2023 ICC 50-over Cricket World Cup team-by-team guides, squad lists and betting pointers

Australia

Sky Bet outright odds: 9/2

Squad

Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc

Overview

Winners at home in 2015, Australia head into the 2023 World Cup as the number three ranked ODI team in the world. Only a few weeks ago, prior to series defeats against South Africa and India, they were ranked number one.

As recently as 2021, Australia were crowned T20 world champions following victory in the UAE and the overall body of their form confirms this is a very good white-ball team.

That recent 2-1 loss to India ought to have done them plenty of good, particularly the bowling attack that has been light on miles in the legs in recent weeks following injuries at the end of the Ashes.

Nonetheless, injuries are a concern for the Australian camp. Those bowlers might still be short of a gallop when the World Cup gets going, while Glenn Maxwell is working his way back to full fitness and Travis Head is expected to miss the first half of the tournament with a broken hand.

Head’s injury complicates matters a little, meaning Mitchell Marsh will move up from number three to open, opening the door for Marnus Labuschagne to push for a place in the starting XI having impressed in South Africa following his omission from the preliminary World Cup squad.

If able to navigate their way through the early part of the competition, and nurse everyone back to full health, there is little doubting this Australia team are contenders.

The India series ought to have provided plenty of worthwhile lessons, while the previous series in South Africa was a terrific one played between two strong and highly-entertaining teams who approach the ODI game the right way. There were a spate of high scores in that series and if this World Cup serves up something similar, that ought to stand Australia in good stead.

Maxwell the bowler

With Ashton Agar having been left out of the final squad to make room for Marnus Labuschagne, who has himself been selected to offer adequate cover for the currently injured Travis Head, Australia could have left themselves light in the spin department.

Adam Zampa is a class act who will carry that burden admirably, but the onus will be on part-time off spinner Glenn Maxwell to deliver plenty of overs, particularly when coming up against left handers.

Maxwell claimed 4-40 in Australia’s recent ODI win over India, suggesting he is ready and able when required.

Player to note: Mitchell Marsh

When Australia were labouring in the early stages of the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, they looked light years behind the rest of the world in terms of batting power and strategy.

Then, David Warner found some form and MITCHELL MARSH came of age, the pair powering Australia to the final before combining to demolish New Zealand’s spirited bowling effort and seal title glory.

Marsh finished the final on 77 not out, with a strike-rate of 146.82 across the tournament, as he finally delivered on his immense promise.

Since then, he has continued to enhance his reputation, proving himself a vital member of the Australia white-ball set-up and returning to the Test fold with a brilliant hundred in last summer’s Ashes at Headingley.

With his body finally holding up, and his game in good shape, Marsh could well be the key man for Australia, firstly at the top of the order and then back in his customary number three position later in the tournament.

Cricket World Cup: Outright preview

Afghanistan

Sky Bet outright odds: 100/1

Squad

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Riaz Hassan

Overview

With a number of experienced and highly regarded franchise stars, a deep run in an ICC event shouldn’t be out of the question for Afghanistan whose cricket history is still very much in its infancy.

So far, Afghanistan have been unable to bridge that gap, though a World Cup played in India would apparently afford them their best chance yet, should they be faced with some turning pitches.

They certainly have the attack for it, with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman leading a fine battery of spin bowlers, while pace is covered through the excellent Fazalhaq Farooqi.

The batting does lack similar star quality, however, with so much responsibility resting on opening pair, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran.

The former has IPL experience and is renowned for his aggressive strokeplay and fast starts, while the latter tends to adopt the anchor role and has four hundreds from 19 matches in this format to date.

Player to note: Rashid Khan

When it comes to star quality, there are very few who can match RASHID KHAN, across any of these star-studded squads.

Put simply, Rashid is a phenomenon whose name is one of the most sought after on the franchise circuit, even in the IPL where he once shone for Sunrisers Hyderabad and has since helped Gujarat Titans to an IPL title and another final in as many years since the franchise was established.

A wrist spinner who bowls remarkably quickly, Rashid's economy rate in ODIs is an impressive 4.21, while in T20Is it reads a miserly 6.16. His strike rate is healthy across all formats and even when opposition teams manage to nullify his threat by minimising risk, that generally creates chances at the other end.

A truly remarkable bowler.

Bangladesh

Sky Bet outright odds: 100/1

Squad

Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Sakib, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

Overview

At one time, Bangladesh were expected to make the transition from emerging force to dominant one, but it seems that moment has passed.

