World Cup 2023: Saud Shakeel to Mehidy Hasan Miraz - Ten players who can emerge as biggest match-winners

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World Cup 2023: The 13th edition of the ICC mega event begins from October and the players are just raring to get on the field now. Apart from the established 50-over superstars, the World Cup 2023 will also give birth to new superstars.

That has been the norm. Virat Kohli, though not a star batter in the 2011 World Cup, was India's fifth highest run-scorer after Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. Umesh Yadav was India's leading wicket-taker and third on the overall list, in the 2015 World Cup.

Stars will be born in the World Cup 2023 as well. We have curated the list of 10 players who can emerge as one of the biggest match-winners for their teams.

Saud Shakeel: One of the better players of spin bowling Saud Shakeel could emerge as the key batters for Pakistan in the middle-order. The right-hander scored blistering 75 runs off 53 balls against New Zealand.

He has been picked in Pakistan's World Cup 2023 squad on the back of some superb Test outings in Sri Lanka. The 28-year-old averages 87.50 after scoring 875 runs in seven Test matches. On Indian tracks, Shakeel could play a huge role in Pakistan's campaign.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz: One of the biggest assets in the Bangladesh World Cup 2023 squad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz will be key to Bangladesh's success with the bat as well as the bowl.

In the two warm-up matches in India ahead of the World Cup 2023, he scored unbeaten 76 and 74 against Sri Lanka and England respectively. He also picked a wicket against Sri Lanka. The off-spinner has picked 91 wickets in 82 ODIs. The all-rounder can emerge as a big surprise package this World Cup.

Marnus Labuschagne: From not being on Australia's preliminary World Cup 2023 squad to barging in the final squad in a dramatic fashion, Labuschagne has seen it all and he is now set to be one of the key players in the Australian squad.

The right-hander replaced injured Steve Smith in the ODI squad for South Africa and then got into the playing eleven of the first ODI as a concussion substitute for Cameron Green before ending the 5-match series as the leading run-scorer. He carried an average of 46 in the 3-match ODI series in India as well. The focus could be on David Warner, Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh but it's Marnus Labuschagne who can emerge as the batting mainstay for his team.

Ravindra Jadeja: Team India is full of stars and superstars and Ravindra Jadeja often finds himself flying under the radar. He is known to shine on the big stage.

India's more flamboyant all-rounder Hardik Pandya could garner more focus but under subcontinent conditions, the role of Ravindra Jadeja would be as important as anyone in the team. There is a feeling that he will be one of India's biggest match-winners in the World Cup 2023.

Heinrich Klaasen: The South Africa wicketkeeper-batter will most certainly play as a specialist batter. One of the most improved cricketers in the last one year, Klaasen's 2.0 version was electrifying. He is scoring runs at brisk rates for fun.

Recently, the 32-year-old scored 174 runs off just 83 balls in the 4th ODI against Australia. With 448 runs in 12 matches at an average of 49.77, he was Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) leading run-scorer in IPL 2023.

Mitchell Santner: The 31-year-old has spent a lot of time under MS Dhoni while playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. The left-arm spinner has picked 91 wickets and scored 1252 runs at an average of 27.82 in 94 ODI matches.

He picked two wickets for just 39 runs in eight overs against Pakistan in the warm-up game. In the second game against South Africa he dismissed a dangerous Rassie van der Dussen. The Kiwi has often been underrated and the World Cup 2023 could witness a change in the current status quo.

Charith Asalanka: The Sri Lanka batting all-rounder is very likely to be the key man for his team. His last few outings have seen him shine with both the bat and the ball. He picked four wickets for just 18 runs in the low-scoring thriller against India in the Asia Cup 2023.

In the following must-win match to qualify for the final, the right-hand batter scored unbeaten 49 runs. Players like Asalanka are handy usually and more handy in the subcontinent conditions.

Dawid Malan: The 36-year-old has hit the right form just one time. He has pipped Jason Roy and is set to open alongside Jonny Bairstow for England. The last five innings have seen him score 4, 127, 96, 54 and 26. Once the southpaw gets a hang of the Indian conditions, he is expected to be a force to reckon.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz: The Afghanistan opener smashed 151 against a Pakistan bowling attack which consisted of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf in it during the Asia cup 2023. Gurbaz has played a considerable amount of cricket in India through his IPL outings and there is that hunger in him to make it big on the big stage. He has hit five hundred and two fifties in his 26-match ODI career and the numbers could just improve in the World Cup 2023.

Bas de Leede: 765 runs at an average of 27.32 and 24 wickets in 30 matches makes Netherlands all-rounder Bas de Leede a handy customer on the cricket field. The 23-year-old is already rated high for his potential.

Good outings at the World Cup 2023 can just open numerous opportunities for him. In the World Cup qualifiers, he scored 285 runs at an average of 47.50 and picked 15 wickets at an average of 22.13. The youngster wants to make a mark in world cricket and could again emerge as the biggest match-winner for Netherlands.