World Cup 2015: Top ten surprise packages

Whenever a big cricket tournament, especially a World Cup, starts, we pick our favourite players who we think will perform well in the event.
Many of the top players, as expected, do well to take their teams to win matches or even win the Championship. But there are also a few surprise packages who go beyond everyone's expectations to give outstanding performances.

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These surprise packages could be newcomers who are yet make to a mark at the top level or veteran players who are going through a bad phase in the game.
With the cricket World Cup just few days away, we pick 10 players who could prove to be the unexpected match winners this time around:

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1. Moeen Ali (England): He is a player who gives depth to England's batting and is more than a handy spinner. Starting his career with England as a decent batsman who can bowl part-time off-spin, Moeen has developed a good doosra and has made noteworthy contributions with both bat and ball. Moeen was also revealed as the cover star of this year's Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the world famous sports book.
2. Stuart Binny (India): Binny was one of the biggest surprise inclusions in this year's World Cup squads. There was a lot of criticism over his selection ahead of other players but as India captain MS Dhoni pointed out: "Irrespective of all the debate, the best seam allrounder in India has been picked." Binny bowls in the 120s-130s kmph but the conditions in Australia and New Zealand will be favourable for him because of his ability to move the ball both ways on seam-friendly wickets. He is good with the bat also and can score some crucial runs for India lower down the order.

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3. Haris Sohail (Pakistan): The allrounder comes in as a refreshing change in the Pakistan team. Preferred over the left-hand middle-order batsman Fawad Alam, Sohail had a good show in New Zealand where he scored two fifties, got six wickets and was very economical. His left-arm slow bowling enabled Pakistan to overcome the loss of Mohammad Hafeez (suspended over an illegal bowling action) during the New Zealand series. He is not an easy bowler to go after and can score quick runs as well when needed.
4. Ross Taylor (New Zealand): the Kiwi veteranis an aggressive top-order batsman who has won many matches for New Zealand from tough situations and is capable to destroy any bowling attack in the World. With all the limelight being on Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum throughout the year, Taylor had a good 2014 in ODIs scoring 662 runs in 13 matches with an average of 66.20. Taylor didn't score even a fifty during Sri Lanka's visit until his 96 in Dunedin, but he said that he was never out of form. Co-hosts New Zealand are seen as one of the favourites to win the World Cup this year, and a lot would be expected from him.

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5. Shane Watson (Australia): Watson was out-of-form for the most part of 2014 and there were talks of dropping him from the Australia squad. But there is no denying that he has been one of the most consistent allrounders across all formats in last five years. Watson was under much criticism for a prolonged run drought, but he made good comeback to score 81 on the second day of the fourth Test against India. With Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner in squad, Watson would be under pressure to perform in the World Cup. But, if the enigmatic Queenslander gets going, then he could turn out to be a match winner for the hosts.
6. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): There are not much expectations from the Bangladesh team in this year's World Cup but they have upset big teams in the past and have the potential to repeat it. Shakib would have to play a major role during Bangladesh's World Cup campaign if they are going to beat big teams this time around. He is at the third place in the ICC allrounders rankings in ODIs and can surprise the opponents with his performance. Shakib is unarguably the best cricketer that Bangladesh have ever had. He is accurate with the ball and can be both aggressive and steady with the bat.
7. Marlon Samuels (West Indies): With Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard not in the squad, Samuels will have a huge responsibility of performing well both with the bat and the ball. Samuels had a brilliant run in the in the T20I series win over South Africa but he was not able repeat the same form in the ODI series. He is known for his fearless hitting and is also a handy part-time offspinner.
8. Imran Tahir (South Africa): Imran Tahir might not be a consistent performer in Test cricket, but he has turn out to be a match-winner for South Africa in the limited-overs format. He has the knack of taking wickets and breaking partnerships in the ODIs, especially when used in short spells. Tahir is among the top 20 bowlers in ICC ODI rankings and is also the best spin option for the Proteas. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel will need his help in the bowling department if South Africa were to win the World Cup this year.
9. Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka): The left-arm spinner was one of the most consistent Test bowlers in 2014. He took 60 wickets in 10 Test matches with a staggering average of 27.45 and and an economy rate of 2.69 runs per over. He didn't play many ODIs last year but was picked in the World Cup squad by Sri Lanka as he is their main wicket-taking bowler. Since Murali's retirement, Herath has been Sri Lanka's go-to bowler in Tests and if he continues his good form in the ODIs, then he could turn out to be a surprise in this World Cup.
10. Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan): Nabi will lead newcomers Afghanistan to their first ever 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. He is number eight in ICC ODI rankings for allrounders and will have to lead from the front and give some extraordinary performances if the Afghans were to upset any of the top teams. An offspinning allrounder, Nabi was also the leading wicket-taker at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers in 2010. Afghanistan are in Group A at the World Cup along with Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England, Scotland and Bangladesh. They will open their campaign against Bangladesh on February 18.