Many of the names who were part of that emerging side are still shouldering most of the responsibility – Shakib Al Hasan will captain in India and Mushfiqur Rahim remains as wicketkeeper – and as their stars wane, the next generation have been unable to take the team forward. Politics has undoubtedly played a part, but it’s hard to escape from the conclusion that this is a team in decline.

Cricket World Cup: Under the radar players

Despite winning three matches, they never looked like making the latter stages of the 2019 World Cup in England, and their two wins at last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia came against the Netherlands and Zimbabwe.

At home, they have generally been able to remain competitive on pitches that suit their style and army of spin bowlers, but they were beaten by England on home soil in March and don’t look to have the firepower with the bat to post consistently big totals.

A consolation win over India at the recent Asia Cup was at least a confidence boost, but will likely count for little in the coming weeks when their deficiencies could well be highlighted against the very best.

Angle to explore

Bangladesh look set for a tough World Cup and backing the Bangladesh batting collapse could be the way forward.

Bangladesh suffered some horrible collapses at the Asia Cup, slipping from 127-4 to 164 all out against Sri Lanka and then 155-4 to 236 all out against the same team. It was even worse against Pakistan, 147-4 quickly turning into 193 all out.

The ideal scenario would be to watch a partnership grow between the top or middle order, with the likes of Najmul Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan usually the most reliable runscorers, and then bet low innings runs in the expectation of an imminent collapse.

Player to note: Taskin Ahmed

As explained here, I’m expecting big things from Najmul Shanto at this World Cup, but paceman TASKIN AHMED has been leading the bowling attack with distinction for a while now.

Quick, accurate, with a lion heart, Taskin has taken 21 wickets from 11 ODIs in 2023 at an average of 16.85. He can prove the standout for Bangladesh in the next few weeks.

England

Sky Bet outright odds: 3/1

Squad

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes

Overview

On the face of it, this is a very different England team from the one crowned world champions at Lord’s four years ago.

The captain, Eoin Morgan, has gone, so too Jason Roy and Liam Plunkett, while a spate of injuries mean Jofra Archer is only a travelling reserve on this occasion. England’s bowling hero in 2019, Archer, sadly, looks set to miss out on the title defence.

The winds of change keep on blowing, especially in sport, but Ben Stokes was Man of the Match at Lord’s and has come out of ODI retirement for another crack at World Cup glory, Jos Buttler has made the jump from Morgan’s right-hand man and vice-captain to captain, and the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes are back for more. This is still a very fine England team.

Those key components from 2019 remain, then, but more importantly, so does the same aggressive, fearless approach that has served this group so well for so long, not only in limited-overs cricket but more recently in the Test format as well.

It makes England an extremely dangerous outfit and having realistically not played as much 50-over cricket as they would have liked over the last 12 months, it will have pleased Buttler to see his team come from 1-0 down to beat New Zealand 3-1 in a recent ODI series at home.

Conditions will be different in India, of course, but this squad appears well balanced if injuries can be avoided, and the feeling is that England are coming to the boil just at the right time.

Pile on the runs

England’s batting remains one of the most fearsome in the game and with their mantra remaining the same, the possibility of good pitches in India raises the likelihood of some big scores from the defending champions.

Fixtures at the Wankhede Stadium, in Bengaluru and in Lucknow look ideal for betting big England runs.

Player to note: Jonny Bairstow

Much of the pre-tournament chatter around England centred on the initial non-selection of Harry Brook, and then England’s U-turn on the Yorkshire star which meant the odd one out was Jason Roy, a huge figure in the all-conquering, 2019 side.

Dawid Malan has taken his spot at the top of the order, but that will come with added pressure, and Joe Root’s form at number three has to be a concern heading into a World Cup.

As such, the need for JONNY BAIRSTOW to have a fruitful tournament becomes even more important.

And this World Cup comes at the end of a rollercoaster period for Bairstow who in 2022 was one of the driving forces behind the resurgence of England’s Test team, peeling off hundred after hundred in the home summer before a freak injury forced him to miss the successful T20 World Cup campaign in Australia.

Having then been rushed back to face Australia in the Ashes, Bairstow found things tough with bat and gloves in the early part of that series before responding in typically determined fashion.

Boasting an average of 45.09 in this format, and a strike-rate of 110.81 opening the batting, there are few better than Bairstow in the world right now. He is an outstanding player of spin, too.

With Roy gone, and Alex Hales now firmly out of the picture, England will hope Bairstow can set the tone early and lay down the marker for their World Cup defence.

India

Sky Bet outright odds: 9/4

Squad

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav

Overview

India will start as overwhelming favourites, and with good reason. The last time the World Cup was held on these shores, in 2011, India delighted home fans by defeating Sri Lanka in the final. Eight years later, India reached the semi-finals in England.

