World Cup 2015: Will Oz, Kiwi tracks prove to be graveyards for spinners?

New Delhi: Even as the Teams are ready with their final squads for the World Cup 2015 scheduled to begin in next 20 days in Australia-New Zealand, it would be interesting to see how spinners will perform on tracks which won't have much to offer to these bowlers as pitches in these two countries are known to be fast and bouncy.India, Sri Lanka and to some extent Pakistan do depend on their spinners and are expected to play a huge role in the tournament.Though Pakistan is handicapped after its match winner spinner Saeed Ajmal was banned for illegal bowling action and subsequently not considered for the World Cup squad, but they still have Shahid Afridi and Yasir Shah as their main spinners. All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez also needs a clearance from ICC to bowl in World Cup after he was banned from bowling due to suspected action.The likes of “Mystery Spinners” like Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka and Ravichandran Ashwin of India have a great chance of succeeding.For the fast bowlers, despite the fast tracks, the new rule of introducing two new balls from both ends adds benefit to them but it will make difficult for the spinners to get their desired results.However Australia's Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and New Zealand's Eden's Park will surely bring some smile on frowned faces of these spin bowlers.Here is the list of Spinners to watch out for in World Cup 2015:1) Sunil Narine (West Indies)Sunil Narine withdrew at the last moment from the World Cup squad as his bowling action he was not able clear his suspected bowling action. It was a major dent in Windies World Cup build up as he leads the spin attack for West Indies with his magical off-spin bowling. Struggling to establish himself in Test cricket, he rains the first choice for WI in limited over game.Known as mystery bowler is World Cricket, Narine played his last ODI against Bangladesh in August 2014 and managed to bag just 4 wickets in three matches. In 52 ODIs he has 73 wickets in his pocket with an average of 26.49 and best figures of 5/27.He is the only bowler in cricket to have bowled a maiden super over in Caribbean Premier T20 League. 2) Sulieman Benn (West Indies)Sulieman Benn has emerged as one of the most reliable spinners in recent times for West Indies. His 6'7 ft height gives him an extra edge than other spin bowlers.He has been economical without being spectacular for West Indies in one-day cricket, but registered remarkable figures of 4 for 6 in a Twenty20 against Zimbabwe in early 2010 - a match that, however, West Indies went on to lose.After making his debut way back in 2008, he has been in and out from the squad. He could play just 31 ODIs and scalped 32 wickets at en economy of 4.52. Though he has been struggling on field with his form after he could pick only 3 wickets in 6 matches since World Cup 2011.Benn was dismissed from the field by his own captain during South Africa's one-day whitewashing of West Indies in 2010 after apparently refusing to bowl over the wicket, and in the Test series which followed was involved in several colourful exchanges with Dale Steyn.But between the controversies came consistent performances which made clear his passion, determination and skill as a bowler and Benn has also cemented a spot as West Indies' most reliable spinner in years.3) Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath will be the spinner to look as well in World Cup 2015. Herath, an orthodox left-arm spinner has taken over the space left vacant by Muralitharan.His strengths are his accuracy and his ability to bowl long spells, but to that he has added a 'mystery' ball, a delivery that is quicker and darts back into the right-hander.A successful test bowler for the island nation however didn't enjoy much success in ODI cricket.He didn't had a good run in 2014 after having picked just 13 wickets in 9 matches.He has emerged as the mainstream bowler for Sri Lanka with accurate line and length and could be the biggest match winner. 4) Jeevan Mendis (Sri Lanka)Jeevan Mendis' all round skills makes Sri Lanka rely on him. His leg-break spin balls makes batsman uneasy. He says batsmen find it difficult to read his leg spin or googly because of the way he grips the ball.He suffered a constant failure with the ball. In last 15 ODIs he could pick just 4 wickets. But in his first appearance in World Cup, he can be used as a back-up spinner and support the likes of Herath and Senanayake from one end.However his inclusion in the squad came as a shock to many Sri Lankan cricket experts. 