CWC 2019: 5 all-rounders who can be MVPs for their teams this World Cup

The ICC World Cup 2019 begins from May 30.

The ICC World Cup 2019 will begin from May 30, with South Africa and England set to clash in the tournament opener at the Oval in London. Meanwhile, the excitement for the tournament is already nearing its peak with the teams getting into their groove.

When one looks at the history of the teams that have done exceedingly well in World Cup tournaments, there is a common pattern that arises in their backstory of success which sees the abundance of quality all-rounders in the team.

The Indian team which shocked West Indies in 1983 to win the tournament had the likes of Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Yashpal Sharma, Sandeep Patil and Kirti Azad leading the way and who can forget the onslaught of Lance Klusener in the 1999 World Cup tournament. Yuvraj Singh won the Man of the Series on basis of his contribution to India’s 2011 tournament win with both the bat and the ball.

Keeping the contributions of the all-rounders in the game of cricket and in such an important tournament like the World Cup, Team COC presents to you five such all-rounders who can be MVPs for their teams in the ICC World Cup 2019.

Here are the five all-rounders who can be MVPs for their teams

SHAKIB AL HASAN (BAN)

Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan has been one of the greatest modern-day all-rounders in the game of cricket. He is coming into the ICC World Cup 2019 as the no.1 all-rounder in the format and has a stellar record with 540 runs and 23 wickets in 21 matches in the tournament since his debut in 2007.

The left-handed all-rounder has 5717 runs and 249 wickets in 198 ODIs and plays a crucial role in the Tiger’s set up down the order whether quick runs are needed or there is a requirement for stemming the fall of wickets. With the Men in Green looking to repeat their 2015 edition exploits of reaching the knockout stages, Shakib will play a big role as the tournament begins on May 30.

BEN STOKES (ENG)
Ben Stokes and England had a rather forgettable ICC World Cup 2015 but since then, the three lions have changed the face of the format with their ultra-aggressive way of batting, which resulted in them becoming the no.1 ranked ODI team, owners of the highest team total in ODIs-481 and frontrunners for winning the 2019 World Cup.

Ben Stokes also has a relatively successful ODI career with 2217 runs and 63 wickets in 84 matches with three centuries. Yet he has not made an impact in any of the ICC events like a player of his caliber and talent should. However, this might all change as he plays in the 2019 edition in the familiar situation at home, giving him the confidence to become the most valuable player for England.

MOHAMMAD NABI (AFG)
Mohammad Nabi is the most experienced cricketer in the Afghanistan team in this World Cup in 2019 and he has already shown his experience in the two warm-up games played by the team. Against Pakistan, he picked three wickets, while was the top-scorer with the bat against England.

Nabi is an excellent all-rounder with 2592 runs and 118 wickets in 112 ODIs with one century proves his mastery on both aspects of the game. He is also one of the best fielders that the team have and his experience as a former captain will come in handy for new skipper Gulbadin Naib. Nabi is excellent in either skill and will seek to lead the way for the team as they look to do better in this edition of World Cup.  

ANDRE RUSSELL (WI)

Andre Russell is the name that has been resonating in world cricket for the last 2-3 months thanks to his amazing hitting in IPL 2019 for Kolkata Knight Riders. He made over 500 runs with a strike rate of over 200 and hit 52 sixes in the tournament alone.

It was just an exhibition on inhibited hitting from the Bajan cricketer and his bowling is just a bonus for the team and he can hit speeds enough to hurt batsmen, which Usman Khawaja found out during a practice match between Australia and West Indies.

Russell is in sublime form and after putting behind his fitness issues, he will be a threat to opponent bowlers in death overs and can be one of the frontline bowlers if needed for the team.   

HARDIK PANDYA (IND)
Hardik Pandya showed what he can do during his excellent outing for Mumbai Indians and played a big role in making them four-time IPL champions. Pandya made over 400 runs at a strike rate of over 190.

Pandya has developed his game to become a threat to not only spinners as a big hitter, but also to fast bowlers as well, something he exhibited during the IPL and can now even hit the yorkers for sixes and fours. He will be one of the key players for the Indian team down the order for the Men in Blue, in case the top order fails to come good.