In terms of World Cup pedigree, it’s hard to quibble with India, nor this squad which is packed with quality from top to bottom. It boasts experience and free-scoring batsmen, wonderful spin bowling and a brilliant pace attack. On home turf, the hosts ought to take plenty of stopping.

That squad is led expertly by captain Rohit Sharma, ably supported by former skipper Virat Kohli and experienced heads such as Ravi Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. There is exciting young blood, too, in the shape of Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj.

Cricket World Cup specials preview

Under Rohit’s aggressive captaincy, India have resolved to be more attacking with the bat, moving away from the old philosophy of keeping wickets in hand for a late push. In the recent ODI series win over Australia, India posted 399-5 when batting first at Indore.

And prior to that, India dominated the Asia Cup, hammering Sri Lanka in the final having scored 356-2 against Pakistan earlier in the tournament.

With the top four from the group stage qualifying for the knockouts, it’s almost impossible to picture the semi-finals without India there, at which point current odds of 9/4 will likely shorten significantly.

However, the one nagging doubt for punters wanting to wade in on the hosts at shorts odds is the question mark around just how India will react when reaching those knockout stages.

Rohit has demanded aggressive batting ever since he took charge, but while that has come to fruit in bilateral series, in knockout matches the jury is still out.

When the pressure is really on, in front of demanding, unforgiving home support, on the biggest stage of all, will India be brave enough?

In last year’s T20 World Cup semi-final against England, India were thankful for Hardik Pandya’s late assault which took them to a modest 168-6 batting first, that after Kohli and co had taken a safety-first approach early in the innings. It still wasn't anywhere near enough and England didn’t lose a single wicket as they chased down their victory target in 16 overs.

Back to lay trade on India

Those looking for trading options in the outright market need look no further than India. Take the 9/4 now and lay off at somewhere in the region of 7/4, maybe shorter, should they avoid England in the semi-finals.

Player to note: Jasprit Bumrah

So much attention is always paid to India’s star-studded batting line-up, but the bowling is pretty good, too, led by the outstanding JASPRIT BUMRAH.

With the new ball, Bumrah finds swing from an attacking length to make him a consistent threat in the first powerplay, while at the death his pinpoint yorker and brilliant slower ball puts him above his contemporaries.

He should be ably supported by the emerging force that is Mohammed Siraj, and high-class spin, but Bumrah is still very much the man and his absence was keenly felt in the T20 World Cup last year when India’s bowling always looked short of the mark.

Coming back from a lengthy injury layoff, expect Bumrah to be nursed through the group stage, but when the big games come he will be India’s trump card. Should he break down again, India’s bowling could be found wanting, just as it was against England in Australia.

Netherlands

Sky Bet outright odds: 500/1

Squad

Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Shariz Ahmed, Wesley Barresi, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Ryan Klein, Bas de Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O'Dowd, Vikram Singh, Saqib Zulfiqar

Overview

Though a World Cup struggle might appear inevitable for the Netherlands, there are reasons to think the men in orange may be capable of causing a shock or two along the way.

The Netherlands were responsible for one of the great stories of the T20 World Cup only last year – less great if you were a South Africa supporter – when beating the Proteas in one of the biggest shocks in ICC tournament history.

On the whole, the Netherlands covered themselves with great credit in Australia, pushing Sri Lanka to within 16 runs and losing by only nine runs to Bangladesh in a game they really should’ve won, very nearly chasing down 145 despite initially slipping to 15-4.

Perhaps a 50-over competition will make things tougher for the minnows, and the absence of pace spearhead Fred Klaassen through injury is a big blow, but there is plenty of experience and a dose of quality within their ranks.

Much of the batting responsibility will rest on the shoulders of opening pair, Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd, though the real class act in the line-up is Bas de Leede. The all-rounder was the hero of their qualifying win over Scotland when smashing 123 from 92 balls, and comes here on the back of a productive spell in England with Durham.

De Leede might well be the pick of the bowling attack, too, though Logan van Beek is an experienced new-ball operator who took 12 wickets in qualifying and also impressed in England this summer, taking plenty of wickets across formats for Worcestershire.

Expect some tough days at the office, but with Bangladesh seemingly in disarray and Sri Lanka and Afghanistan far from bombproof, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this competitive, hard-working group can spring another big surprise at a major tournament.

Player to note: Scott Edwards

As captain of a team and bowling attack that is sure to face some tough days in the field the next few weeks, it’s fair to say SCOTT EDWARDS will have his hands full.

