1 youngster to watch out for in each 2023 World Cup team ft. Shubman Gill and Aryan Dutt
The countdown to the 2023 World Cup has started. The mega event will get underway this Thursday (October 5) with a clash between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Eight other teams, namely India, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Netherlands, will also participate in the 2023 World Cup. All 10 teams have announced their squads for the big event.
Generally, teams tend to pick the experienced players for this tournament. However, quite a few youngsters have also performed well under pressure, which is why each team has at least one talented youngster in their squad. In this article, we will look at the one young player to watch out for from each 2023 World Cup team.
#1 Shubman Gill can steal the show at the 2023 World Cup
Indian opener Shubman Gill has been in sensational touch this year. He has aggregated 1,230 runs in 20 matches. The 24-year-old batter has recorded five hundreds and five fifties in ODI cricket this year. He also has a double ton to his name.
Gill has performed brilliantly for India in bilateral matches. He had a memorable Asia Cup tournament in Sri Lanka as well. It should not be a surprise if he scores big at the 2023 World Cup.
#2 Aryan Dutt, Netherlands
Netherlands have selected 20-year-old Indian-origin bowler Aryan Dutt in their 2023 World Cup team. Dutt is a right-arm off-spin bowler. He made his ODI debut in 2021.
So far, Dutt has picked up 20 wickets in 25 ODI matches of his career. He has also scored 100 runs. All eyes will be on the youngster when the Dutch team takes the field in the mega event.
#3 Noor Ahmad, Afghanistan
Left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad impressed a lot while playing for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL earlier this year. Ahmad is just 18 years old, but he has a decent amount of experience of playing in the Indian conditions.
He can form a dangerous partnership with Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi in Afghanistan's spin attack. Noor has taken two wickets in three ODIs so far.
#4 Cameron Green, Australia
Five-time champions Australia have selected only one player aged below 25 in their World Cup squad. That player is Cameron Green, who is a hard-hitting batter and an express pace bowler.
Green had a forgettable outing with the ball in the recently concluded ODI series against India. However, he proved himself to be a game-changer for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023. Green would like to replicate the same performance for Australia in the coming weeks.
#5 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Bangladesh
Bangladesh handed 20-year-old fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib his maiden ODI cap during the Asia Cup last year. He made his ODI debut against India and bowled a match-winning spell of 2/32, dismissing Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma.
Sakib played a match against New Zealand during the home series last month, but he could not take any wickets. The pace bowler has a lot of talent. If used well, he could prove to be an 'X-factor' for Bangladesh.
#6 Harry Brook, England
England made a last-minute change to their squad before the 2023 World Cup. They drafted youngster Harry Brook in place of the seasoned campaigner, Jason Roy. Brook has played only six ODIs so far, where he has managed 123 runs.
The 24-year-old batter has been impressive in Tests and T20Is. However, his strike rate in ODIs is less than 80. It will be interesting to see if he can justify the team management's decision of selecting him in place of Roy.
#7 Rachin Ravindra, New Zealand
Indian-origin all-rounder Rachin Ravindra will represent New Zealand in the upcoming World Cup. Ravindra is a 23-year-old left-arm spinner, who bats left-handed.
In the warm-up match against Pakistan, Ravindra grabbed fans' attention with a match-winning 97 at the top of the order. He could be a big difference-maker for the Kiwis if he continues in the same vein.
#8 Abdullah Shafique, Pakistan
Batter Abdullah Shafique, 23, is likely to replace Fakhar Zaman as Pakistan's first-choice opener in the playing XI. Shafique has scored 80 runs in the four ODIs that he has played so far.
The right-handed batter scored a half-century against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup last month. Pakistan fans will expect him to fire on all cylinders at the World Cup.
#9 Gerald Coetzee, South Africa
Gerald Coetzee made his ODI debut earlier this year for South Africa. He has played only six ODIs, where he has picked up 11 wickets. In case you didn't know, the 22-year-old is a right-arm fast bowler.
Coetzee had a successful outing with the Joburg Super Kings in SA20 earlier this year. He will form South Africa's pace attack in the 2023 World Cup along with Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lizaad Williams.
#10 Matheesha Pathirana, Sri Lanka
Nicknamed as 'Malinga Jr', Matheesha Pathirana played a big role in Chennai Super Kings (CSK)'s IPL 2023 triumph earlier this year. He can trouble the batters with his slingy action.
The 20-year-old pacer has accounted for 15 wickets in 10 ODIs of his career so far. Having done well in Indian conditions for CSK, Pathirana will be keen to produce a similar performance for Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup.