The South Africa - Australia series takes the toast this week but in pure fantasy terms, you might be better off punting on Bangladesh batters and some key West Indian players. Nostragamus fantasy managers will have to be smart this week as they make their fantasy player choices. Here we have identified a few choices to help their week.
Mitchell Starc
Country: Australia
Match/Series: South Africa vs Australia
Twice in two games this series, Mitchell Starc quietly made an impact when he had Quinton de Kock, easily South Africa's best batter, cleaned up. Starc has taken just five wickets on this tour so far but has bowled much better than those numbers suggest. The left-arm pacer could be in for a great final bash this week as the last two ODIs take place. A natural wicket-taker, Starc has 177 ODI wickets at a rate of 25.7.
Mushfiqur Rahim
Country: Bangladesh
Match/Series: Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe
With Shakib Al Hasan absent, Mushfiqur Rahim is Bangladesh's senior batsman and star player. The wicket-keeper batsman has 773 runs, the most by any Bangladesh batsman, in ODIs since 2019 at an average of 48.31. He has two hundreds and seven half-centuries against Zimbabwe, so another big knock could be in the offing.
Liton Das
Country: Bangladesh
Match/Series: Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe
Liton Das started the series with a spectacular hundred at the top of the order. Given Zimbabwe's ordinary bowling attack, Liton could have another great game over the course of this week. Consistency has been his forte and it is reflected in an ODI average of 48.62 and a strike rate close to 110 in ODIs since 2019.
Evin Lewis
Country: West Indies
Match/Series: Sri Lanka vs West Indies
Shai Hope has hogged most headlines when it comes to West Indies batting in ODIs. But in T20Is, where their big hitters in the middle-order have gained big attention, Evin Lewis has starred at the top. Lewis has a strike rate of 140.09 in T20Is since 2019 as well as the second most runs by a Windies batsman. The southpaw's strike rate as much as his tendency for big knocks will make him a key fantasy player this week.
Kieron Pollard
Country: West Indies
Match/Series: Sri Lanka vs West Indies
Skipper Kieron Pollard ended the ODI series against Sri Lanka with a calculated 49 from the no.4 position but it wasn't enough to give the visitors a win. Pollard's T20 skills are even more accomplished and the all-rounder is West Indies' highest run-scorer in T20Is since 2019 with 301 runs at a strike rate of close to 140. Pollard has also chipped in with the ball and will be keenly watched this series.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Lakruwan Wanniarachchi
