ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Five bowlers who will set the tournament on fire

With the most glorified cricket carnival of the world is precisely eight months away, all the cricketing nations are jostling for the best possible XI to compete at the highest level. Some are confident with the pool of players they have for the upcoming challenge whereas some are still in the hunt to unearth the talent who could bring an X-factor to the table. With every game passing, teams will be tightening up their loose screws and would like to replace the fasteners which are corroding quickly. A well-oiled car is always better than the one which guzzles a lot of diesel and still doesn’t give the desired mileage.

A bowler in the shorter format is best known for its striking ability i.e. how many balls does a bowler take to get a wicket whereas the average is how many runs on an average he gives before striking. The lesser the strike rate and average of a bowler the better the chances of his getting wickets. In a One-day game, a striking bowler is like a well-oiled machine and if he does well, then the team sleeps well. As far as we can remember, there had been some ferocious characters in the past we had witnessed like Joel Garner (Big Bird), Michael Holding, Sir Andy Roberts, Tony Gray from West-Indies, Dennis Lillee from Australia and Shane Bond from New-Zealand.

There will certainly be a few bowlers of such pedigree on show at the greatest stage of cricket. Five bowlers who are most likely to set ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 on fire are:

(Note: Bowlers selected in the list have played a minimum 40 One-day Internationals )

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5. Josh Hazlewood, Australia, Average- 24.27, Strike Rate- 30.8, Economy- 4.72

Hazlewood has been a very good addition to the Australian cricket team

Tall and accurate right-arm pacer who reminds the world of great Glenn McGrath whenever he strides to bowl. Following his idol’s footsteps, Hazlewood’s best weapon is his consistency with the line and length, which have fetched him the international call at the tender age of 19.

Josh has been among the star performers for Australia in the elite format of the game and has recently added another feature to his cap i.e. 150 test wickets. His abilities are not only limited to the longer format of the game, 4/35 against Pakistan in WC’15 quarter-final, 5/31 at Perth against Proteas and 6/52 in Champions Trophy against Blackcaps are some of the highlights of his career.

His expertise goes beyond handling the new ball, he bowls in middle over and he is good as well with the old ball. He may not be tearaway as the likes of Shaun Tait, Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar who could intimidate the batsman with the sheer pace but he is definitely an expert who could sail the boat across the strong winds and can lead the flock to the destination. It will be interesting to see Hazlewood complementing Mitchell Starc in the World Cup.

4. Trent Boult, New Zealand, Average- 24.63, Strike Rate- 29.0, Economy- 5.09

Fiery Trent Boult has been one of the most dominating limited over bowlers in recent times

He is one of those deadly customers of white-ball who doesn’t comfortably allow batsmen to breathe freely whenever he is around. Dapper left-arm quick, who forms the most lethal new white-ball pair with Tim Southee for the blackcaps. He is among the most exciting and remarkable talents in the world cricket. His ability to swing the ball both ways even on the unresponsive deck and control over the wrist position post delivering the ball has troubled batsmen around the world.

Apart from his bowling prowess, Trent Boult has also established himself among the outstanding fieldsmen. In recently concluded IPL, Virat Kohli fell to VIVO perfect catch of the season snaffled one-handed at the deep square leg by Boult.

His capability to bowl long spells in shorter format allows the captain to attack from one end and build up constant pressure. Decimating west-indies in Christchurch with 7/34 in 2nd ODI, paralyzing Aussies in the World Cup’15 with 5/27 in Auckland and dismantling Pakistan with 5/17 in Dunedin are some of the testaments of his craft.

3. Jasprit Bumrah, India, Average- 21.53, Strike Rate- 28.4, Economy- 4.54

The Indian speedster has troubled batsman in every format of the game

24-years old, Bumrah, with a slightly strange action and unusual releasing point, makes it difficult for the batsman to pick him. Gaining popularity from IPL and implementing the success to the international level, Bumrah has produced some phenomenal spells with the white-ball on his way to achieve the highest ranking in the one-day format. Competing with the best in the world, Jasprit Bumrah has carved out his own niche in the shorter format.

