5 technically correct batsmen who can take the World Cup by storm

The Man of the Tournament award for the World Cup has been given to batsmen 5 times out of 6. We have quite a few batsmen who will go into the tournament with a huge load of expectations on their shoulders. And as we have seen, the current generation can do very well to survive under pressure. In fact, they thrive under it.There are batters whose teams are heavily dependent on them to score the runs. Out of them, there are a selected few who are most likely to get the job done. They are technically sound and are in a good run of form to get the runs required.Here is a look at 5 who are most likely to take the World Cup by storm:

#5 Steven Smith

The player who recently became the first ever to score a century on ODI and Test debuts can surely be tipped off to score in any upcoming tournament, and the World Cup is no different. Steven Smith, who has awed one and all with his batting displays, is sure to make the fullest of the World Cup stage. He is now a permanent member of all the three cricket-playing outfits of Australia, and he took a remarkably less amount of time to do so.

He had an impressive 2014 with 541 runs with the bat in 12 innings, which included 2 hundreds and 3 fifties in all. He was also captain for the series against India, which Australia won convincingly. He will have no trouble batting on home turf whatsoever, and is sure to make the bowlers face some music. He will most probably bat at No. 4 in the tournament, and will be given the responsibility to keep the partnerships going while people like David Warner, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell can do the hard-hitting around him.

He has his flawless technique to back him up and provide the necessary balance to the innings. He has also shown the ability to shift gear according to the circumstances of the game, one quality which proves to be an asset every time. He has a wide arsenal of shots that he is not afraid to unleash on any bowler, which makes him a very lethal batsman. One might want to wish all the bowlers bowling to him this tournament, good luck.

#4 Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson is New Zealand’s best batsman this season, and it will be up to him to utilise the home advantage as much as he can and deliver for his team. He is one such player who suddenly appeared on the world stage and has impressed one and all since then, and it would be his job to spearhead the batting of the Kiwis. He plays at No. 3, probably the most important position to bat on.

It would be no surprise if he rises to the occasion and converts it into his own tournament. He sure has the potential to do it. He has 770 runs from 12 innings in 2014, at an astounding average of 70.00 every time he batted, with 1 hundred and 7 fifties in total.

He was very impressive in the home series against Sri Lanka as well. Teammate Brendon McCullum is of the view that he could be their ‘greatest ever batter’ in the times to come, something which could very well turn out to be true. One thing that goes a long way in establishing the greatness of a player is how he contributed to his team at the world stage, and this may well be 24-year-old Williamson’s moment.

He has all the shots available in the textbook, and the way he uses each of them to good effect is just a treat to watch. More than that, the way he dominates the bowling attack on his day is very delightful to watch. Teams playing against New Zealand will certainly have to chalk out a special plan for this man, who deserves every bit of praise and attention he is getting. One can only hope that all this hype surrounding him does not affect him in any negative way.

#3 Virat Kohli

This person will have to really take matters into his hands if India are to go anywhere profound this World Cup. Reeling with pressure of having a weak bowling attack that is not going to prove the best blessing in conditions that favour bowlers, it is the batsmen who will have to run the show for India. If there is a show, that is.

If there is one person who can do it, it is Virat Kohli. He was one of the three batsmen who clocked more than 1000 ODI runs in 2014. He is one player who has a certain liking for the big stage. He got his runs at an impressive average of 58.55 with 4 hundreds and 5 fifties. He has proved his skill with the bat, and few have piled up the runs as consistently as he has done over the years.

This is India’s first World Cup campaign since 1992 without the services of Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat, stamped by many as the next Tendulkar, may have to prove his mettle at the world stage as the Little Master did to feature in future comparisons. He bats as the same position as Sachin did, and has a similar thirst for runs as seen so far. It might also turn out that he has the same flair for scoring runs at the world stage too, which is something that the Indians would love if it happens.

The vice-captain of the team will have some managerial roles as well. Though he could not prove to be the best captain Down Under, he can do well to support Dhoni. As go his chances with the bat, he had a brilliant series against the Aussies just a while back, and it will really be helpful if he is able to repeat that feat.

#2 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla scored 892 runs last year, averaging 42.47. That included 5 centuries and just 2 half-centuries. That should clearly tell you something about the man’s conversion ratio of fifties into hundreds. He may well be called the ‘silent killer’ of cricket, because he will just stand at the wicket and pile up the runs before you know it.

He has insane levels of concentration, and he uses them to the fullest every time. It is very difficult to get him out, and becomes nearly impossible once he has his eye in. Amla is one of the most resilient and persevering crickets of the modern day, and South Africa will shoulder a lot of their hopes on him and can really do well if he delivers.

He can play almost all shots in the book, and can defend equally well. He is equally skilled at facing both fast and spin bowling, and with his levels of focus, even the seaming pitches Down Under will not be able to do much to settle him off. It will be interesting to note what plan the Proteas will have chalked out for him – will it be the old conventional Amla that we have seen so far or a new avatar with a different approach to the game.

The opener can be expected to run away with the scoring this time around, and has a good chance of doing so if he doesn’t throw away his wicket early. The onus will be on the bowlers to get him early, or be in for a world of pain, because he is a man who can bat all day long without diminishing energy and concentration levels.

#1 AB de Villiers

One of the most gifted and versatile players of the game today, AB de Villiers has it in him to own the world stage. True, he has the onus of captaining the South African team, but he is not one to buckle down under pressure. In fact, he is sure to lead by example, and if the team follows, they can expect great things to happen. AB will do what Boucher used to do for the side, and captain the outfit in addition to that.

He enters the competition as the highest ranked ODI batsman, a ranking that is well and truly deserved. Why, he may also don the wicket-keeping gloves if required. But as a batsman, few have the ability to hit the ball to the boundary as he possesses. He is a sportsman of the highest order, and is also one of the best runners between wickets in world cricket today.

He is technically everything one could ask for, still one who is not afraid to improvise. He can play many unconventional shots like the inside-out lob over cover, the lofted shot above his head for six, and also the extremely unconventional pull that he attempts on his knees to deliveries pitched outside the off stump, dispatching them into the crowd sand behind deep square leg.

He scored 879 runs in 16 innings in 2014, at an average of a whopping 73.25 and an astonishing strike rate of 114.45, with both figures being the best among 20-odd batsmen who scored more than 600 runs in the calendar year.