A-Team Quadrangular Series: Players to watch out for

Five players to watch out for

Saturday will mark the beginning of the A-Team One-Day Quadrangular series in Australia, involving Australia A, South Africa A, India A and Australia’s National Performance Squad.

This tournament which has gone on to become an annual feature usually sees a mixture of fringe players, national team discards and upcoming talent come together to play a series of matches.

One can expect some serious competition this year considering that all sides will be represented by players of high calibre. Here, we take a look at five names to watch out for:

MARCUS STOINIS (AUSTRALIA A)

Stoinis, a middle-order bat and a right-arm medium bowler, has long been considered Australia’s next generation of batting talent. Although his promise hasn’t been greatly fulfilled, and therefore hasn’t translated in more than two international games for his country, things may truly change now that Stoinis has experienced success in the IPL and has ended the Sheffield Shield as one of its highest run-getters.

GLENN MAXWELL (AUSTRALIA A)

Stoinis’ teammate at Kings XI Punjab, Maxwell has been at the rough end of the stick lately thanks to his omission from Australia’s one-day squad. After receiving public criticism from the selection panel, Maxwell admitted to the fact that he just wasn’t getting the runs and as a result, felt his omission was justified. But teams and viewers alike will be aware of the destructive potential of the ‘Big Show’, and who knows a good innings here and there might just get the selectors interested again.

SHREYAS IYER (INDIA A)

After capturing the imagination of a large part of India’s cricket viewing public, Shreyas Iyer is finally headed to a competition which is known for being a breeding ground for talent. But there’s little breeding that’s left to be done as far as Iyer is concerned – a record Ranji Trophy season on the back of an impressive 2015 IPL ensured that selectors sat up and took notice of his talent. And now, with the World Cup exactly three years away and with the Indian top-order’s fluctuating fortunes, Iyer will want to make most of this year’s quadrangular series.

MERCHANT DE LANGE (SOUTH AFRICA A)

The 25-year old de Lange has managed to play just 12 internationals for his country and has impressed in the limited overs format. His ability to extract bounce from a short run-up and intimidating presence made him an immediate success in domestic competitions like the IPL. However, this time around, de Lange is coming off an unsuccessful Caribbean Premier League campaign and will be bidding to make amends at a time when South Africa is looking at a potential successor to Dale Steyn.

ARJUN NAIR (NATIONAL PERFORMANCE SQUAD)

Famous as Australia’s first carrom-ball spinner, and a kid who learnt how to bowl variations watching YouTube videos of Sunil Narine and Ravichandran Ashwin, Arjun Nair will make his debut in the quadrangular series on Saturday. It will be in this four team series that Nair will be looking to showcase his skills and make a case for higher levels of cricket in the future.

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