With the opening game of the T20 CWC only a matter of days away it's time to delve into GDS All-Rounder Rankings. These rankings are based upon the players performance in T20Is over the last 12 months and a little narrative. In this blog we will identify some all-rounders that GDS coaches should be targeting and some that should be let go through to the keeper. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
Risers
Mitchell Marsh (Australia)
GDS Average 66 points (8 matches)
Marsh only played four matches in this year's IPL as he ended up withdrawing from the tournament due to a hamstring complaint. It looks like his rehab has gone well and he made his return to the T20 arena against Namibia in the warmup match for the World Cup. In this match he didn't roll his arm over, but he scored 18 runs from 14 deliveries before being run out. I haven't read anything that indicates that he was hampered by his hamstring complaint. This is positive news as I think Marsh might become one of the most sought-after cards in World Cup Cricket. Over the last 12 months has featured predominantly with the bat for Australia and averages 43 runs, this includes three fifties. The main concern for GDS coaches is, how often will he bowl! With him being the Captain, I can see him bowling himself if he feels comfortable with his hamstring. Against New Zealand earlier this year he bowled three overs in the two T20Is that he played and picked up a wicket in both matches. I'm assuming that he will come in at three in the Australian batting order. If he does and bowls 3+ overs in every match, Marsh will be a must start every time Australia play.
Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
GDS Average 74 points (7 matches)
Many reports have indicated that we may see the spinners gain some assistance from the pitches in this tournament. This must be music to GDS coaches' ears if they hold the card of Hasaranga. The Sri Lankan Captain has been in sublime form this year and has taken wickets in all his matches. However, he has only played matches against Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh. I'm not trying to take anything away from his performances, but he hasn't come up against any of the top seven teams based on the ICC T20 rankings in the last 12 months. Hasaranga can also wield the willow on occasions and averages 23 runs across his last five innings. He has batted anywhere between 4-8 in the batting order, hopefully for GDS coaches it's higher up the order. I believe Hasaranga can be a consistent scorer for coaches, and he might find himself ranked as one of the top ARs by the end of the tournament.
Mark Adair (Ireland)
GDS Average 65 points (18 matches)
Adair is a genuine all-rounder that has performed well with the bat and ball over the last 12 months. With the bat he averages 18 runs, and his highest score was an impressive 72 runs against Scotland. With the ball he has only failed on one occasion to take a wicket and has bowled his full complement of overs on 16 occasions. He has been Ireland's top performer when applying GDS scoring but unfortunately their draw isn't all the favourable for GDS coaches. In all the rounds when Ireland play, there are three matches in that round. This makes Adair less of an attractive starting option, but I still believe that he will be called upon to perform with the bat and ball in most matches. He will likely be considered as a player of difference if selected as I believe he might fly under the radar of many GDS coaches.
Hold
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
GDS Average 62 points (5 matches)
Khan has been one of the top all-rounders in the world for some time in the T20 format, but he hasn't had as much impact with the ball in the last 12 months compared to what he used to. This might have something to do with the back injury that made him withdraw from the BBL. In the IPL he managed to take twelve wickets and he made the squad of the round 66% of the time. I might have him ranked too highly but I'm working with the narrative that Khan will once again become a handful for batsmen on the pitches that he plays on. Especially against teams like Uganda and PNG. Looking at Afghanistan's draw, it looks like Khan should be considered as a starter whenever they play.
Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
GDS Average 58 points (8 matches)
In the last 12 months we have seen the good, the bad and the ugly from Maxwell. In T20Is he ranked as an AR1 on seven occasions and scored two magnificent centuries. With the ball, he hasn't been called upon to roll his arm over that often and has only bowled seven overs. Maxwell had an IPL to forget with the bat and only averaged six runs across his nine innings, this included four ducks. He featured with the ball on occasions and bowled a total of 16 overs, taking six wickets. I still believe Maxwell is one of the best T20 players in the world, but he can be a risky option at times for GDS coaches. As he offers such a high ceiling, he's one of the hardest players to leave on your bench and I wouldn't argue with anyone that does decide to bench him. Maxwell will continue to be a hold for me, even though he can be one of the most frustrating players to watch as a GDS coach.
