Jos Buttler
England

HAVING gifted virtues such as supple hands and a great eye, Jos Buttler has been rarely needed to take the centre stage in this World Cup given explosive England’s top-order batting. The wicket-keeper/batsman generally had a quite time after scoring 103 and 64 in earlier fixtures. Batting at No.6 has been a valid reason for the 28-year-old right-hander not getting big runs but if the need arises, Buttler can be destructive with the bat judging by his strike rate of 120.24 in ODIs.

Matt Henry
New Zealand

JUST imagine Matt Henry would have been lost for New Zealand cricket after the fast bowler underwent major back surgery in 2012. Henry was the unsung hero for country when his triple strikes upfront in the first semi-final sensationally knocked firm favourites India out of this World Cup. A slippery customer who consistently tops 140kmph, Henry has now put the Black Caps in their second straight final, something they had never previously achieved after losing six semi-finals between 1975 and 2011.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2019