Who will taste success?

Darren Sammy

Darren Julius Garvey Sammy has names invoking images of great leadership, and in October 2010 he became the first cricketer from St Lucia to be named West Indies captain. Rather fittingly, in what was a highlight of his career, he went on to lead West Indies to their first world title since the 1979 World Cup with a stirring victory over hosts Sri Lanka in the 2012 World Twenty20 final.

Playing role: Allrounder
Batting style:  Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium-fast

Current ODI Ranking: 61

Highest Ranking: 45 - ( 28/02/2014 )

Highest score: 106 (Tests) 89 (ODIs) 42* (T20Is)

Best bowling: 8/98 (Tests) 4/26 (ODIs)  5/26 (T20Is)

Last three performances: 89 runs - 0/25, 36 runs – 0/21,  12 runs

Shahid Afridi

Of Shahid Afridi it can safely be said that cricket never has and never will see another like him. To say he is an allrounder is to say Albert Einstein was a scientist; it tells a criminally bare story. He is a leg-spinning allrounder. Variety is his calling and as well as a traditional leg-break, he has two googlies, a conventional offie and a lethal faster one, though this is increasingly rare. He is a compulsive basher, literally unable to control his urges to slog every ball that comes his way, and not much of it is classical to view.

Playing role: Allrounder
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Legbreak googly

Current ODI Ranking: 16

Highest Ranking: 6 - ( 03/06/2010 )

Highest score: 156 (Tests) 124 (ODIs) 54* (T20Is)

Best bowling: 5/43 (Tests) 7/12 (ODIs)  4/11 (T20Is)

Last three performances: 22 runs - 0/50, 8* runs – 1/59, 24 runs – 0/56

Shakib Al Hasan

A talented left-hand batsman and left-arm spinner, Shakib Al Hasan is unarguably the best cricketer that Bangladesh have ever had. As a bowler, he is accurate, consistent, and canny; and his aggression and a wide range of strokes are the keys to his batting. Even more importantly, he has self-belief an excellent temperament, unflustered by the big occasion and ready to do battle against the top teams.

Playing role: Allrounder
Batting style: Left-hand bat
Bowling style: Slow left-arm orthodox

Current ODI Ranking: 34

Highest Ranking: 10 - ( 31/07/2012 )

Highest score: 144 (Tests) 134* (ODIs) 84 (T20Is)

Best bowling: 10/124 (Tests) 4/16 (ODIs) 4/21 (T20Is)

Last three performances: 8 runs – 1/27, 35 runs – 1/45, 2 runs

Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson remains a once in a generation bowler more than a decade after he was first spotted by Dennis Lillee as a 17-year-old. No other fast man has been able to copy his successful left-arm method that mixes bouts of waywardness with spot-on strike-power. Off the field he is so shy that it is hard to believe he has taken on the role as Australia's chief marksman, a weapon capable of hitting batsmen and 155kph.

Playing role: Bowler
Batting style: Left-hand bat
Bowling style: Left-arm fast

Current ODI Ranking: 5

Highest Ranking: 2 - ( 09/04/2009 )

Highest score: 123* (Tests) 73* (ODIs) 28*(T20Is)

Best bowling: 12/127 (Tests) 6/31 (ODIs)  3/15 (T20Is)

Last three performances: 0 runs – 2/36, 12*runs – 1/32, 19 runs – 2/26