Kane Williamson's batting is superb, but he's also a brilliant fielder and a handy offspinner.
Photo / Getty Images
Kane Williamson's batting is superb, but he's also a brilliant fielder and a handy offspinner.
Photo / Getty Images
Williamson is NZ’s key man ... meet the players at the core of other top Cup teams
A variation on a theme. We're all fond of those games where you pick best/worst/highest/longest.
So try this instead: select the player who you believe to be absolutely indispensable to their teams' prospects of winning the World Cup. Not necessarily the best player for his team but the one they can least do without.
For obvious reasons, this is restricted to the Big Eight nations as, with due respect, Bangladesh, Scotland and Ireland will have to wait another year or eight.
The only criterion is this: if you take this player out of the picture, it will significantly affect his team's chances of ultimate victory.
There's no right or wrong but this group would be strong candidates for the honour.
Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
The No 3 batsman is in the pink of form at precisely the right time.
Williamson is fast fulfilling batting champion Martin Crowe's recent prediction that he will assume the mantle of his country's greatest batsman. A big call but not, on present form, an outlandish one.
Add in that Williamson is a brilliant fielder, usually around the gully/backward point area, and a handy offspinner and you have an integral member of New Zealand's best XI.
Put it this way - and this extends to the other seven players on this page - take him out and New Zealand have a large hole.
In the eight ODIs New Zealand played against Sri Lanka and Pakistan since Christmas, Williamson hit 407 runs at 67.8. Since the start of the test summer, he's hit 657 runs at 93. Since last January, Williamson has hit 1177 ODI runs in 17 innings - three centuries, nine half centuries, only three scores under 25, none in single figures, and is averaging 69.2 for that period. And on it goes.
Williamson is ranked No 6 in test and ODI cricket and on present form expect that ranking to rise.
AB de Villiers (South Africa)
South Africa's AB de Villiers. Photo / AP
South Africa's leader and a man utterly dedicated to putting the World Cup on a mantelpiece at Cricket South Africa. It's never resided there before, partly through bad luck, partly because of ham-fisted cricket at the wrong times.
In de Villiers they have, in the estimation of former Australian wicketkeeping great Adam Gilchrist, "the most valuable player on the planet". His 31-ball century against the West Indies made Corey Anderson's previous record of 36 balls seem pedestrian.
He destroys attacks with inventive strokeplay, seemingly able to read a bowler's mind at the moment of delivery. He has spoken of his desire to be at the crease in the closing overs of an innings, whether setting a target or chasing one. That is, he thrives on the responsibility.
Throw in flypaper hands and the ability to bowl a tidy handful of overs and you have a genuine matchwinner. And for South Africa, you imagine, no de Villiers, no World Cup.
Chris Gayle (West Indies)
Chris Gayle. Photo / AP
The West Indies aren't much chop at present, haven't been for a while. Win the tournament? Getting past the quarter-finals right now looks the extent of an under-strength Windies, torn apart by political in-fighting, which has robbed them of key players Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard.
But Chris Gayle remains, armed with his howitzer bat, and on his broad shoulders rest the West Indies hopes.
He can be hit or miss - one half century in his last 17 innings going back to June 2013 amply illustrates that. But when he's "on"' no ground is big enough as his T20 performances and his 21 ODI tons, illustrate.
Gayle tends to settle in for several balls. No matter, he picks up his run rate so rapidly that it is not an issue.
He can go as the mood takes him, but if he has it in his mind to take charge, watch out.
Virat Kohli (India)
India's Virat Kohli. Photo / AP
He's an angry man, the face of the new India, already the test captain and likely to get the limited-overs gig once MS Dhoni steps aside.
He's also a champion batsman and the ODI game is his forte.
Kohli's century rate is remarkable. Only Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Sourav Ganguly (22) have more than his 21 centuries in 150 games, and his average, 51.5 is far superior to that pair.
Kohli is a dasher who carries with him a dismissive air to much of the bowling he faces. But he's a seriously good player who stands out in a collection of class batsmen India will bring to the cup.
England don't have the vibe of a winning team about them. Getting rid of the peacock, Kevin Pietersen, removed their one X factor batsman.
The word is that if England progress to the semifinals they'll have exceeded expectations.
But they do have one of the world's premier swing bowlers, and James Anderson should ensure England can make early inroads with the new ball.
Anderson took seven wickets in four games at less than 20 apiece in the tri-series against India and Australia. His 188 ODIs have yielded an England record 264 wickets at 28.8.
Despite an amiable, quietly-spoken off-field demeanour, his reputation on it is of a sparky, stroppy sort.
Don't let the baby face fool you. Smith is a top cricketer. Since October, he has scored 670 ODI runs at 74, including three hundreds and no single figures.
He is a serial fidgeter - his helmet, gloves, pads, thigh pads, box and creaseline all get a going over as he prepares for his next ball.
Smith scores briskly, and fields brilliantly. He is the player who pushes on from the middle order and is another to arrive at the cup with confidence high and form strong.
He has already captained his country to test success in Michael Clarke's absence, scoring centuries in all four tests of the recent series against India. His star is ascending.
You might argue that belligerent David Warner or fiery Mitchell Johnson could earn the "indispensable" accolade. But Australia have other fast-scoring openers and quick seamers. They don't have an obvious replacement for Smith.
Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
Shahid Afridi of Pakistan. Photo / Getty Images
What to make of Boom Boom? He's your classic plenty or nothing batsman and Pakistan sorely need him booming for the next few weeks.
For a player of his talent, his ODI average - 23.58 - must be a disappointment to his adoring fans. In 391 ODIs, he's taken 393 wickets and his quickish legspin is a threat.
As for his batting, he arrives at the cup in decent touch, having hit 283 runs at an average of 40 in his last seven ODIs, all against New Zealand.
He takes guard and is off like a man who has an urgent appointment elsewhere. No taking a few balls to get his eye in. Considering the speed at which he does get his runs he could give himself a settling in period, but doesn't seem to fancy it.
Afridi's eye is strong, his hand-eye co-ordination impressive, but he's impatient. He will be a reliable bowling presence but it's with his bat that he can give a telling lift to Pakistan's chances - or send them down the gurgler.
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
Lasith Malinga. Photo / AP
You could pick Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela Jayawardene, the batting titans, or the hugely influential Tillekaratne Dilshan, or captain Angelo Matthews for this place.
But instead let's focus on an area of weakness for Sri Lanka. Their seam bowling is ordinary. Nuwan Kulasekera bowls his inswingers tidily but the rest are stock standard, which is why Lasith Malinga simply must be fit and firing for the Teardrop Isle's sake.
He's been battling an ankle injury for weeks. There had been hopes he might play in the last couple of ODIs against New Zealand but instead his only cup lead-up will be against South Africa and Zimbabwe in Christchurch next week.
Malinga's threat comes from his low, slinging round arm, the ball delivered at good pace and from an angle batsmen still struggle after all these years to read. His 177 ODIs have earned him 277 wickets at 27.21.
Fitness is the big worry. No wonder Sri Lanka are keeping him in cotton wool. Having Malinga slinging away at the death will give Sri Lanka a precious edge when the squeeze is on.