Nevertheless, the 27-year-old has carried out his role with distinction for a while now and as well as keeping wicket, Edwards will have a big part to play with the bat in the middle order.

In qualifying, Edwards finished with 314 runs from seven innings at an average of 62.80, striking four half-centuries in some tough situations.

It won’t get any easier in India, but Edwards is a good player of spin who sweeps well, both conventionally and with the reverse sweep, something that ought to stand him in good stead in these conditions.

New Zealand

Sky Bet outright odds: 9/1

Squad

Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young

Overview

Runners-up in 2015 and 2019, New Zealand have since reached another ICC final, this time at the T20 World Cup in the UAE in 2021. They again came off second best there, losing to Australia, and despite reaching the last four of the same event in Australia a year later, one wonders whether the moment has passed for this likeable group.

Nevertheless, Trent Boult’s return to the fold to spearhead a fine seam attack is a huge boost, so, too, the return to full fitness of captain and talisman batsman, Kane Williamson. The issue there is that a top three featuring Williamson, Will Young and Devon Conway could find themselves going a beat too slow if the pitches are flat and big scores prove the norm.

In New Zealand’s favour is a fantastic World Cup pedigree which has seen them outrun their odds time and again, strong team culture and plenty of experience throughout a squad that has so often stood up in pressure moments.

Top-order trundlers

Never discount New Zealand is one of the golden rules of cricket betting, but the lack of batting power might just count against them in a World Cup where big runs could well be on the cards. Opposing New Zealand in the 15-over race throughout looks the way to go.

Player to note: Glenn Phillips

With a top three that looks more Ford Mondeo than Aston Martin, New Zealand will need someone in their top six to get in the fast lane and stay there.

Step forward GLENN PHILLIPS who has quickly become New Zealand’s best batsman in the T20 format, topping their runs charts at last winter’s T20 World Cup in Australia and impressing with a series of rapid hands in the recent drawn series with England.

Number six in this format is patently too low for Phillips to be batting, so expect a promotion at some stage if New Zealand are serious about winning the tournament.

Pakistan

Sky Bet outright odds: 6/1

Squad

Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr

Overview

Up until a few weeks ago, things looked to be falling into place for Pakistan’s World Cup bid. Finalists at the T20 World Cup late last year, having reached the semi-finals a year earlier, this appeared a team very much on the upgrade.

The Asia Cup was expected to put the finishes touches to their preparation, but a heavy defeat to India and then a narrow one to Sri Lanka left their tournament in tatters and worse still, they lost a couple of key men to injuries.

As a result, paceman Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the World Cup, a huge loss given he has enjoyed a brilliant 12 months, forming a fine new-ball partnership with Shaheen Afridi.

The experienced Hasan Ali replaces Naseem in the squad and there is still great depth to the fast bowling. Spin, however, has proven more of a concern and being unable to pick up regular wickets in the middle overs continues to hold Pakistan back.

Babar Azam leads an experienced, and crucially, settled batting line-up which features Mohammad Rizwan and the emerging Saud Shakeel, but finishing power is another possible drawback.

A good side, with a fine pace attack, a semi-final spot could well be within their grasp, but this squad doesn’t look as strong as some.

Player to note: Babar Azam

Pakistan house a few top-notch performers within their ranks, but so much rests on the shoulders of captain and star batsman, BABAR AZAM.

19 ODI hundreds and counting, Babar is a giant of the 50-over format, with his average currently standing at an impressive 58.16. At just 28 years of age, it’s quite something to think his best days may still be ahead of him.

Even when Pakistan struggled at the Asia Cup, Babar still managed 207 runs at 51.75, and his team will need even more from his bat if a meaningful World Cup bid is to be forthcoming.

When you add those pressures to those of captaincy, of a country in which cricket is part of its very soul, then it’s clear to see that Babar has plenty on his plate.

He isn’t alone, and in the face of such pressures, other great leaders have thrived in the past – think Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni who carried their teams to World Cup glory with magnificent, final-winning performances.

Babar will need to do the same.

South Africa

Sky Bet outright odds: 9/1

Squad

Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams

Overview

2019 was a World Cup to forget for South Africa, but they have built strong white-ball foundations since and travel to India with a squad covering most bases and featuring some high-class performers.

The batting has a little bit of everything, with an opening pair that compliment each other well, followed by Rassie van der Dussen in the anchor role, the class of Aiden Markram and then the power of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller.

Klaasen and Miller combined brilliantly against Australia recently, forming a breathless partnership of 222 in just over 15 overs at Centurion Park as the former finished with an astonishing 174 from only 83 balls.

