With the 2015 Cricket World Cup a matter of days away, Tom Reeves looks at the players with a link to London to look out for…
Group A
Afghanistan (captain Mohammad Nabi and Hamid Hassan)
Captain Mohammad Nabi, 29, played alongside right-arm fast bowler Hamid Hassan for Marylebone Cricket Club in 2011.
The pair played against 2010 champions Nottinghamshire, as part of the curtain raiser for the following English county season. The MCC won by 174 runs.
Did you know – Australian opener Chris Rogers, India’s Rahul Dravid and English wicketkeeper Steven Davies also represented the MCC in the same match.
Australia (Glenn Maxwell and David Warner)
Perhaps surprisingly, only two of Australia’s 15-man squad have played for Surrey, Middlesex or Essex.
All-rounder Glenn Maxwell played for Surrey in the 2013 Friends Life T20 competition, while controversial 28-year-old batsman David Warner played a similar role for Middlesex back in 2010.
Did you know – 26 World Cup matches will be played in Australia. The other 23 will be played in New Zealand at the 11th ICC Cricket World Cup.
Bangladesh (None)
None of the Bangladesh team have previously played for a London-based team.
Did you know – Quarter-finalists West Indies progressed ahead of Bangladesh on net run rate in Group B during the 2011 World Cup. Both sides finished on six points after six games.
England (captain Eoin Morgan, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Steven Finn, Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes)
New captain Eoin Morgan plays for Middlesex alongside fast bowler Steven Finn.
Ravi Bopara is an Essex player and Chris Jordan is now at Sussex, having moved to the county from Surrey.
Ian Bell and Chris Woakes are based north of the capital, although have represented the MCC.
Did you know – Eoin Morgan replaced Alastair Cook as England captain in December 2014, less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
New Zealand (Grant Elliott, Kyle Mills and Tim Southee)
All-rounder Grant Elliott, 35, was Surrey’s overseas player for the first half of the 2009 campaign.
Kyle Mills took six wickets in the Champions Trophy, which convinced Middlesex to give him a contract in the 2013 Friends Life T20 competition.
Bowler Tim Southee featured for Essex in 2011.
Did you know – Southee, 26, scored his highest T20 score to date against Hampshire in his time at Essex. He smashed 74 off 34 balls.
Scotland (Josh Davey)
Josh Davey, 24, began his career at Middlesex and made 23 first-team appearances.
However, he was released in 2013 and has since joined Somerset.
Did you know – Right-handed batsman Freddie Coleman is in the squad, despite being found guilty of ball tampering for Warwickshire in August 2013.
Sri Lanka (Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rangana Herath and Kumar Sangakkara)
Experienced duo 38-year-old batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, 36, have previously played at the Kia Oval for Surrey.
Meanwhile, ex-captain Kumar Sangakkara has represented the MCC and will play at the Kia Oval in the 2015 season after he retires from international cricket.
Did you know – Eight of the Sri Lankan team are over the age of 30 with four of them over the age of 35.
Group B
India (None)
None of the Indian outfit have ever featured on the English county circuit, although all of the players have played in the IPL.
Did you know – India are the reigning champions after they defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the 2011 World Cup Final.
Ireland (captain William Porterfield, Andy Balbirnie, Ed Joyce, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson)
Batsman Ed Joyce is the highest profile player in the squad and has played for Marylebone Cricket Club, Middlesex and Sussex throughout his career.
Like Joyce, skipper William Porterfield and his vice-captain Kevin O’Brien have played for the MCC.
Right-arm bowler Tim Murtagh and opener Paul Stirling, 24, both play at Middlesex.
Did you know – Ed Joyce, who played 50 times for Ireland between 1997 and 2005, won 17 one-day caps for England before he resumed his Irish international career again in 2010.
Pakistan (Younis Khan)
37-year-old former captain Younis Khan signed for Surrey in 2010.
Did you know – Captain Misbah-ul-Haq is one of the oldest players involved at the competition, as he closes in on his 41st birthday.
South Africa (Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir)
Key team members fast bowler Dale Steyn, 31, and top-order batsman Hashim Amla have represented Essex.
All-rounder Vernon Philander has featured for Middlesex along with experienced spin bowler Imran Tahir.
Did you know – AB de Villiers recorded the fastest ever one-day international century in the build-up to the World Cup. The batsman smashed his ton off just 31 balls.
United Arab Emirates (None)
Realistically, the only chance the United Arab Emirates will get to register some points in this competition will come when they face Ireland and Zimbabwe.
Did you know – The United Arab Emirates last featured in the World Cup in 1996, where they beat the Netherlands.
West Indies (None)
A great deal of West Indies’ squad have spent time on the English county circuit but none have played in or around the capital.
Did you know – Star man Chris Gayle has labelled the West Indies Cricket Board ‘ridiculous’ for leaving all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieran Pollard out of their World Cup squad.
Zimbabwe (None).
Just skipper Elton Chigumbura has been able to ply his trade over in the UK from this side.
He featured for Northamptonshire in 2010.
Did you know – Chigumbura is in his second spell as skipper. He took over initially in May 2010, only to resign following the 2011 World Cup. He was re-appointed the one-day captain in 2014.