Ranking the opening batters of all 2023 World Cup teams
The 2023 World Cup in India is likely to be a high-scoring tournament as good pitches for batting are expected. All the teams involved will know the importance of having a strong batting line-up, and more importantly, a consistent opening partnership.
It is extremely crucial to make full use of the first powerplay with just two fielders outside the 30-yard circle. This gives teams with a prolific opening partnership a better chance to go deeper into the tournament.
On that note, let's rank all the opening pairs in the World Cup 2023:
#10 Max O'Dowd and Vikramjith Singh (The Netherlands)
The Netherlands had a sensational World Cup 2023 qualifiers in Zimbabwe and the prolific partnership of Max O'Dowd and Vikramjith Singh at the top was crucial for them.
They had partnerships of 120 against Zimbabwe and 117 against Oman and now average 43.29 together in 24 innings in ODis with 1039 runs.
#9 Tanzid Hasan and Liton Das (Bangladesh)
Bangladesh have had to deal with a number of off-field issues during the build-up to the World Cup and one can argue that it has led to instability in their team, especially at the top of the order.
With Tamim Iqbal not a part of the World Cup and having tried Mehidy Hasan Miraz in some games, Bangladesh finally seem to have settled on the opening combination of Tanzid Hasan and Liton Das.
The two added 131 runs for the first wicket against Sri Lanka in the warm-up game and will hope that they continue the same form in the tournament.
#8 Devon Conway and Will Young (New Zealand)
New Zealand dropped Finn Allen from their World Cup squad and are likely to open with Will Young and Devon Conway. While Conway has ample experience in batting in Indian conditions, how he and Young would perform together still remains to be seen.
The duo have opened together in just three innings with a total of 103 runs between them. They also have the option of Rachin Ravindra as an opener if needed.
#7 Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan)
While the sample size is not as big as others on this list, the Afghanistan duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have shown on a couple of occasions how badly they can dent the opposition.
The partnership of 256 against Bangladesh and then another mammoth 227-run stand against Pakistan this year is enough to show that if the duo get going, they could light up the tournament.
#6 Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka)
While Sri Lanka have had some promise in the middle order in the Asia Cup, their opening combination of Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka wasn't as consistent. Partnerships of 13, 63, 34 & 7 at the top saw Sri Lanka try out Kusal Perera, but even that didn't seem to work.
The duo of Karunaratne and Nissanka still have an average of 61.50 in 15 ODI innings when batting together, and that's perhaps the positive that they would look to build on in the World Cup.
#5 Imam-ul-Haq & Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan)
With all the talk about Babar Azam and the Pakistan pacers ahead of the World Cup, the opening partnership of Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq is also going to be crucial to their chances.
In 59 innings together, they have scored a staggering 2482 runs with seven century-stands to their name. This makes them the second-most prolific partnership in the history of Pakistan cricket after Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar.
#4 Temba Bavuma & Quinton de Kock (South Africa)
Another underrated opening partnership is that of South African skipper Temba Bavuma and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. The duo complement each other so well with Bavuma known for his timing and De Kock for his explosive game.
In just 11 ODI innings, they have scored a staggering 775 runs at an average of 70.45 with three partnerships crossing the three-figure mark.
#3 Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow (England)
Dawid Malan's incredible form in ODI cricket saw England leave out Jason Roy and trust him to open with Jonny Bairstow in the World Cup.
While the impact of Roy and Bairstow was crucial in England winning the 2019 World Cup, Malan certainly brings a different skill-set to the top.
They have opened just twice in ODI cricket with 28 being the highest they notched up together. Yet on paper it is arguably in the top three opening stands in the tournament.
#2 David Warner and Mitchell Marsh (Australia)
Australia will be gutted to not have Travis Head at the top of the order for them in the first few games of the World Cup. However, that allows Mitchell Marsh to open with David Warner, making it another incredible combination.
Marsh already has tasted success in India at the top of the order as seen earlier this year, and Warner's experience just makes it arguably the best right-left opening combination. They added an explosive 78 together in Rajkot coming into the World Cup and that will have done their confidence a world of good.
#1 Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill (India)
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's partnership gave India numerous moments of brilliance in ODIs for almost a decade. So Shubman Gill certainly had big shoes to fill when he came into the team as the first-choice opener.
However, in just 13 ODIs together, they have added 1048 runs at a sensational average of 87.33 with four hundred-run stands to their name. With the World Cup at home and both Gill and Rohit in great form, India probably have the best opening stand in the tournament.