World Cup 2019: Top 5 players who can help New Zealand win the tournament

The 2019 Cricket World Cup is one of the most awaited sports events in the near future. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by England and Wales from 30th May to 14th July 2019. A total of ten teams will compete in a round-robin format with each team playing the other nine teams, and the top four teams progressing to a knockout stage of semi-finals and a final.

New Zealand, the runner-up of the last edition held in 2015, will be one of the strongest contenders for winning the title this time. They were absolutely superb in the last edition winning all of their matches to make it to the final. Unfortunately, they lost to Australia in the final and their wait for the first World Cup trophy extended for yet another four years,

Well, the wait is over and the Kiwis are all geared up for giving it a go. Though there is no denying the fact that they are going to miss the services of Brendon McCullum this time who was instrumental in their success in 2015 but they still have a great all-round side full of capable players.

Here, in this article, we will take a look at five such capable players who could help New Zealand win the World Cup.

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#1 Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson

Arguably New Zealand's finest batsman since the legendary Martin Crowe, Kane Williamson has been considered one of the four greatest batsmen of the current era along with Virat Kohli, Joe Root, and Steve Smith. It is always a delight to watch him bat with his classy strokeplay blending nicely with his footwork and gritty temperament.

Williamson has become a pillar of the New Zealand side since he made his debut in 2010 and has been amongst the top run-getters in the world in almost all formats of international cricket. He has scored 5554 runs in 139 ODIs with 11 centuries with an impressive average of 45.90 and a best of 145*. He is the glue that holds the Kiwi batting lineup together.

New Zealand's success in this mega tournament will depend a lot on Williamson's performance. Though he was not very impressive in the last edition, he will be eager to make this edition a memorable one for himself and fans.

#2 Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor is considered one of the best batsmen New Zealand cricket has ever produced. In fact, he is the highest run-scorer in ODIs for New Zealand.

The 35-year-old has played 218 ODI matches in which he has scored 8026 runs at an impressive average of 48.34. His 20 centuries in one-day internationals is also a record for New Zealand.

Taylor was in great touch in 2018, smashing 639 runs at a staggering average of 91.29 and at a strike rate approaching 90. This includes a magnificent 181 against England which will certainly be remembered for a long time in world cricket.

In the 2011 World Cup, Taylor scored 324 runs at an average of 64.80 and he was the high-scorer for the Kiwis. Though he had a lackluster performance in the 2015 edition, he will be willing to compensate that in this edition. The 2019 World Cup may well be his swansong and he would definitely a key member if the Kiwis are to stand a chance in winning the title.

#3 Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill has been one of the mainstays of New Zealand's batting line-up in one-day international cricket over the years. A prolific opener, Guptill has consistently been among the runs in ODIs and has played many scintillating knocks in his career.

Guptill has played 169 ODI matches in which he has accumulated 6440 runs, making him the fourth highest run-getters in ODIs for New Zealand. He has 16 centuries and 34 fifties to his name. Also, he is the first New Zealander to score a double century in an ODI.

Guptill has represented New Zealand in the last two editions of the world cup and he has performed really well for his team. In 2011, he scored 262 runs at an average of 43.66 and was the second highest run-scorer for the team after Ross Taylor. He bettered his performance in 2015 when he topped the charts by smashing 547 runs from 9 matches. This included a double-century in the quarter-final and his 237* remains the highest individual score in World Cup cricket.

He has been in a superb form in recent times and his back-to-back centuries against Bangladesh in the recently concluded series is a testimony to that. No doubt, Guptill will be playing a key role in New Zealand's World Cup dream.

#4 Trent Boult

Trent Boult

Trent Boult, the spearhead of the New Zealand's pace-bowling attack, presents a significant threat to batsmen around the world with an ability to move the ball both ways even in unresponsive conditions. Sir Richard Hadlee has rated him as one half of the best new-ball pair in New Zealand history. This speaks volumes about his capabilities.

His ability to bowl at 140+ kph and to move the ball in the air will pose a stringent challenge to the opponent batsmen. The pitches and conditions in England will also be quite suitable for his bowling style. Moreover, his toe-crushing yorkers at the death overs coupled with cunning slower ball variations will make life tough for the batsmen.

Not to forget that he was the joint highest wicket-taker in the World Cup 2015, claiming 22 wickets from 9 matches at an average of 16.86. This time, he will look to repeat the same performance and will hope to help his side in claiming their first-ever title.

#5 Tim Southee

Tim Southee

Tim Southee, along with Trent Boult, makes one of the most lethal bowling pairs of the current era. He made his ODI debut in 2008 and over the next decade or so, he has established himself as one of the most prominent swing-bowlers in the world.

Though Southee has a vast collection of deliveries, it is his late outswingers that have caused the most damage to the batsmen facing him. His ability to bowl off cutting slower balls almost like a faster off-spinner comes as quite handy in death overs.

In a career spanning over more than a decade, he has played 139 one-day internationals in which he has claimed 186 wickets. He is particularly very impressive in world cups. He bagged 18 wickets at an outstanding average of 17.33 in the 2011 World Cup and 15 wickets from 9 matches in the last edition.

Fans still remember how he wreaked havoc against English batsmen in the last World Cup. It was certainly one of the great bowling spells in world cup history. His 7 for 33 bundled out England for 123. More of these performances will be expected from him in this World Cup too.