CWC 2019: Six tournament debutants who can light up the World Cup
The World Cup is now officially just a month away from us. The 12th edition of the biggest tournament in cricket will have ten teams clashing against each other to find out who is the best in the world.
Hosted by England and Wales, this World Cup will be a showcase for some of the leading players in this world. Few of them will be riding it into the sunset – Chris Gayle, Imran Tahir, etc., while this will also be the international comeback for David Warner, and Steve Smith, as the likes of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root will be looking to cement their legacies.
The global tournament will also be showcasing some of cricket’s newbie talents that have sprouted over the past 4 years. Though all these players have already made their mark in the international stage, making a statement at the grandest stage of them all would be the crown jewel in their careers.
Here’s looking at 6 first-timers in the World Cup who can make the World Cup their own
Honorable Mentions
Hardik Pandya has been showing remarkable hitting prowess in the IPL this season, and India will be looking forward to that to address their finishing issues with batting
Russie van der Dussen, a late entry into the South African line-up, but someone who has lent them the much needed stability which was missing since De Villiers’ retirement.
Babar Azam, the prolific Pakistani batsman has set the world stage on fire ever since his debut in 2016. Pakistan would certainly be relying on him to bolster their batting.
#1 Jonny Bairstow
A career that started way back in 2011 but kicked off only post England’s disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign. Slotted in the middle order to begin with, Jonny Bairstow started opening for England since the Pakistan tour of England in mid 2017. He has not looked back since. In 33 innings opening for England, Bairstow has scored 1471 runs at a healthy average of 50.72 with 6 centuries, and a belligerent strike rate of 113.32.
He is a vital cog in England’s all-out attack approach towards batting, as his dynamic starts up the order have allowed the likes of Eoin Morgan, Buttler, Stokes, and Moeen Ali down the order to bat with even more freedom. Bairstow’s form has also been immense, with 445 runs in just 10 IPL matches, striking them at 157.24.
With Alex Hales out of the equation for England, Bairstow will take up an even more key role in the batting line-up. England will start the World Cup as one of the favourites, and a firing on all cylinders Bairstow will be instrumental if they are to win their first ever 50-over World Cup.