World Cup 2019: Top 5 players who can be the leading run scorers
The Cricket World Cup 2019 is well underway and fans are witnessing the biggest stars take the field. Looking at the matches that have taken place till now, this World Cup promises to be a run feast. As batsmen adopt an even more aggressive form of cricket, the previously thought insurmountable score of 500 is looking within reach. Hence, it is likely to be one of the most competitive World Cups with regards to who will top the batting charts.
There are a plethora of quality batsmen at display at this year's edition. Players like Kane Williamson and Rohit Sharma like to time the ball while on the other hand, we have hard-hitting batsmen like Andre Russel and Jason Roy. Then there are players who like to accumulate runs, irrespective of the batting style like Virat Kohli and Joe Root. Looking at the well-renowned batsmen, it can be a hard time predicting who will win the Golden Bat at the World Cup. However, there are certain batsmen who stand shoulders above the rest and can be expected to set the world cup alight with their breathtaking display of shots.
Following are the top 5 candidates who are the leading candidates to be the top run scorer at the end of the World Cup.
#1 David Warner
Coming back to the Australian team after serving his ball tampering ban, David Warner smashed an unbeaten 89 against Afghanistan in the 1st world cup fixture for Australia. His recent exploits with the bat in Indian Premier League made it appear as if he was never away from cricket.
Prior to getting banned in 2018, he finished 2016 and 2017 ODI cricket with an average of 63 and 57.58 respectively. To ensure he did not lose his fine knick with the bat, he played the IPL 2019 with extreme intensity and finished as the leading run scorer with 692 runs. There is a good chance he will replicate the same in this World Cup, given his hunger to make up for the time lost due to the one-year ban.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Prior to the start of the World Cup, Dhawan has had a modest 2019 in which he has scored 420 runs with an average of 35 in 13 ODI matches, with all the matches played as a part of bilateral series. However, when it comes to ICC events, you can count on him to provide brisk starts to the Indian team and pile on the runs.
Dhawan averages more than 50 in each of the last three ICC events in which he has played. On top of that, he loves playing in England and was the man of the tournament when India won the Champions Trophy in 2013 where he finished with 363 runs, with a staggering average of 90.75.
He replicated the feat once again in Champions Trophy 2017 when he won the Golden Bat once again with a total of 338 runs. He loves the ball coming on the bat and the pitch conditions in England will enable this for him.
#3 Jonny Bairstow
Since the 2015 World Cup, England have crossed the score of 300 for more than 38 times and Jonny Bairstow has played a pivotal part in almost all of those innings. Since 2017, he has been in wonderful form with the bat, averaging more than 45 across countries while his overall ODI average in English conditions is an impressive 59.
He has already scored 344 ODI runs this year, which includes a century and two fifties. Given he will have home conditions at his disposal, he can be counted on to feature amongst the batsmen who will leave a legacy at the tournament with their exploits with the bat.
#4 Virat Kohli
India is the second favourite after England to lift the cup and if they are to do well, Kohli will have to amass a pile of runs. He can be counted on to make amends with the bat and erase the memory of Champions Trophy 2017 final, where he was dismissed for 5.
Susceptible to the seam movement in the early phase of his career, he averaged only 18 in the ODI series he played in English conditions in 2014. However. since then, he has worked on his technique and in the subsequent series in 2018, he averaged 63 and conquered his past demons. With an impressive showing and an average of more than 50 in ODIs this year, he can be expected to dominate bowlers at the World Cup.
#5 Joe Root
England has been transforming their ODI side amidst a blaze of fours and sixes since their acrimonious exit from the 2015 World Cup. Naturally, hard-hitting batsmen like Jos Butler, Jason Roy, and Jonny Bairstow have been garnering the maximum attention. But beneath the glitz, Joe Root has been doing what he does best - score runs and plenty of them.
Root might not be a big hitter, but he sure knows how to score big. Since 2016, he has scored more than 3200 runs in ODI with the average exceeding 45 in all those years. Albeit it came in a losing cause, Root has already announced himself at this World Cup with a century against Pakistan. For England to go all the way at this years' World Cup, he might prove to be the fulcrum around which all the other English batsmen play.
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