The buzz word around the 2019 ICC World Cup squads at the moment seems to be — three-dimensional.
India’s chief selector MSK Prasad brought this term in the spotlight when he announced the Virat Kohli-led World Cup squad last week. While explaining Vijay Shankar’s inclusion, he said that the all-rounder brings a lot to the table.
“We tried quite a few middle order batsmen, which also included [Dinesh] Karthik, [Shreyas] Iyer and Manish Pandey,” Prasad had said. We did give a few more chances to [Ambati] Rayudu but Shankar gives three dimensions. He can bat, if conditions are overcast he can bowl, plus he is a fielder. We are looking at Shankar as a No 4 [option].”
Reacting to the snub, Rayudu had tweeted saying he would buy ‘3D’ glasses to watch the mega event. With his not-so-subtle expression of displeasure, Rayudu, of course, added to the popularity of the phrase.
“Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup,” Rayudu had tweeted.
Soon after, the ‘3D’ term was also used by Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq. The batting great announced his country’s squad for the World Cup and was confident they had all bases covered.
“In England and Wales, conditions play a critical role. With this in mind, we have selected a three-dimensional side, which gives the captain a wide range of options of whatever game plan [Sarfaraz Ahmed] chooses on a match day,” Haq said.
Finally, the term got its hat-trick of mentions when Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors Asantha de Mel used an all-too-familiar explanation for Jeevan Mendis’ inclusion in their squad.
“Jeevan Mendis gives us a three-dimensional option with his leg-spin, because he is also batting well and his fielding is superb,” said De Mel.
Here are the 2019 ICC World Cup squads of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami.
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-Ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Hassan Ali, Abid Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Jeffery Vandersay, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana.
Also read: Cricket World Cup 2019: All the squads announced for the 50-over marquee event
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