The new edition of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup is set to begin in less than 10 days' time and England will be defending their title.
Just like in every major event, some players can shine but remain unnoticed, largely because of the presence of other big-name players.
We are bringing you a list of five such players who might not be the most famous name on their team sheets but could win their team a game single-handedly.
India's Mohammed Siraj will be one of the players to be watched out for. The right-arm pacer has been in immaculate form off late with the ball in hand and has become the number-one bowler in the ODI rankings. Therefore, putting a player like him in a fantasy team who is in form, taking wickets, confident and playing at home will be a masterstroke in every sense. Siraj has represented the Men-in-Blue in 29 matches in the 50-over format where he has claimed 53 wickets with an economy-rate of just 4.76.
Second on the list features South Africa's Rassie van der Dussen. The right-hander is one of the most in-form players in the 50-over format and it was because of this reason, he is now placed as high as third in the ICC ODI rankings. However, it will be interesting to see whether he can deliver at the highest level and in a country where he has never played before, at least in this format. Van der Dussen has played 49 matches for South Africa where he has scored 1874 runs at an average of 56.78 along with the strike-rate of 88.94, which included four centuries and 12 half-centuries.
Third in the list features Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva. The 32-year-old is perhaps one of the most in-form all-rounders across all formats in the world and has made some impressive contributions for the Islanders in different formats. Another reason why he is a very handy player is because he is more than a capable off-spinner who can not only keep things tight but can also claim important wickets. De Silva has played 82 ODIs for Sri Lanka where he has scored 1725 runs and has also claimed 44 wickets.
Fourth on the list features Australia's Travis Head. The left-hander has been in great form in the 50-over format since the start of 2022 where he is averaging just over 60 and has a strike-rate of 119.84. Therefore, he can prove to be a valuable pick for any fantasy team.
Last on the list features South Africa's Heinrich Klaasen. The wicketkeeper-batter is very highly rated in the cricketing community and he finally showcased his talent in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia where he smashed 174 not out off just 83 balls in the fourth fixture, which included 13 fours and 13 sixes. Therefore, the Proteas team management will be hoping to see Klaasen continue his batting form in the upcoming mega-event as well. The Pretoria-born has played 41 matches in the 50-over format where he has scored 1,323 runs at an average of 41.34 along with a strike-rate of 111.64, which included three centuries and five half-centuries.
