia
Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy we look forward for, David Warner, Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc. Warner who will be one of the key players of the championship, along with Steve Smith, no. 1 batsman, Smith is quick-footed and adept at facing spin, but is equally comfortable driving and pulling the fast bowlers.Speaking about the Australian bowlers Mitchell Starc is one of the key bowlers to look for.
Bangladesh:
Shakib Al Hasan, all-rounder who was key player to Bangladesh’s super form in the ODIs in 2015 and we saw them beat India, New Zealand and South Africa. One of the reliable batsman in the middle order and skilled bowler, Shakib will relish the challenge, of Champion’s trophy. Not forgetting MustafizurRahman with his best seven wickets in four matches, he is one of the most eyed during Champion’s trophy.
England:
Playing in the home land, England will be having few advantages. One of the key contenders is Joe Root, the newly appointed Test captain. With him batting with fires, along with other good bunch of young players, England is a strong contenders to win the tournament. Another prolific all-rounder of England team is Ben Stokes, who has proved with his batting and bowling technics and superfluous energy in the field.
India:
With the huge win in the last champion’s trophy,Indian fans have crossed their fingers and looking forward to the Champion’s Trophy. The key players to look for are ViratKohli, who has 27 centuries in 179 One-Day International matches with an average of 53.11. The two all-rounders, RavindraJadeja and RavichandranAshwin are special spinners for the team.
New Zealand:
The Black Caps has two crucial players to look for, Mitchell McClenaghan, who was selected without having played international cricket in 15 months. He is the one who helped the Black Caps reach the World Twenty20 semi-finals in March 2016. Martin Guptill, master-blaster of Black Caps who makes the Melbourne Cricket Ground looks small when his timings with the ball go well.
Pakistan:
Though Pakistan has never won the tournament but have made upto Semi-finals. The senior players along with the key players are all set to prove them for the championship including Mohammed Amir tough bowler for the team. Another strong bowler is Riaz who came into national reckoning earlier than he might have reasonably expected. Since then he has had some good moments in international cricket, but consistency hasn’t been his strongest suit.
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka entered the Champions trophy hoping for the second title after sharing the title with India in 2002. With Angelo Mathews, who scored 95 in the warm up game ahead of the Champions Trophy against Australia, he will also lead the bunch of youngsters. Along with some other contenders including KusalMendis and LasithMalinga, it will be interesting to see this Champions Trophy.
South Africa:
The South Africa’s team has pledged for a major international cricket trophy this time. With AB de Villiers the captain of the team is one of the strong challengers.Much like the ICC World Cup, the South African squad has a strong batting unit. Some of the most powerful hitters in the game of cricket are in the line-up including HashimAmlaand sturdy bowler KagisoRabada who is not to be missed.
