As the ICC Cricket World Cup kicks off on October 5, here are five cricketers to watch at the World Cup in India.

Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan)

It is always interesting when someone new comes along who is a little bit different, and 18-year-old Noor is just that. He spins the ball with his left wrist and has a high action, good control, and decent speed.

When he was 14, he played his first Under-19 match for Afghanistan. When he was 17, he played his first full ODI against Sri Lanka. In his only T20I so far, he took 4-10 against Zimbabwe.

Noor was a star for Gujarat in the IPL, and many franchises around the world want him. In India, he will be an important back-up to Rashid Khan, who was his idol, and he will be a big influence on him.

Rashid Khan, a spinner for Afghanistan, says, “That little kid just wants to learn. He now has the chance, and I’m so, so glad he’s been making the most of it. It’s great news for cricket in Afghanistan.”

Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka)

Since the great Lasith Malinga retired after the 2019 World Cup, Sri Lanka has been looking for a surprise bowler who can get wickets and keep the batsmen from scoring at the end of an innings.

Pathirana seems to be the most similar replacement they could find. Also a slinger, but with a lower arm action than his model Malinga, the 20-year-old speedster who likes to throw yorkers moved into the fast lane when MS Dhoni put him on the Chennai IPL team to replace Adam Milne late in 2022.

Shubman Gill was out with his first ball, which he did with a lot of flair. He just played his first ODI against Afghanistan in June, but if Sri Lanka wins the trophy again, it will be in part because of “Baby Malinga.”

Sri Lankan coach Chris Silverwood has this to say about him: “He learns things very quickly and can use them right away in his game.” He does things his own way.

Gus Atkinson (England)

When England won the 2019 World Cup, they said that speed was the key. They had two fast people in Jofra Archer and Mark Wood who could consistently go faster than 90 mph.

Wood is back, but the mantle has been passed to Atkinson because Archer is still recovering from a long-term elbow injury. He will be in India as an official reserve while he heals.

This year, the 25-year-old fast bowler broke through with a string of good early-season games that got him picked by England for the ODI series against New Zealand in September. He only got one wicket in three games, but the English are excited about what a 95 mph bowler could do.

Alastair Cook, the former captain of England, says, “He doesn’t look like he works that hard to get the ball down at a good clip. It looks like there’s a bit more speed that hasn’t been used yet.”

Teja Nidamanuru (Netherlands)

If every Indian cricket player’s dream is to play in the World Cup, not many of them would expect to do so for the Netherlands.

So it is with 29-year-old Nidamanuru, who was born in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh but raised in New Zealand before hitching his waggon to the Dutch. Nidamanuru became eligible to play for them in May 2022, and on his first game against West Indies, he hit an impressive fifty.

But it was his 76-ball 111 against the two-time World Cup winners in Zimbabwe in June, when the Dutch tied the target of 375, that made him stand out as someone to watch.

The West Indies missed the World Cup for the first time because they lost the game in the Super Over. The Dutch took their place at the top table.

He says, “It’s crazy to be sitting here and talking about playing in the World Cup. It’s been hard to get here, but it feels like it was worth it.”

Towhid Hridoy (Bangladesh)

Since he was in the Under-19s, Hridoy has been known as a 50-over gem, and this could be his chance to lead Bangladesh to their first ever World Cup final.

Now that he is 22, Hridoy has had some success with his T20 team. In March, he was brought into the national team for the T20 series against England and the ODI series against Ireland.

He has now hit five 50s in 17 ODIs. He may get more in India if he uses the bat that his coach, Mushfiqur Rahim, gave him.

Nic Pothas, an assistant coach for Bangladesh, says, “He has a high ceiling in terms of his skills. He is eager to learn and has a lot of potential. I can’t wait to see what he can do.”