JULY 12, 2019 CRICKET TODAY 25
JOFRA ARCHER (ENGLAND)
His short, rhythmical approach is the
silence before the storm. He doesn’t ter-
rify you at the onset like the Akhtars and
the Lees. The 24 years old has picked up
17 wickets in nine games of the World
Cup and has gone under an economy of 5
rpo. He has proved that England did the
best thing in the world by fast-tracking
him to their squad for the World Cup.NICHOLAS POORAN (WEST INDIES)
Chris Gayle is so full of himself that if
he showers praise on anyone else, it has
to be someone extraordinary. The young-
ster met a career-threatening car accident
in 2015. He had to again learn how to
walk but now he is coming up with flying
colors. The left-hander finished as top
run-getter for his team in the WC with
367 runs at an average of 52.42 and
strike-rate of 100.27.AVISHKA FERNANDO (SRI LANKA)
Where was this guy all the while?
Well, this has been the question we all
have been asking ever since we saw a
glimpse of Avishka Fernando against
England. He has been so exciting that
even Mahela Jayawardene remarked
that this youngster has the spark to re-
ignite Sri Lankan cricket. He has made
scores of 49, 30, and 104 in the World
Cup so far.
IKRAM ALI KHIL (AFGHANISTAN)
The 18 years old, Ikram Ali Khil was not
even supposed to play the World Cup.
But, Mohammad Shahzad’s injury opened
the door for him. The youngster made 86
runs against West Indies bettering
Sachin’s 84 and looks like a player, who
can do great things for Afghanistan,
which often struggles for a quality bats-
man.