All-rounders to watch in 2011 World Cup

Post date: 08-Feb-2011 09:49:31

TRUMP CARDS: All-rounders who can create havoc in the 2011 World Cup

Here are a five all-rounders who can cause major headaches to the opposition and change the course of the 2011 World Cup matches so easily.

South Africa: Jacques Kallis

The return of Kallis brings hope for Proteas’ World Cup bid. South Africa will bank on the veteran all- rounder to provide the stability they will need in conditions that do not favour their natural style of play. Everybody in the team bats around him, while he holds fort and remains calm under pressure. He has been SA’s backbone for the past 16 years, and surely this will be his last World Cup. He has played in 302 ODIs and finished on the winning side 195 times. He will leave no stone unturned to claim cricket’s greatest prize.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Matthews

The island nation’s success in the World Cup would heavily depend upon how well Angelo Mathews performs. The medium pacer has claimed 27 wickets from 35 ODIs and averages above 35 with the bat. He was recently involved in a record ninth-wicket stand of 132 in the first ODI in Melbourne that helped set up the series victory against Australia. Mathews does possess the temperament, and is eager to display his skills as a genuine all-rounder on the biggest stage.

Australia: Shane Watson

Watson has the highest batting average of 145.00 in the World Cup. In eight matches (six innings, five times not out) he scored 145 runs (highest score 65 not out). His strike rate of 170.58 is also a World Cup record. His recent successes with the bat and ball are a testament to his ability to overcome injures and open the batting in all three forms of the game as well as bowl tight spells.

India: Yusuf Pathan

One of India’s trump cards in the World Cup, Pathan is the biggest surprise package who can dictate terms with both bat and ball. He is a cricketer who can single-handedly change the entire equation of a match. His two recent swashbuckling centuries against South Africa and New Zealand gives great strength to India’s middle-lower order. His right-arm off breaks can restrict the flow of runs and put pressure on batsmen. And not to forget his positive effervescence on the field, which will boost team morale.

Pakistan - Shahid Afridi

Pakistan’s World Cup captain is keen to set aside the troubles haunting the national side and focus just on cricket for the next couple of months. Afridi, known for his sporadic bursts of explosiveness, currently holds the highest career strike rate in the history of international cricket.  His ability to bludgeon the ball out of the park and bowl a few tight overs of leg spin to take crucial wickets make him a threat to any opposition. Once he gets going, nobody can stop him.