ICC Cricket World Cup squads revealed

With little more than one month remaining until the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, teams have released their final squads for the tournament.

England were the first to reveal the 15 men before who will carry their hopes into the tournament, which will be played across Australia and New Zealand from February 14.

Here are the final squads for the 14 competing nations: 

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Clarke to captain at World Cup

Australia has announced the 15-man squad that will be seeking to win the nation's fifth ICC Cricket World Cup when the tournament gets underway in Melbourne in February, with Michael Clarke named to skipper the side as he continues his recovery from hamstring surgery. 

The same squad will contest the Carlton Mid ODI Tri Series against England and India, which starts on Friday with the first ODI between Australia and England in Sydney.

Squad announcement: Clarke named, Harris left out

Injured skipper Clarke was named in a squad that did not feature too many drastic changes from the squad that took on - and beat - South Africa in an ODI series in Australia in November.

Australia first won the World Cup in 1987 before winning three consecutive trophies in 1999, 2003 and 2007. India won the last World Cup in 2011.

Australia: Michael Clarke (c), George Bailey (v), Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.

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Bravo, Pollard miss out

Allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have missed out on 2015 ICC World Cup selection, with young quick Jason Holder named captain.

Fresh off stints in the KFC T20 Big Bash League, the pair were expected to miss the remainder of the tournament due to international duties.

Bravo and Pollard’s involvement in the remainder of BBL|04 is yet to be confirmed.

“I believe we have selected a very good team which will do West Indies proud at the World Cup,” Chairman of Selectors Clive Lloyd said.

“We have a good mixture of some good seasoned players and some good youngsters who will fly the West Indies flag in Australia and New Zealand.

“If they play to their potential I am quite sure we will do very well.

“I have really high hopes in this team – I believe they can do something special.

“We have the talent and if we can play to our potential we have a very good chance of lifting that trophy.

West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Marlon Samuels (vice-captain), Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Christopher Gayle, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.

Vettori back for a fourth Cup

Veteran spinner Daniel Vettori, who played just three one-day internationals between the 2011 World Cup and October 2014, has been named in New Zealand's 15-man squad.

He is joined by veteran allrounder Grant Elliot, who last played an ODI in November 2013, in a Blackcaps squad which included few surprises.

Young allrounder Jimmy Neesham and paceman Matt Henry have missed out, while quick Adam Milne - who clocked up deliveries in excess of 150km/h against Pakistan - won the battle for the final bowling spot.

Coach Mike Hesson said there were some difficult decisions but he was pleased with the 15 chosen.

“A lot of bowlers have performed brilliantly for us over the past couple of seasons, which certainly made it difficult, but we think we have the right mix," Hesson said.

“Our batting unit has good depth and Grant’s inclusion assures us strong cover in the middle order. He brings a lot of experience and his record in New Zealand and Australia conditions is excellent.

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Dan Vettori, Kane Williamson. 

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Sri Lanka include Malinga

Sri Lanka's selectors have provisionally picked sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga for the World Cup, hoping the spearhead will recover fully from ankle surgery four months ago.

The 31-year-old, the only bowler in history to claim three hat-tricks in one-day internationals, was named in the 15-man squad announced on Wednesday by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in Colombo, pending a fitness test.

The injury-prone Malinga, who has 271 wickets from 177 one-dayers, missed the last two series against India and England after going under the knife in September.

His fitness will be tested when he takes part in the later stages of the seven-match series against New Zealand starting on Sunday.

The SLC statement announcing the squad did not mention Malinga's replacement if he was declared unfit.

If Malinga is available for the World Cup, he will boost an already experienced squad which includes veteran batsmen Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, and spinner Rangana Herath.

The team, led by Angelo Mathews, also has off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake, whose bowling action was recently cleared by the International Cricket Council after he was suspended in June.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake.

South Africa gamble on de Kock

Injured wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been named in South Africa's squad for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next month.

De Kock, 22, a free-scoring left-handed opening batsman and capable wicketkeeper, tore ligaments in his right ankle while warming up during the first Test against the West Indies on December 19.

It was estimated that he could be out of action for between 10 and 12 weeks, which would probably mean him missing at least South Africa's first two World Cup matches, against Zimbabwe on February 15 and India on February 22.

De Kock has become such a valuable member of the one-day side, with six centuries in his first 35 one-day internationals, that the selectors are willing to gamble on him recovering in time to play the team's later pool games and in the knock-out stages, with AB de Villiers taking the gloves in the interim.

World Cup regulations make provision for teams to name injured players and replace them before the tournament, or if they aggravate the injury at the tournament, provided a medical certificate is produced.

There are no major surprises in the squad, although there are two changes from the 15 that were beaten 4-1 in a series in Australia in November.

Left-handed batsman and off-spin bowler JP Duminy and left-arm spin bowler Aaron Phangiso return after missing the November tour because of injury.

South Africa: AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla (vice-captain), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn

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Hafeez included in Pakistan squad

Pakistan included inexperienced leg-spinner Yasir Shah in their 15-man squad for next month's World Cup, hoping the newcomer fills the gap left by Saeed Ajmal who withdrew due to an illegal bowling action.

Ajmal, who has led Pakistan's attack in all three formats of the game since 2009, was suspended in September because of problems with his action.

He has undergone remedial work but nevertheless withdrew last month from the World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand after he failed to completely alter his action to conform to regulations.

Pakistan is hoping all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who was included in the squad, clears his own bowling action test this month after he was suspended in November.

Under ICC rules, bowlers are permitted to straighten their bowling arm by up to 15 degrees, which has been established as the point at which any straightening will become visible to the naked eye.

