1) SOHAIL KHAN (Pakistan)
The 30 year old right arm medium fast bowler from Malakand, North West frontier of Pakistan was the surprise pick in the Pakistani squad. Last played for his country in 2011 against Zimbabwe, he was rewarded for his outstanding performance for Port Qasim Authority in the domestic circuit.
2) GRANT ELLIOT (New Zealand)
Grant Elliott at a ripe old age of 35 is an all-rounder who played 51 matches for the Black Caps, the last being against Sri Lanka in November 2013. He was preferred over Jimmy Neesham and rewarded for his commendable contribution with both bat and ball for domestic twenty 20 champions Wellington.
3) TENDAI CHATARA (Zimbabwe)
New ball bowler Chatara can well prove to be the ‘x’ factor in the Zimbabwean mix of things. Notching speeds close to 140km/h, he can prove to be quite a handful in the Australasian conditions. The fast and bouncy positions will be ideal for the Zimbabwean speedster.
4) DIMUTH KARUNARATNE (Sri Lanka)
Played only 6 matches for his country, this tall opening batsman is the lesser known element in the Sri Lankan batting line up. It would be safe to say that he was awarded a place in the squad for his big hundred (152) against New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series.
5) SOUMYA SARKAR (Bangladesh)
Played only a solitary match for his country, like most teams Bangladesh has picked a young fast bowler to suit the fast and bouncy pitches. Bangladesh is not know for producing many fast bowlers, but Soumta is rated very highly in the domestic circuit and he might prove to be Bangladesh’s trump card.
6) DANIEL VETTORI (New Zealand)
New Zealand’s veteran spinner Daniel Vettori, who played just three one-day internationals between the 2011 World Cup and October 2014, has been named in New Zealand’s 15-man squad. His selection came as a surprise as Nathan McCullum has been Kiwi’s first choice spinner in limited overs cricket, in the last 2 years or so.
7) STUART BINNY (India)
The surprise inclusion Stuart Binny ahead of India’s World Cup 2011’s hero Yuvraj Singh, as a specialist all-rounder led to a flurry of debates everywhere in the cricketing circle.
According to a survey initiated by The Cricket Lounge, there were 3 reasons behind Stuart Binny’s selection:
1) His Father
2) His Father
3) His Father
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