5 Players who can help South Africa win the World Cup 2019

South African cricket has produced quite a lot of legendary cricketers over time like Allan Donald, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, AB de Villiers, just to name a few. The team has performed consistently well over the years and in almost every world cup, they have been hailed as one of the best contenders to win the title. But, for whatever reason, they have not been able to win a single knockout game (until their Quarter-final win over Sri Lanka in 2015), let alone win the World Cup.

The 2019 World Cup presents before them another opportunity to lose the 'chokers' tag. Though AB de Villiers's retirement will definitely impact the team's performance, they still have got the players who have the capability to win the trophy for them.

Here, in this article, we will take a look at five such players who can help South Africa win this World Cup.

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#1 Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock is one of the finest wicketkeeper-batsman of the current generation. His fearless striking and handy glove-work have already earned him comparisons to the greats of the game like Adam Gilchrist and Mark Boucher. He has been devastating against the best of attacks all over the world.

De Kock started his one-day international career at an early age of 20, and it took a very short span of time for him to showcase his humongous talent to the cricketing world. In less than a year since his debut, he smashed three consecutive centuries against India - a shared world record then, before it was bettered by Kumar Sangakkara. Since then he has been an integral part of the South African batting line-up.

De Kock has 4249 runs in 101 ODIs with a phenomenal average of 44.26 and at a strike rate of 94.80. He has 13 centuries and 18 half-centuries against his name with the best score of 178.

Though he has had issues with spinners on turning tracks, England pitches and conditions will provide him with the opportunity to go after the bowlers at the start of the innings, setting a big platform for hitters like David Miller to go berserk in the death overs.

#2 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla's experience will come in handy for Proteas in their world cup campaign.

Hashim Amla has been one of the most renowned batsmen for the South African team over the last decade. He has been a consistent run scorer for the team across all the formats and in all conditions, both home and away. Particularly in ODIs, Amla, along with his opening partner Quinton de Kock, has helped the Proteas to get off to great starts a number of times.

In his international career, he has played 174 ODI matches and scored 7910 runs at an impressive average of 49.65 which includes 27 centuries and 37 half-centuries. He also holds the record for being the fastest batsman to reach 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 ODI runs.

Given that Amla bats at the top, he will have the responsibility to provide his team with a solid platform at the start of the innings. Also, this might be the last World Cup appearance for him and he would be very much eager to help South Africa to their first World Cup trophy.

#3 David Miller

David Miller

David Miller, a hard-hitting left-hander, has become a mainstay of the middle-order of the South African team over the last couple of years. Though he made his ODI debut in 2010, it was not until the IPL 2013 when his big-hitting became the talk of the town. His 418 runs from 12 matches with an average of 59.71 and at a strike rate of 164.56 earned him the reputation of a flamboyant finisher.

In his international career, Miller has played 116 ODI matches and scored 2831 runs with an average of 38.25 and a strike rate of 101.76. Apart from his batting abilities, he is also an exceptional fielder and winning the Man of the Match award for his fielding effort in a game against Pakistan is a testimony to his fielding skills.

David Miller will be a key to South Africa's chances at the upcoming World Cup, especially in the aftermath of AB de Villiers surprise retirement last year.

#4 Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada is hailed as one of the best pace bowlers among the current lot of cricketers. Since his debut against Bangladesh about four years ago, he has produced some quite remarkable performances for his team. Spearheading South African attack over the past couple of years in the absence of Steyn, Rabada has become the linchpin in the South African bowling line-up.

Currently ranked 7th in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers, he will pose a serious threat to the opponent batsmen in the upcoming world cup.

In 2018, Rabada played 14 one-day internationals and picked 23 wickets with an impressive average of 26.17. Overall, he has 98 wickets against his name from 62 ODIs at an average of 26.97 and strike-rate of 32.35.

This will be the first 50-over world cup for him and he will be eager to leave a lasting impression in the minds of cricket fans.

#5 Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir, originally from Pakistan, became a citizen of South Africa in 2011 and made his debut at an age of 32. He played his first ODI match against West Indies in World Cup 2011 and picked up 4 wickets in the match. Later, he finished the tournament as South Africa's second-highest wicket-taker. Since then he has come a long way and now he is one of the most consistent performers for the South African team in limited over formats.

Tahir has got a range of variations but googly is his biggest weapon in the limited over matches. He has earned a reputation for being able to contain the middle-periods of matches while also taking wickets.

In his career, Tahir has 153 ODI wickets from 94 matches with an impressive average of 24.87.

Currently ranked 11th in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers, Tahir holds the key to South Africa's chances in the World Cup.