PAKISTAN: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz.

Cook out, Broad, Anderson return

England have dropped Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes and Harry Gurney from their one-day international squad that will head to Australia for the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Selectors have named Eoin Morgan captain, James Anderson and Stuart Broad will return from injury and batsman Gary Ballance has also been included.

The squad will leave for Australia on January 6 for the tri-series against Australia and India before England open their World Cup campaign on February 14 against Australia in Melbourne.

England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes.

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Dhoni keeps control of ODI wheel

Indian selectors have named their ICC Cricket World Cup squad.

MS Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket after the recent Commonwealth Bank Boxing Day Test against Australia, will lead India with new Test skipper Virat Kohli named as his deputy.

Dhoni, Kohli, Suresh Raina and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are the only players returning from the successful 2011 squad.

India: MS Dhoni (Captain), Virat Kohli (V Captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma.

Newcomer included by Bangladesh

Bangladesh will field a blend of youth and experience at the World Cup, with five specialist batsmen and six specialist bowlers included in their 15-man squad, alongside three allrounders and one wicketkeeper. 

The squad includes allrounder Soumya Sarkar who has one ODI appearance to his name.

Mashrafe Mortaza will captain the Bangladesh side with Shakib Al Hasan named vice-captain.

Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Shakib Al Hasan (vice-captain), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasir Hossain, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Arafat Sunny.

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Afghanistan's maiden Cup squad

Mohammad Nabi will captain of Afghanistan’s 15-man squad for the team's first Cricket World Cup, leading a group that includes core senior players Samiullah Shenwari, Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran.

Young talents including 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Afsar Zazai and 18-year-old batsman Usman Ghani have also been picked in the squad.

Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Afsar Zazai, Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani.

Ireland calls up Sorensen

Ireland will be without Tim Murtagh for the World Cup after the seamer broke his foot on January 7. He was replaced by promising young player Max Sorensen.

The squad contains no other changes to the 15 players named for this month’s training camp and tri-series in Dubai against Afghanistan and Scotland.

Captain William Porterfield is one of five players who will take part in their third World Cup, along with Niall and Kevin O’Brien, Ed Joyce and John Mooney.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are six first timers in the squad with Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Andrew McBrine, Max Sorenson, Stuart Thompson and Craig Young making their tournament debuts.

Ireland: William Porterfield (captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney, Max Sorensen, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.

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Tauqir takes over as UAE skipper

Mohammed Tauqir was named captain of the United Arab Emirates squad for the2015 ICC  Cricket World Cup on Saturday with the 43-year-old Dubai native replacing Pakistan-born Khurram Khan at the helm.

The UAE will be playing at the World Cup for the first time since 1996 and have been drawn in Pool B alongside defending champions India, South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland.

Tauqir has represented the UAE in 50 international matches, including five ODIs -- against Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka (twice).

Fellow 43-year-old Khan has been named as vice-captain for the World Cup which is being staged in Australia and New Zealand from February 14-March 29.

The UAE face Zimbabwe in their opening game in Nelson on February 19.

UAE: Mohammed Tauqir (capt), Khurram Khan, Swapnil Patil, Saqlain Haider, Amjad Javed, Shaiman Anwar, Amjad Ali, Nasir Aziz, Rohan Mustafa, Manjula Guruge, Andri Berenger, Fahad Al Hashmi, Muhammad Naveed, Kamran Shahzad, Krishna Karate.

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Zimbabwe give Masakadza his chance

Zimbabwe batsman Hamilton Masakadza has been named to take part in his first World Cup after 14 years as an international cricketer, having made his debut in 2001.

Prosper Utseya, who was recently cleared to deliver slow/medium deliveries but not offspin in international cricket  due to an illegal action, has also been named.

Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Solomon Mire, Tawanda Mupariwa, Tinashe Panyangara, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams

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Mommsen ready to lead Scotland down under

Scotland's cricket selectors on Friday named their final squad of 15 players for the World Cup in what will be the country's third appearance at the global showpiece.

Preston Mommsen will skipper the team which has been drawn in Group A.

Scotland open their campaign on February 17 against co-hosts New Zealand in Dunedin before going on to face England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

"It is great to announce our squad for the Cricket World Cup, and it is a fantastic achievement for the players to be named in the final 15," said Scotland coach Grant Bradburn from a Dubai warm-up tournament against Afghanistan and Ireland.

"They have all worked hard over a long period of time, as they continue to do out here in Dubai during the current tri-series.

"There is so much natural ability in this squad and we go to the World Cup aiming to do what no other squad has done before and win games of cricket."

Scotland: Preston Mommsen (captain), Kyle Coetzer, Richie Berrington, Frederick Coleman, Matthew Cross, Joshua Davey, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Safyaan Sharif, Robert Taylor, Iain Wardlaw

Tauqir named UAE captain

Mohammed Tauqir was named captain of the United Arab Emirates squad for the Cricket World Cup with the 43-year-old Dubai native replacing Pakistan-born Khurram Khan at the helm.

The UAE will be playing at the World Cup for the first time since 1996 and have been drawn in Pool B alongside defending champions India, South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland.

Tauqir has represented the UAE in 50 international matches, including five ODIs -- against Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka (twice).

Fellow 43-year-old Khan has been named as vice-captain for the tournament.

UAE: Mohammed Tauqir (capt), Khurram Khan, Swapnil Patil, Saqlain Haider, Amjad Javed, Shaiman Anwar, Amjad Ali, Nasir Aziz, Rohan Mustafa, Manjula Guruge, Andri Berenger, Fahad Al Hashmi, Muhammad Naveed, Kamran Shahzad, Krishna Karate.

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