From perfecting the art of hitting the blockhole consistently under the guidance of Lasith Malinga, controlling reverse-swing to bowl slower deliveries with the perfection Bumrah is undoubtedly a force to reckon with. 5/27 against Sri-Lanka in Pallekele, 3/35 against Blackcaps in Delhi and 4/43 against Sri-Lanka in Pallekele are some of the outstanding performances of his career.

He is currently world no.1 bowler in ICC Rankings. He may be young and haven’t featured in many ICC events but Bumrah has absolutely shown immense appetite and ability to spearhead the Indian white-ball attack in the upcoming World Cup. Hopefully, his death-specialist tag stays with him and live up to the expectations of billion Indian fans.

2. Mitchell Starc, Australia, Average- 20.95, Strike Rate- 25.4, Economy- 4.93

The tall Australian speedster lit up the ICC Cricket World cup 2015

Tall and scrawny, left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc can inflict the fear in any contemporary batsmen once he takes long strides to bowl. He is probably the most lethal fast bowler in the world currently. Devastation could be the other title that absolutely suits him.

Australian cricket is widely famous for its obsession with the pace and pacers. Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, and Shaun Tait are few of the greats Australia have produced over the years. Starc has been spearheading the Australian bowling attack from last 2-3 years and has become the most consistent performer.

2015 Cricket World Cup was the turning point for his shorter format success, where he unleashed his hidden talent to the world and stunned the cricket community with his extraordinary Man of the Tournament performance (22 Scalps at an average of mere 10.18).

His mastery over new-ball as well as old-ball makes him even more special for the shorter format. He is the complete package with the ball in hand, whether it is, toe-crushing Yorkers, snorting deliveries, reverse swing or seaming deliveries, he has mastered them all.

He is also a batsman as well who could hit the lusty blows long into the crowd and a gun fielder who could cover the long distance quickly with his long strides.

1. Rashid Khan, Afghanistan, Average- 14.47, Strike Rate- 22.2, Economy- 3.90

The young spinner has won adoration worldwide with his bowling performances

20-years Old prodigy, who hails from Afghanistan, has shocked the world with his accurate googlies and control over leg-breaks at such a tender age. He has been phenomenal in the success of Afghanistan over the years at international circuit. He is currently 2nd rank holder in ICC Rankings.

Bagging million dollar contract in the most followed cricket league Indian Premier League to playing for all the biggest t-20 leagues in the world including the Big Bash, Rashid has gained huge experience over the years and has the understanding of playing in various conditions. Playing his maiden ODI in the Caribbean, he wreaked havoc with his sensational bowling figures 7/18; the fourth-best haul in ODI cricket.

Rashid Khan also surpassed the record previously held by Mitchell Starc (52 Innings) of fastest 100 wickets in ODI in 44 innings. Accurate Googly is his unique weapon which is always aimed at the stumps, a slight mistake in judgment and batsman back into the dug-out. He is a terrific fielder in the deep and a very capable batsman of clearing the boundaries anywhere in the world.

He has the capacity and hunger to succeed at the world stage and some has already been demonstrated but it would be a stern test for the teenager in the upcoming world cup to face the top nations. He just doesn’t have anything to lose here but has everything to learn.

Honorary Mentions:

Kagiso Rabada

The list doesn’t end here, there are some other prolific players like Kagiso Rabada from South Africa who has been in sublime touch, Hasan Ali who played an instrumental role in the success of Pakistan in Champions Trophy, Mohammad Amir the deadly left-arm seamer from Pakistan, Yuzvendra Chahal, canny leg-spinner from India and Mustafizur Rahman, the variation king from Bangladesh.

On the given day, any of the mentioned could make the life difficult of a batsman but the above five have all the ingredients and the best combination of Strike Rate, Average and Economy and attributes to absolutely light up the cricketing extravaganza.