The bowling has plenty of quality, too, with Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi the standout pacers and Keshav Maharaj a very good left arm finger spinner. However, the absence of the injured Anrich Nortje is a huge blow and they will miss him badly.

Personnel aside, the big question mark around South Africa is whether they can get the job done in a knockout match of an ICC event. They’ve blown plenty of strong opportunities before – the 1999 World Cup semi-final against Australia being the most famous example, but by no means an anomaly – and they also lost to the Netherlands in the group stages of the 2022 T20 World Cup when only needing to beat the minnows to reach the semi-finals.

Whether mental baggage remains an issue with this group is a question that will only be answered if they can get that far, but even without Nortje, this is a very fine white-ball outfit playing confident, aggressive cricket.

Player to note: Heinrich Klaasen

Some may disagree, but I’d make HEINRICH KLAASEN just about the best white-ball batsmen in the world right now and what better stage to prove it than in his maiden 50-over World Cup in India.

Klaasen fired an early warning shot when making 174 against Australia recently, but his ascent has been taking place for a while now and he impressed greatly at The Hundred in the summer.

Prior to that, Klaasen outshone the likes of Harry Brook and Aiden Markram at the Indian Premier League, finishing as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s leading runscorer in the 2023 edition, making 448 runs from only 11 innings at an average of 69.00. His strike-rate was 146.80.

A player for all conditions, then. At 32 years of age, Klaasen is clearly at the peak of his powers and the stage is set for him to produce the defining moments of his career, one that could yet prove the defining moment in the history of South African cricket.

One feels that the two are inextricably linked.

Sri Lanka

Sky Bet outright odds: 25/1

Squad

Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis , Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka

Overview

The numbers might suggest this is a Sri Lanka side on the up, and they come into this World Cup having reached the final of the recent Asia Cup.

Between 2021 and 2022, Sri Lanka registered series wins over South Africa and Australia at home and played well in a couple of matches when subsequently losing an away series in India.

Head coach Chris Siliverwood is trying to instil some much-needed solidity to the group, generally opting to select an extra batsman in the ODI line-up in the hope of posting bigger scores more consistently and thus helping the side prove more competitive on a regular basis.

However, they were well beaten by India on a couple of occasions at the Asia Cup when extra batting didn’t help them, and they only scrambled home against Pakistan when a comfortable victory had appeared likely for much of their ultimately successful run chase. In the final, they were bowled out for 50 by India.

It seems Dasun Shanaka will remain as captain, only days after the National Selection Panel had requested his resignation, but the speculation around his position won’t have helped player or team and expect Sri Lanka to come unstuck against the big boys once again.

Take the middle order value

As outlined already, head coach Chris Silverwood has resolved to make Sri Lanka’s batting more robust, opting for depth to the extent that Dhananjaya de Silva and skipper Dasun Shanaka have been batting at numbers six and seven in the order.

When the going has been good, against weaker opposition, the top order has fired and the above-named pair have been reduced to supporting roles. But against stronger opposition, that top order has been found wanting.

As such, the middle order, which has been largely overlooked in the betting, has come firmly in the picture. At the Asia Cup, Charith Asalanka top scored once from number five and put together the match-winning innings against Pakistan, while Dhananjaya just missed out with 41 against India when pipped by number eight Dunith Wellalage (42*).

Even when rolled out by India in the final, number nine Dushan Hemantha was only four short when left stranded on 13 not out.

Player to note: Matheesha Pathirana

MATHEESHA PATHIRANA was one of the breakout stars of this year's Indian Premier League, and a matter of months later he will lead the bowling attack of his country in a World Cup, his first no less.

Chennai Super Kings rarely miss a trick and were quick to acquire the services of this unique paceman, one who is remarkably similar in bowling style to his fellow countryman Lasith Malinga.

19 wickets for CSK at the IPL, at an economy rate of only 8.00, sets Pathirana up nicely for a World Cup in India, as does a strong showing at the recent Asia Cup.

Quick with a brilliant yorker delivered with his now trademark action, Pathirana isn’t a surprise package anymore, but he is sure to do plenty of damage nonetheless.

Also read: Richard Mann on Ben Stokes' return

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Related links

• Click here for Sky Bet's World Cup odds
• Cricket World Cup: Outright preview
• Cricket World Cup specials preview
• England v New Zealand preview
• Cricket World Cup: Team-by-team guide
• Paul Krishnamurty's cricket betting masterclass
• Cricket World Cup: Under the radar players
• Cricket Only Bettor World Cup podcast Part I
• Cricket Only Bettor World Cup podcast Part II

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