Cricket World Cup 2015 countdown: Adam Gilchrist endorses AB de Villiers as best player in world

CUP COUNTDOWN: IF Australia is to win the World Cup it needs to overcome the best cricketer on the planet, according to Adam Gilchrist.

Australia v. South Africa at the MCG

WITH the 2015 ICC World Cup less than a month away the 14 competing nations are well into their preparations for the tournament, here is a snapshot of what’s happening around the globe in our weekly Cup Countdown.

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IF Australia is to win the 2015 ICC World Cup it needs to overcome the best cricketer on the planet, according to three-time winner Adam Gilchrist.

Gilchrist nominated South Africa captain and batsman AB de Villiers as the danger man the upcoming tournament.

“De Villiers is the most valuable cricketer on the planet. His versatility is extraordinary and he is amazing to watch,” Gilchrist said.

“He’s so inventive … he can play a touch game or a power game. Then, he can also keep wickets.

“He’s also one of the best fielders in the world and recently has taken some wickets when he had a bowl. And he leads his team very well, so, I think he’s the most valuable cricketer around.”

The 30-year-old was the leading runscorer (271 runs @ 67.75) when Australia defeated the Proteas in a five-match series in November last year.

The earliest Australia can meet de Villiers is in the quarter-final stage, with South Africa in the opposite pool.

De Villiers is a proven World Cup performer, having hit three centuries across the 2007 and 2011 tournaments.

AB de Villiers is presented with his 2015 World Cup shirt. AP Photo: Schalk van Zuydam.

INDIA unveiled it’s official team uniform for the 2015 ICC World Cup at the MCG on Thursday.

Not only is the sky blue kit comfortable and stylish, it’s also environmentally friendly as each shirt is made from 33 recycled plastic bottles.

Virat Kohli is also a stylish man away from the cricket pitch and gave his tick of approval to the new shirt and pants.

“The one thing I stressed for the last couple of years was the fit,” he said.

“I like the shirt looking nice and snug.

“As a sportsman, if you are fit, you should have clothes that look good on you as well.”

India models the 2015 World Cup uniform.

SOUTH Africa all-rounder Ryan McLaren has expressed his shock and disappointment at being overlooked for the 15-man World Cup squad.

Despite being a regular since the retirement of Jacques Kallis, selectors chose just one all-rounder and opted for Wayne Parnell instead.

“It was a tough few days. There was a lot of disappointment, there was shock. The 48 hours after the phone call was pretty emotional but I am over the worst now. The decision has been made. I can’t complain and moan, it’s done now,” McLaren told ESPNcricinfo.

Convener of selectors Andrew Hudson said the reason for McLaren’s snubbing was a lack of X-factor — something Parnell has in spades.

“I’ve performed consistently for two years. Whether some people see that as being the X-factor or not or whether they see that as being consistent, its not for me to decide what other people’s opinions are,” he said.

“If they want to express their opinion, that’s their opinion. I can’t control it. Parny has got the X-factor — he is a serious cricketer.”

McLaren’s puts his form slide towards the end of 2014 down to a shoulder injury that was complicated by a broken arm from a Mitchell Johnson delivery in Zimbabwe in August.

“I fell badly while fielding. The fractured arm against Australia meant that I couldn’t do any muscle strength or conditioning on the shoulder. So the arm actually felt fine but the shoulder was giving me more trouble than anything else. It took a while to get the match sharpness and strength back.

Scotland’s World Cup squad.

QUALIFIERS Ireland, Afghanistan and Scotland are tuning up for the World Cup with an ODI tri-series in the UAE.

Having finalised their 15-man squads each team will play four games before heading to Australia to play official warm-up fixtures.

Ireland is undefeated after the opening four fixtures, enjoying three wicket victories over both sides in their two matches.

Scotland rebounded from an eight-wicket loss to Afghanistan to win by 150 runs in their second encounter.

Meanwhile, the preparation of fellow minnow nations Zimbabwe and Bangladesh is being hampered by scheduling with both teams without match practice until they arrive in New Zealand/Australia in February.

Originally published as Cricket World Cup 2015 countdown: Adam Gilchrist endorses AB de Villiers as best player in world