5) Sachithra Senanayeke (Sri Lanka)Cleared of suspect bowling after undergoing corrective action, off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake was included in Sri Lanka world cup squad. He was initially banned by the ICC in July 2014 for a suspect bowling action but later cleared after corrective action was taken to rectify his delivery stride.He had mixed fortunes in the ODI series against England in June 2014 - remarkable figures of 4 for 13 that skittled England out for 99 were offset by news of his action being reported as suspect.While the controversy didn't stop him from being at the centre of a tense series win for Sri Lanka - he was also involved in a Mankading incident against Jos Buttler in the decider.He was the fifth highest wicket taker in 2014 with 27 wickets in 18 matches at an economy of 4.38.6) Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)Pakistan's thunderous all-rounder does some serious damage with his spin as he does with his bat. Providing breakthroughs at crucial stage of game is amongst his specialties.He has two googlies, a conventional offie and a lethal faster one. All come with the threat of considerable, late drift. He fairly hustles through overs, which in limited-over formats is a weapon in itself and the package is dangerous.He didn't enjoy much with the ball in past one year after having picked 16 wickets in 15 ODIs. However in 20 World Cup matches he scalpted 28 wickets at an economy of 4.32. 7) Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan)The no. 2 all-rounder in the World, Mohammad Hafeez has been included in Pakistan squad but could only be able to bowl if he clears his action.He doesn't flight his offbreaks much, but his excellent control over line and length allows the captain to use him at almost any stage of an innings. He is also one of the better fielders in the Pakistan team, especially in the point region.He won incredible ten Man-of-the-Match awards in international cricket during 2010-11, and became only the third cricketer - after Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis - to score 1000-plus runs and take 30 or more wickets in ODIs in a calendar year.He was not able to bowl for almost half a year in 2014 due to his suspect action but in 153 ODIs he has taken 122 wickets at an economy of 4.06. 8) Yasir Shah (Pakistan)Pakistan leg spinner Yasir Shah is determined to make an impact at World Cup in Australia and New Zealand having been inspired by the great Shane Warne.He is confident of playing well in Australia, where he says the extra bounce in the pitches will help him a lot.He played only one ODI against Zimbabwe in September 2011 with 2 wickets but he made a big impact when he returned to the national squad for tests against Australia and New Zealand recently in the UAE, taking 27 wickets.In Pakistan's first encounter against India, Yasir says he will try to get the wicket of Virat Kohli as soon as possible.9) Imran Tahir (South Africa)Imran Tahir might be a woeful bowler in Test cricket, but he proves time and time again that he is a gun player in the limited-overs format. When it comes to limited overs, Tahir has everything working for him. In Tests, his keenness to use his variation costs him. His lack of patience will far too often see him leak runs, but in limited overs, it works to his advantage.With defensive fields set for Tahir, even if he bowls a bad ball, there is likely a boundary rider to catch a batsman holing out. The bulk of his dismissals (23) have been middle order batsmen (from four to seven), but this is far more likely to be down to when he usually comes on to bowl rather than his abilities. Twelve top order players (one to three) and 15 (eight to eleven) tail end batsmen have been dismissed by him.Such a wide range of wickets is indicative of his efficacy and his importance to the South African limited-overs bowling attack.The one slight area of concern is that in the three matches Tahir has played in Australia, he has taken just one wicket and he averages 131.00. His economy rate remains tidy at 5.24, but it will be crucial for skipper AB de Villiers to manage him carefully during the World Cup.It will be crucial for skipper AB de Villiers to manage him carefully during the World Cup.10) Ravichandran Ashwin (India)Ravichandran Ashwin is amongst the experienced players that Indian squad will have in World Cup 2015. Leading the Indian spin attack, he certainly fulfills the space of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan singh on the track.The carrom ball, an arm ball just as good, his control over his offbreaks, and a sharp brain made Ashwin a quintessential limited-overs spinner.Ashwin have played in Australia before, so he will be much more familiar with the conditions on offer. He would already have mapped out appropriate lines & lengths. In addition to this, he have dealt with high-pressure situations before, and can wield the long handle to devastating effect when needed.He was a part of the winning squad in the 2011 World Cup, but rarely got a chance ahead of Harbhajan.In last 18 ODIs he picked up 24 wickets at an economy of just under five. Handy with the bat too, he can provide a spark to the lower batting order. 