Moeen Ali (England)
GDS Average 32 points (9 matches)
At 37 years old, Ali is the oldest player in the English squad, and he may not seem all that appealing as a starter for your GDS starting XI. He is a screaming sell due to his age but I wouldn't be selling before England's first match as we don't know if it will just be Ali starting, just Livingstone starting or both. If it is just Ali starting, he becomes a very intriguing option if the pitch he plays on is to favour the spinners. In saying this, I believe Ali is still a sell but his value is unlikely to drop any further before England's first match in round 4 against Scotland. Let's hope that he puts in a great performance in this match and coaches can sell high or even try and trade to a young up and coming player.
Fallers
Marco Jansen (South Africa)
GDS Average 49 points (2 matches)
Jansen only has four T20Is to his name and I believe he has a promising future in all formats of the game. I only have Jansen down as a faller due to the uncertainty of the South African line-up for this World Cup. With limited experience in T20Is, it's unknown at this stage what his exact role within the South African squad will be for this tournament. Personally, I'm very high on Jansen and believe that he is one of the better dynasty prospects that GDS coaches should be targeting and think this is a great time to buy low. He has only played two T20Is in the last 12 months and he would have had scores of 57 and 41 points when applying GDS scoring to his stats. He usually bats at 7-8 in the South African batting order and is seen more as a bowling all-rounder that can occasionally feature with the bat. In the IPL he only played two matches and averaged 42 points in IND Cricket. In the SA20 he had a really great tournament and ended up being the top wicket taker with 20 wickets. If Jansen becomes a locked-in starter for South Africa, his value in GDS will rise swiftly and I would look at acquiring him as soon as possible if you don't already have his card.
Mark Chapman (New Zealand)
GDS Average 27 points (21 matches)
Chapman is a batting all-rounder that comes in anywhere between 4-6 in the New Zealand batting order. I have him as a faller as he hasn't bowled in a T20I since January 2023, and he has only ever been used as bowler seven occasions. With his limited bowling upside, I just don't see a high ceiling like we do with many of the other ARs at the World Cup. He doesn't have a bad T20I average of 29 runs with a strike rate of 133 but over the last 12 months he only averages 21 runs. When applying GDS scoring to his stats he has only scored 40+ points in 25% of his matches. I just think there will be better AR options for your starting squad in every round that New Zealand play.
Imad Wasim (Pakistan)
GDS Average 32 points (6 matches)
Wasim is a bowling all-rounder that can have the odd handy knock at the back end of an innings. Over the last year he has bowled 3+ overs in five matches and taken a total of five wickets. He averaged 12 runs across his four innings and has batted anywhere between 6-9 in the Pakistan batting order. When applying GDS scoring to his stats he has a high score of 76 points but hasn't scored more than 30 points in any other match. I just don't see him offering coaches a very high ceiling on a regular basis and think there will be better AR options for your starting squad in most of the rounds that Pakistan play.
All-Rounders Rankings
Mitchell Marsh (Australia)
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
Andre Russell (West Indies)
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
Ravindra Jadeja (India)
Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
Cameron Green (Australia)
Sam Curran (England)
Hardik Pandya (India)
Mitchell Santner (New Zealand)
Roston Chase (West Indies)
Marcus Stoinis (Australia)
Shivam Dube (India)
Aiden Markram (South Africa)
Mark Adair (Ireland)
Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)
Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)
Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)
Axar Patel (India)
Moeen Ali (England)
Marco Jansen (South Africa)
Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan)
Logan van Beek (Netherlands)
Steven Taylor (USA)
Will Jacks (England)
Shadab Khan (Pakistan)
Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan)
Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia)
Aqib Ilyas (Oman)
Dipendra Singh Airee (Nepal)
Bas de Leede (Netherlands)
Liam Livingstone (England)
Mahedi Hasan (Bangladesh)
Junaid Siddiqui (Canada)
Charles Amini (Papua New Guinea)
Sybrand Engelbrecht (Netherlands)
Mark Chapman (New Zealand)
Corey Anderson (USA)
Michael Leask (Scotland)
Alpesh Ramjani (Uganda)
Harmeet Singh (USA)
Imad Wasim (Pakistan)
Brandon McMullen (Scotland)
Saad Bin Zafar (Canada)
Kushal Malla (Nepal)
JJ Smit (Namibia)
Curtis Campher (Ireland)
Zeeshan Maqsood (Oman)
Assad Vala (Papua New Guinea)
