Fantasy #CT17’s blue chip players
With the world’s best players arriving in the UK for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, there is an embarrassment of cricketing riches throughout the eight playing squads. Unfortunately however, you can’t pick them all! In this article, we explore some of the key blue chip players we think warrant serious consideration of anchoring your team.
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Virat Kohli (India – 10)
With a value of 10, Kohli stands alone as the most expensive player in the competition but if you pick the Indian skipper, you know you are buying a batsman of the very highest quality.
He impressed at the last edition of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, finishing as the tournament’s fifth-highest run-scorer, but his game has come on in leaps and bounds since then and he will be eyeing top spot this time around.
Kohli’s ODI record is immense, scoring 7,755 runs at an average of 53.11, and the responsibility of captaincy has taken his game to another level. In 20 matches as skipper he averages 69 with five centuries. He is particularly proficient at masterminding a run-chase, with even the trickiest targets looking very gettable when he is at the crease.
What is most astonishing about Kohli is his consistency – he has passed fifty in 38.5 per cent of his ODI knocks – and that is a key attribute to look out for when picking your side. With 27 centuries from 171 innings, Kohli is on course to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record tally of 49 ODI tons and he relishes the big occasion. With 25 bonus points up for grabs for players who register a century, it’s hard to look beyond Kohli.
David Warner(Australia – 9.5)
Valued at 9.5, Warner might be pricy but he is the form batsman in ODI cricket, with seven centuries in his last 15 innings, the latest of which being a career-best 179 against Pakistan at Adelaide. That score came in just 128 deliveries and included five sixes, demonstrating just what damage he can do and perhaps why you can’t afford NOT to have him.
A hard-hitting opener who loves to take the attack to opposition bowlers, Warner’s game has developed impressively in recent times and he has found a happy medium between hitting boundaries and keeping his wicket intact. The more kamikaze instincts of Warner’s youth appear to have faded and been replaced by an unquenchable thirst for runs. In 2016 he struck seven ODI centuries – an Australian record.
When weighing up your team it’s worth making room for Warner because if you don’t pick him your mate probably will and that could be the difference between winning and or being an also-ran. With points on offer for high strike-rate and hitting sixes, the Australian left-hander ticks all the boxes (and being an opener he has the added bonus of potentially batting for all 50 overs!)
AB de Villiers (South Africa – 9.5)
With a value of 9.5 the South African captain is one of the most expensive players available, but you’d be foolish not to at least consider picking him.
De Villiers is currently ranked No. 1 in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Batting Rankings and has arguably been the most consistent batsman in the world over the past decade. Whether setting a target or chasing one down, the 33-year-old is highly accomplished, combining a steady nerve and dashing stroke play.
He holds the record for the fastest fifty, century and 150 in ODI cricket, and is in excellent form, with five 50-plus scores in his last 10 knocks. He also remains one of the finest fielders around which could prove useful with 10 points up for grabs for catches and run-outs.
By his own high standards, de Villiers wasn’t at his best at the last ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, when he scored 138 runs across four innings and he’ll be desperate to set matters straight this time around.
Ben Stokes (England – 9)
Is there a better all-round player in world cricket right now than Ben Stokes? The explosive all-rounder has become the heartbeat of an impressive England team, producing match-defining performances with bat, ball and in the field.
With a value of nine, he’s among the pricier players in the market but such is his influence on matches that he’s likely to prove he’s worth the outlay.
He’s in cracking form, too. Fresh from being named MVP at the IPL, Stokes hit his second ODI century against South Africa at the Rose Bowl, reaching three figures in just 77 deliveries and hitting 14 boundaries. A career strike-rate of a touch under 100 reveals how destructive he can be.
Expected to bat at No. 5, and generally someone who bowls his full allocation of overs (a bowling average of 37.65 doesn’t reflect how potent he can be with the ball), Stokes is rarely out of the game and offers plenty of opportunities to accrue points.
Keep an eye on his troublesome left knee, though. Stokes had an operation on it last year and was in some discomfort during the recent series against South Africa.
Mohammad Amir (Pakistan – 8.5)
Valued at 8.5, the Pakistan left-arm quick is one of the dearer seamers available but that price tag is justified by his skill-set, particularly in English conditions where he is likely to be able to find some swing.
The 25-year-old has taken 25 ODI wickets at an average of 30.28 since returning to international cricket in January 2016 and he will spearhead a strong Pakistani pace attack.
If you are looking for a bowler who can take wickets while keeping the runs down then you won’t find many better options than Amir. His career economy-rate of 4.89 is highly impressive for someone who often bowls in the powerplays.
He comes into the tournament in good form too having taken 13 wickets in the recent Test series against West Indies.
Amir is no mug with the bat either. He has two ODI half-centuries to his name, including an unbeaten 73 against New Zealand in 2009 – at the time the highest score by a No. 10 in ODIs.
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