ICC Champions Trophy: Shaun Pollock's top tips from Group B

The ICC Champions Trophy gets underway on Thursday with England versus Bangladesh at The Oval, live on Sky Sports 2 from 10am.

But who is set to take the tournament by storm? Who will fire with the bat? Who will impress with the ball? Which new stars will emerge? And who will win?

Here we pick out some ones to watch from each of the four teams in Group B, while former South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock shares his tournament tips…

Champions Trophy: Group A guide

We pick out some ones to watch from the four teams in Group A, while Nasser Hussain pitches in with his tournament tips.

South Africa

Chances in a tweet

South Africa's rise to No 1 in the world has gone largely unnoticed but they showed their credentials in the Lord's triumph over England.

Top-scorer

"AB de Villiers. Class. Pure class. I considered Quinton de Kock too - he gets the team off to some seriously good starts, along with Hashim Amla, but AB is the No 1 ODI batsman in the world for a reason. If the team is in a bad situation, he can get them out of it, and in a good situation, he can enhance that position. He is a pure match-winner."

Wicket-taker

Kagiso Rabada. The greatest indicator of Rabada's undoubted talent: England 20-6 at Lord's. The South African speedster's opening spell was truly devastating, and was just the latest in a long line of such performances in his fledgling ODI career.

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Gun fielder

AB de Villiers. The South African skipper not only leads by example with the bat, but also with his typically energetic displays in the field, setting the tone for his team. Just ask Nasser Hussain how great he is!

Emerging talent

Andile Phehlukwayo. We didn't see the best of the all-rounder during the recently concluded ODI series, but Phehlukwayo showed nerves of steel in only his fourth ODI last year - striking a crucial 42 not out off 39 balls to see South Africa chase down 371 in the intense atmosphere of a Durban ODI against Australia. He can play.

Squad list

AB de Villiers (c), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Keshav Maharaj, David Miler, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada

India

Chances in a tweet

Defending champs. But are Virat Kohli's men a little undercooked? Their 11 ODIs across the last 12 months an international low.

Top-scorer

Virat Kohli. A man with a point to prove. And that's just how he likes it. Strange that a man with as many as 27 ODI centuries to his name still has doubters to answer, but there are some still out there, in large part to his struggles before in English conditions, and following his poor IPL season. Bowlers be warned.

Wicket-taker

"Ravichandran Ashwin. He is fresh after an injury lay-off, and he had a good tournament last time in 2013 when India won it in England. Also, it has been a pretty dry start to the summer and they are using the same three surfaces for the tournament - The Oval, Edgbaston and Cardiff - so the wickets will likely scuff and so I expect the ball to turn."

Gun fielder

"Ravindra Jadeja. There are so many to choose from, but I'm going for Jadeja. He is so quick, and he also has a brilliant habit of regularly hitting the stumps and affecting run outs."

Emerging talent

"Jasprit Bumrah. Fairly well known now due to his IPL exploits, but it is still early days for him on the international stage with only 11 ODI caps. He does a good job up front, and particularly at the death - arguably the best around in the final overs."

Squad list

Virat Kohli (c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wkt), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Yuvraj Singh

Pakistan

Chances in a tweet

Sure as eggs are eggs, Pakistan are inconsistent. Well capable of beating anyone on their day, only it's not their day all that often.

Top-scorer

Babar Azam. The 22-year-old left-hander has burst onto the scene since his ODI debut two years ago, averaging 55.08. Babar has particularly kicked on over the last nine months or so, scoring five centuries - albeit four of them coming against the lowly West Indies, absent from the Champions Trophy.

Wicket-taker

Mohammad Amir. Hasn't quite had the starring return he'd have hoped for, or that many expected, since his return to cricket last year following a six-year absence for his involvement in spot fixing on the tour of England in 2010. But, as we saw during that trip, Amir has a mastery of English conditions.

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Gun fielder

Sarfraz Ahmed. The selection of the Pakistan wicketkeeper as their best fielder is less a damning indication that they lack quality in the outfield - Babar, Azhar Ali and Wahb Riaz, in particular, are all capable - it's more that Sarfraz is just that good. Arguably the best behind the stumps in the tournament.

Emerging talent

Shadab Khan. Only the West Indies have borne witness to the talents of the 18-year-old leg-spinner so far, with his best admittedly reserved for the T20 part of their recent tour - 10 wickets in four matches at 7.50 each - but he could well be a household name in England following the tournament, particularly if he ends up exposing the hosts' age-old problems with playing legspin.

Squad list

Sarfraz Ahmed (c/wkt), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz

Sri Lanka

Chances in a tweet

Arguably the weakest team in the tournament - just 13 wins over their last 38 ODIs - as they suffer from the retirements of former stars.

Top-scorer

Niroshan Dickwella. Sri Lanka's white-ball successes have so often been built on an explosive pinch-hitting type at the top of the order, and Dickwella appears to be the latest in that mould. Has only three fifties in 11 ODIs to his name, but certainly one to watch out for.

Wicket-taker

Lasith Malinga. Nearly two years on since his last ODI, the return from injury of arguably the best death bowler in world cricket is a huge boost for Sri Lanka.

Gun fielder

Angelo Mathews. The talismanic Sri Lankan allrounder needs to lead by example if his team is to stand any chance of qualifying, and he is well capable of doing that, with bat, ball, and particularly in the field.

Emerging talent

Kusal Mendis. Much is expected of the supremely talented 22-year-old, with the belief being that he can carry the flag with the bat for a decade or two in the same way Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara did. His form on the international stage thus far has been inconsistent at best, though his maiden ODI century against Bangladesh in March suggests he might just be turning a corner.

Squad list

Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (wkt), Nuwan Pradeep, Asela Gunaratne, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan, Upul Tharanga

Who will qualify?

Shaun says: South Africa and India. "Both teams are looking pretty good - the batting in particular is very strong. Virat Kohli didn't have the greatest IPL, but that's only going to make him more keen to impress.

"I'd be very surprised to see Sri Lanka qualify. They may win one game, but that's likely it. And I just can't back Pakistan - they are so inconsistent, you never know which side is going to rock up on any given day. They could prove me wrong and play a couple of absolute blinders, but I can't see it at this stage."

Live ICC Champions Trophy Cricket

Watch the opening game of the ICC Champions Trophy as England face Bangladesh at The Oval - live on Sky Sports 2 from 10am on Thursday.