The 2025 edition of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to begin in less than three days. The top eight teams will compete, battling to secure the ultimate prize.
Like in every competition, there is a special focus on young players who are likely to set the stage on fire with impressive performances. We are bringing you a list of five such players who will be difference-makers for their respective sides in the upcoming mega-event.
Jake Fraser-McGurk (AUS)
First on the list is Australia's Jake Fraser-McGurk. The 22-year-old has not been able to live up to the hype and replicate his performances at the highest level. However, the sample size in the ODIs is still very small. He has played only seven matches and scored just 98 runs at an average of 14 with an impressive strike rate of 132.43. Australia's team management will be hoping those numbers will improve significantly in the upcoming competition.
Noor Ahmed (AFG)
Second on the list features Afghanistan's wrist spinner Noor Ahmed. The 20-year-old is now an established name in the world of white-ball cricket and has delivered some impressive performances in limited-over cricket over the last few years for the national team. Noor has only played 10 ODIs in his short career, and he has managed to claim nine wickets. He, along with Rashid Khan, will be responsible for taking precious wickets for the Afghanistan team in the middle phase.
Nahid Rana (BAN)
Third in the list features Bangladesh's
The 2025 edition of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to begin in less than three days. The top eight teams will compete, battling to secure the ultimate prize.
Like in every competition, there is a special focus on young players who are likely to set the stage on fire with impressive performances. We are bringing you a list of five such players who will be difference-makers for their respective sides in the upcoming mega-event.
Jake Fraser-McGurk (AUS)
First on the list is Australia's Jake Fraser-McGurk. The 22-year-old has not been able to live up to the hype and replicate his performances at the highest level. However, the sample size in the ODIs is still very small. He has played only seven matches and scored just 98 runs at an average of 14 with an impressive strike rate of 132.43. Australia's team management will be hoping those numbers will improve significantly in the upcoming competition.
Noor Ahmed (AFG)
Second on the list features Afghanistan's wrist spinner Noor Ahmed. The 20-year-old is now an established name in the world of white-ball cricket and has delivered some impressive performances in limited-over cricket over the last few years for the national team. Noor has only played 10 ODIs in his short career, and he has managed to claim nine wickets. He, along with Rashid Khan, will be responsible for taking precious wickets for the Afghanistan team in the middle phase.
Nahid Rana (BAN)
Third in the list features Bangladesh's pacer Nahid Rana. The 22-year-old is regarded as the fastest bowler produced by Bangladesh in international cricket and has already delivered the goods for the national team, at least in Test cricket. He emerged onto the scene with his impressive performance in a two-Test series in Pakistan, where he played a key role in Bangladesh's historic series win. In that series, he claimed six wickets for the visiting team. That performance will definitely come in handy for Rana, who will be playing in the same conditions again.
Harshit Rana (IND)
Fourth on the list is India's Harshit Rana. The 23-year-old is highly rated in Indian cricket, largely for his express fast-bowling, and has delivered some impressive performances in white-ball cricket. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, team India will be heavily relying on the likes of Rana and Mohammad Shami to produce the goods with the ball in hand, especially in the powerplay, and claim important wickets so that spinners can come and control the middle phase.
Naseem Shah (PAK)
Last on the list features Pakistan's Naseem Shah. The right-arm pacer has been around for a long time but is still only 22. Shah is a permanent feature of the Pakistan ODI team and will be hoping to deliver a big performance for the home team, especially after missing the last major 50-over event in 2023 because of a knee injury. Shah has a fabulous record in white-ball cricket, where he has taken 45 wickets with an outstanding strike rate of 25.7. However, his form in the most recently concluded Tri-Nation series was not as great, as he claimed just three wickets in three matches with an economy rate of 6.46. Pakistan team management will be hoping that Shah will be able to live up to the hype in the upcoming mega-event.
