Shane Bond is a potential star (Allsport).

By Richard Gibson, PA Sport

With the focus likely to be on established names at the World Cup there will be less pressure on the players who will become the new Tendulkars, Laras and McGraths.

Here we looks at eight men who will be stars of the future:

Virender Sehwag (India): Sehwag used to mimic his hero Tendulkar's strokes while watching on television. Now he unleashes his own at the top of the Indian order, having ousted the man he used to worship from one of the opener's slots. He has been one of the main reasons for India's upsurge in the past 12 months and flourished since his first century against New Zealand in Colombo in 2001. Nasser Hussain's England have suffered from his unbridled strokeplay on numerous occasions, most recently when his whirlwind 126 ushered them out of the ICC Champions Trophy, again in Colombo.

Yuvraj Singh (India): Yuvraj is the opposition's reward for knocking over India's middle-order of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Unusually for a left-hander, he enjoys hitting the ball through the 'V' rather than square on either side of the wicket. He rarely fails in the number six position and was man of the series at the age of 21 in last summer's NatWest triangular tournament involving England and Sri Lanka when he and fellow youngster Mohammad Kaif guided India to victory when all had seemed lost in the Lord's final. Yuvraj complements his explosive batting with respectable left-arm spin.

Brett Lee (Australia): Given that he has carried a tag as being one of his country's fastest-ever bowlers virtually from the time of his first-class debut in 1995, it is no great surprise Brett Lee has duly become one of the world's most exciting pacemen. His highest velocity deliveries have touched 100mph - and he has proved particularly effective in one-day internationals, where he averages close to two wickets a match which is a return comparable to anyone in the world game. Having overcome stress fractures to his back early in his career, Lee appears to have a chance to strike fear into top orders for the next decade. He is also a more than capable tailender and brilliant fielder.

Younis Khan (Pakistan): A typically wristy Pakistan middle-order batsman, who has cemented his place in both one-day and Test sides since the tour of England in 2000. Has Test hundreds in five different countries already and is able to improvise to any situation. Equally comfortable under pressure in testing conditions or when quick runs are needed in a chase, Younis often teams up with Abdul Razzaq in the middle order either to rebuild or build upon an innings. Can also offer a few overs of leg-spin if necessary.

Abdul Razzaq (Pakistan): A fixture in the Pakistan team since making his one-day international debut as a 16-year-old. Despite still being a teenager, he was prominent in the last World Cup with both bat and ball. Razzaq has already passed 2,000 runs and 150 ODI wickets and will only have recently turned 23 when his team look to go one better than their runners-up spot, achieved in 1999, in South Africa. His flexibility is a great asset to the Pakistanis - he has the ability to reverse-swing the ball and bowl at the death and bat anywhere in the order - although they appear to have plumped for him coming on first change and batting at six. Arguably the best one-day all-rounder on the planet.

Marcus Trescothick (England): Trescothick has been a revelation for England in both forms of the game since making his debut in the summer of 2000. But his ability to score at quicker than a run-a-ball at the top of the order has been crucial in the one-day game. He provides similar early impetus to that of Sehwag and promises to be the most influential limited-overs batsman in England's history. Few players in the world game hit the ball harder than the powerfully-built Somerset left-hander, who scored three ODI hundreds in the first nine months of 2002.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies): Despite being one of the juniors of the side at just 22, Sarwan has been used at number three by the West Indies in one-dayers. Aesthetically pleasing on the eye, the diminutive right-hander is not a typical dasher in the modern style but an accumulator who has a full range of strokes. The Guyanese batsman prefers placement to power and is to inherit Brian Lara's role as the Windies' batting supremo. Composure and consistency are his watchwords, and he appears on the verge of fulfilling his vast potential.

Shane Bond (New Zealand): A relatively late developer, whose progress was hampered somewhat by back injuries, Bond made his international bow just 12 months ago at the age of 26 but made a significant impression as a late call-up in Australia. Genuinely hostile and a real competitor, the former policeman is one of the world's premier speed merchants, having gained a yard or two in pace since a brief spell out of the game for work purposes. He is set to terrorise county cricket on a permanent basis with Warwickshire next season, having earned a short contract in 2002. Like Australian Lee, he also enjoys a flurry with the bat and is athletic in the field.