11) Axar Patel (India)After an impressive season with Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2014 - 16 wickets at an economy rate of 6.22 - Axar was rewarded with a place in the Indian ODI squad for the tour to Bangladesh in mid 2014.He relies more on deceptive looping & a high amount of variations in speed, backed by a flatter, faster bowling trajectory. On slow pitches, these are ideal traits to have, but when you deal with tracks that are traditionally bouncy & contain more juice for the quicker bowlers, the spinners will have to bowl slower through the airIn 11 ODIs played, he scalped 15 wickets in at an economy of 4.47.12) Moeen Ali (England)Washing-off the image of a part time bowler, Moeen Ali has turned out to be the main-stream bowler of the England bowling line-up and an opening batsman as well.After building a reputation as an elegant batsman, it was his off-spin bowling that earned him the call-up when England were left reeling from the surprise retirement of Graeme Swann.He made his ODI debut against West Indies in February 2014 and in 15 ODIs so far, he picked 14 wickets at an economy of 4.86. 13) James Tredwell (England)James Tredwell's progress as an offspinner was steady rather than spectacular but he had a steady temperament and ability to vary his pace good habits can bring rewards and they started to come thick and fast.He had several impressive performances for England's ODI team in India during the winter of 2012-13 after finishing as the highest wicket taker with 11 wickets in 5 ODIs at an economy of 4.25.In 2014 he was England's second best bowler with 23 wickets in 20 innings at an economy of 4.53.Overall a Tredwell-less England side in the World Cup will not be a threat to any of its opposition.14) Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)New Zealand's most experienced player Daniel Vettori is one of the most dangerous players the World Cup co-host nation, New Zealand has got presently. Though, being in and out from the team, New Zealand will try to cash every bit of experience in world cup.He has shown once again why his experience will be crucial if New Zealand are to mount a serious World Cup challenge.The 35-year-old returned to action in the 50-over game after 15 months against South Africa in October 2014. Despite remaining wicketless in both appearances, Vettori was highly economical, going at 4.20 runs per over.New Zealand's preparations for the World Cup are the best they had been in Daniel Vettori's four previous campaigns and they can enter the tournament they co-host with Australia with confidence, the former captain has said.15) Xavier Doherty (Australia)A left-arm spinner who is at his best in limited-overs cricket, Xavier Doherty has generally been Australia's first-choice slow bowler in the ODI outfit since he took four wickets on debut against Sri Lanka in November 2010.In one-day internationals his results have been stronger and the Australians missed him at the 2011 World Cup on the subcontinent, when a back injury kept him away from the side.He was given priority over Nathan Lyon who was in top form in tests against India. Australia's selectors kept faith in Doherty's consistency and discipline he showed in Domestic League and picked him as the only full-time spinner in World Cup squad.His greatest strength is his accuracy and his ability to not to go for a bucketful of runs. His economy in 58 ODIs which have netted him 55 wickets, is a commendable 4.73.Considering the pitches of Australia and New Zealand, Doherty knows he won't be picked for every game but he said he will look to bowl his best and make it difficult for the selectors to keep him away from the playing XI.

World Cup 2015: Will Oz, Kiwi tracks prove to be graveyards for spinners?

New Delhi: Even as the Teams are ready with their final squads for the World Cup 2015 scheduled to begin in next 20 days in Australia-New Zealand, it would be interesting to see how spinners

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