ICC World Cup 2019: Strongest player of each team ahead of the tournament

The cricketing marvel will be back after four years to treat the fraternity and leave behind some remarkable moments. The Cricket World Cup 2019 will be played in England and Wales and will see ten teams competing hard to lift the trophy. Every single team will have its eyes on the silverware and will hope to settle for nothing less than emerging as the world leaders. Each of these ten teams has got its own sets of strengths and weaknesses. The task will be to balance out these deficiencies on such a big stage so as to emerge victoriously. Here is where the role of the marquee player in the side arises. The teams will be having great expectations from one of their players and will expect a lot of deliverables from that person. He could potentially end up being the difference between two sides on a given day and thus will be regarded as the strongest player of his team. Here is the strongest player of each team ahead of World Cup 2019: 1. Shai Hope | Windies Shai Hope. (Photo Source: Twitter) The 25-year-old cricketer from Barbados will be a crucial part of Windies’ plans at the mega-event. Shai Hope, with his brilliant temperament and technique, has escalated up the ranks quite quickly. He is currently the ICC’s No.7 ODI batsman and one of the most consistent performers for the Windies. In the 44 ODIs that he played, Hope scored 1,726 runs at an impressive average of 47. He will be expected to scale up this consistency factor and register huge scores at the World Cup. Hope will indeed be the biggest hope of the Caribbean team going forward. 2. Kusal Perera | Sri Lanka Kusal Perera celebrates his fifty. (Photo Source: Twitter) Often compared to Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya, Kusal Perera has proved his capability time and again. He is a masterful act with the bat and plays short-arm jabs, square cuts to perfection. However, consistency has been his biggest nemesis over the years. Perera featured in a total of 85 ODIs for Sri Lanka but only averages 29. Despite his wonderful strike rate and ability, the average by no means is par for a player of his stature. He’s played a few blistering knocks in 2019 already and will seek a lot of confidence from them going forward. 3. Mushfiqur Rahim | Bangladesh Mushfiqur Rahim. (Photo Source: Twitter) Bangladesh can bank upon no one else but one of their most experienced campaigners, Mushfiqur Rahim. The veteran cricketer loves the big stage and relishes the challenge. Given his experience, he will have a great role to play in the swinging conditions in England. Mushfiqur has been hitting the ball very sweetly in recent times. However, it is important for him to ensure more time in the middle to get those big scores consistently. Bangladesh will hope that his experience of 200 plus ODIs will come handy for the side. Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal also will have important roles to play. 4. Kane Williamson | New Zealand Kane Williamson. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images) Kane Williamson might not have got results as per his expectations this year with the bat. However, the Black Cap is a class act and a feast to watch. When in full flow, he is literally unstoppable and is capable of tearing apart even the best of the bowling line-ups. New Zealand might have many other match-winners in their side. But none of them can be as reliable as their skipper who has got the technique to counter the tough English conditions. The Kiwis will expect Kane Williamson to hold the middle-order together in the World Cup as the remaining batsmen will then have the freedom to go after the bowlers. 5. Rashid Khan | Afghanistan Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images) In an era that is being dominated by the batsmen, Rashid Khan is the knight in shining armour for Afghanistan. Such has been his brilliance in the last few years that he is easily regarded the best in the team. The England pitches could dry up a fair margin in the June-July due to the heat factor. Thus, it makes Rashid a lethal bowler as there will be assistance from the tracks for him. He is a skiddy customer with the ball and has got a highly deceptive googly. Moreover, he is even capable of yielding some big shots with the bat and entire Afghanistan will bank a lot of hopes on the youngster. 6. Jonny Bairstow | England Jonny Bairstow of England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images) Batting at the top of the order, Jonny Bairstow has been one of England’s biggest match-winners in ODI cricket post World Cup 2015. He often gets the side off to blazing starts and can be brutal when he is in the mood. Bairstow has got over 2,000 ODI runs and is fairly experienced heading into the big tournament. What is more impressive is the strike rate column. He consistently scores at a strike rate of over 100. This, when combined with an average of 47, makes him one of the most dangerous men in the English line-up. Playing in home conditions, he is presumed to contribute much more with the willow. 7. Babar Azam | Pakistan Babar Azam. (Photo Source: CHRISTIAAN KOTZE/AFP/Getty Images) The entire Pakistan batting line-up will have great expectations from Babar Azam who has been the most consistent performer for the team. He has got all the shots in his book and is a highly dependable batsman. Babar isn’t one of those cricketers who will leave you on the edge of your seats with his exploits. He is someone who will build his innings steadily and places the team in a good position. Even though his strike rate isn’t as high, Pakistan team has got other batsmen who can make up for the balls consumed. He is one of those very few batsmen who averages over 50 in ODI cricket. 8. Quinton de Kock | South Africa Quinton de Kock of the Proteas. (Photo by Carl Fourie/Gallo Images/Getty Images) In yet another quest to try and get their hands on the World Cup, South Africa enter the tournament but this time without much expectations. In the absence of AB de Villiers, the side definitely looks slightly weaker. But, they’ve got enough time to find replacements for ABD after his retirement and the MSL has helped massively for the same. Irrespective of everyone who is in the team, the hopes on Quinton de Kock will be more than anyone else. The wicket-keeper batsman is one of the most consistent performers and is expected to do well in England. He will have a great responsibility opening the innings and getting the side off to good starts. Quinton is one of the strongest players in the side and is experienced enough not to let the pressure get the better of him. 9. Steve Smith | Australia CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 27: Steve Smith (Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Even though this name might bring about a slight surprise in your minds, Steve Smith is still the best man for Australia with the bat. Despite him being out for a year, Smith has got an impeccable technique and an unbelievable temperament. What has happened in the last year will only make him a stronger individual and he is bound to look at this second innings of his from a different perspective. Smith will be hungrier than anyone else who will be heading into the tournament. He has had sleepless nights and dreadful days after his ban and the only way for him to earn back the faith of his fans is by piling up the runs. Moreover, he has worked on his bowling as well during the break and is expected to bag some crucial wickets. 10. Virat Kohli | India Virat Kohl. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images) Team India’s biggest ray of hope will be the 30-year-old Virat Kohli heading into the World Cup. The line-up of the tournament favourites is flooded with many match-winners. But, the Delhi-born Kohli has been on the other level in the last few years. The Indian skipper has redefined what consistency is and proven his ability to bat well in testing conditions last year in England. Along with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, the Indian top-order will have a great role to play. All these three players enjoy playing white-ball cricket in England and it should be fun to watch for the fans. Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

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ICC World Cup 2019: Strongest player of each team ahead of the tournament

The teams will be having great expectations from these players.

9. Steve Smith | Australia

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