How the teams compare in age and experience

The World Cup - a 49-match behemoth - is nearly upon us. As the players warm up for the tournament, we take a look at how the teams stack up. Which squad has the most one-day experience, and which has the least? How familiar are they with subcontinent conditions and with playing in such a high-profile event? Who's the oldest player in the competition, and how many teenagers will be battling seasoned opponents?

During their poor lead-up to the 2007 World Cup, Australia were called Dad's Army, but those old legs steamrolled everyone in the West Indies. The average age of that squad was 30.86 years, with nine players on the wrong side of 30. The average age of this one is lower, at 29.25, and only four players are over 30, but they are light on world-beating talent.

Sri Lanka are the oldest team in this tournament, with an average age of 29.87, while they were sixth oldest in 2007. They have the most players over 30 - eight - with Muttiah Muralitharan being the oldest. He will be nearly 39 by the time he retires. Bangladesh are the youngest. They don't have a single man over 30 and 11 of their players are between 20 and 24. They'll be sprightly in the field to back up their phalanx of spinners.

Canada were the oldest team in 2007 (31.37). They aren't this time but they do have the oldest player of the tournament. John Davison, who scored what was once the fastest hundred of the World Cup, will be 40 years and 286 days on February 19. Steve Tikolo, who is playing his fifth World Cup, is next at 39 years 239 days. There are only five teenagers in the tournament - Ahmed Shehzad from Pakistan, George Dockrell from Ireland, and Ruvindu Gunasekera, Nitish Kumar and Hiral Patel from Canada. Nitish Kumar is the youngest - a staggering 16 years and 274 days.

How many players in the Australian and South African squads have not played a World Cup? Ten and 11. Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Shane Watson are the only Australians with World Cup experience. For South Africa it is Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis and Robin Peterson. Only Canada have more players without a World Cup appearance - 12.

Sachin Tendulkar is the only one from the 1992 World Cup playing in this tournament. Apart from him, there are seven who were part of the 1996 competition held on the subcontinent: Murali, Ponting, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jacques Kallis, Bas Zuiderent from the Netherlands, and Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo from Kenya. Sri Lanka, Ireland and Kenya also have the most players from the 2007 World Cup - nine each.

The Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani players were the most experienced in ODIs at the 2007 World Cup, and their squads have the most caps this time as well, although the present aggregate of each is lower compared to four years ago.

There are six uncapped ODI players in this tournament: Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan, West Indies' bowling allrounder Andre Russell, South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir, Berend Westdijk from the Netherlands, and Canada's Tyson Gordon, who's played only one List A game, and Karl Whatham, who has played none.

Should Paul Collingwood play seven matches in the tournament, he will be the first England cricketer with 200 ODI caps.

The table below contains teams ranked according to how many matches the players in their World Cup squads have played in the host countries. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh obviously lead the way but New Zealand is a surprise at No. 4. Thirteen of their players have played more than five ODIs in the host nations, though a large part of that experience was gained during the last year and the results weren't encouraging.

Among the major sides, Australia and South Africa are the ones with the least experience in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Both teams contain four players with no ODI experience in these countries, and five players with not more than five matches' worth. Canada is the only team whose players have never played an ODI in any of the host nations.

Australia may have a weaker squad than they did in 2007 but the win percentage in ODIs for the players in both squads is almost the same. The men in Ponting's 2007 outfit had a success percentage of 72.8%, while Ponting's present team has 72.7%. India's win percentage in 2007 was 52% and they crashed out in the group stage. Dhoni's squad for 2011 has 58.2%.

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