World Cup 2019: Team-wise one game-changer of the tournament

The ultimate carnival of cricket, the ICC World Cup 2019, is just a few weeks away from commencement and fans all over the globe are feeling the magnitude approaching their doorsteps. A destination where kids find heroes to take inspiration from and men try to become legends, so many tales of glory, drama and agony over the years have made this tournament something bigger and better.

England will play hosts to this edition of the glorious tournament and looking at some of the domestic results, it is pretty clear that this will be a high-scoring affair. A lot of focus will be on the star batsmen, but as some of the cricketing legends say “Good batsmen win you matches, good bowlers win you tournaments”.

Each team has their own strategies and formulas stepping into England and there will be one player in each side who will catch everyone’s attention.

Here’s a look at each team and their game changers for the World Cup:

1. Afghanistan – Rashid Khan

In the ODIs and T20s, Rashid Khan has been taking giant strides and is on his way to becoming one of the greats of this game. His journey to becoming a great might not take a long time if he manages to clear the hurdles which this World Cup will set for him. Although he didn’t pick as many wickets as he would’ve wanted, Rashid Khan has been bowling pretty economically.

If he can tidy up the runs in his 10 overs, it could be a huge contribution to the side. On a flat pitch, bowlers like him can make a 20-30 run-difference with their skill and it will not come as a surprise if he is given the new ball on occasions. It’ll be interesting to see how skipper Gulbadin Naib will use him in the tournament as he is capable of both attacking and stemming the flow of runs.

2. Bangladesh – Shakib Al Hasan

Experience of playing the highest level for many years counts big time at this stage and no one in the Bangladeshi setup can stand parallel to Shakib Al Hasan in this regard. The 32-year-old all-rounder has struggled in the last few months with injuries to his finger, but he looks in complete control right now of his body.

His contribution is not restricted to either batting or bowling. The Bangladeshi fans expect him to bowl 10 good overs and also do a good job coming in at a crucial position like number four. It is not easy to be Shakib Al Hasan, but the man has done it many times in the past and there’s a reason why expectations are sky high in their case. Bangladesh perhaps have planted their best squad ever for a World Cup and to reach the final four here would be a dream come true.

3. Australia – David Warner

He hasn’t played an International match since the second Test between South Africa and Australia, which people will infamously remember forever. Yet, David Warner has kept his past behind, made his bat do the talking in IPL and stormed his way back into the Australian national team. He looks in the devastating form right now and if he can replicate the IPL heroics in England, a lot of sides are about to get doomed.

The consistency with which Warner has been scoring those runs is what makes him Australia’s biggest game changer. With the ball, they have Mitchell Starc, who won the Player of the Tournament last time, but this time, the pocket-sized dynamo will have a much significant role to play. He might be batting at number three to not tinker the current opening combination of Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch.

4. India – Virat Kohli

April 2nd, 2011 – A youngster walked into a virtually dead Wankhede, who were in shock to see Sachin Tendulkar get dismissed so early in the World Cup final. The ease with which he soaked the pressure in and scored a 49-ball 35 set the tone nicely for MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir to take over. For someone who could handle that pressure, the challenges he faced later on didn’t seem very steep.

He went on to become an all-time great in the last 9 years and Virat Kohli will now be leading the Indian side into the biggest cricketing tournament ever. Every time there’s pressure, Kohli loves thriving in it and scoring match-winning knocks and his determination and hunger is so crazy that he wouldn’t be satisfied if he scored a hundred in each of the group stage games. The World Cup is what he needs and the world knows how difficult it is to stop him when his target is set.

5. England – Jos Buttler

Among a plethora of superstars in this fabulous English side, Jos Buttler somehow catches everyone’s attention as an X-factor. With MS Dhoni slowing down a bit these days, Buttler is being hailed as the best finisher in world cricket and over the last few years, he has time and again rescued the English ship from difficult positions.

No English team in history managed to win this tournament, despite sending some of the most iconic squads. As much as they need a good team effort, they also need an individual who could step up when everyone else is having a bad day. The 28-year-old seems one such cricketer who can churn results in England’s favour even when they are having a bad day and every good team needs one such player in the side.

6. Windies – Shai Hope

This young cricketer is literally living a dream. Shai Hope struggled a lot to get to this stage in International cricket and currently, he stands as Windies’ one of the most important cricketers going into this tournament. The 25-year-old is versatile enough to bat at any position from opening to number four, which gives skipper Jason Holder a wider horizon while deciding the lineup.

In Ireland, the Barbados cricketer has already registered two centuries in two games. He is relishing the European conditions and if he continues to relish it the same way alongside Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer and Andre Russell, this team could really go a long way. Windies have not reached the semifinals since 1996 in this tournament and these bunch of cricketers would be desperate to not extend that stat for another four years.

7. Pakistan – Babar Azam

England might provide a lot of batting tracks for this tournament, but still the players should have enough skill to execute their plans to perfection. In terms of batting talent, none in the current Pakistani line-up are a match to Babar Azam. He shows great maturity for a 24-year-old cricketer and it will be a huge burden to carry the responsibility of his batting line-up in the World Cup.

Yet, he has done enough in the last couple of years to suggest he is a gem in white-ball cricket. He is ranked seventh in the ICC rankings for batsmen in ODIs and tops the charts in T20Is. His way of approaching every game is pretty fluent and takes minimal risks to build his knocks. His solid command over basics is what makes him such a huge threat and if Pakistan are to go further, he needs to step up on many occasions.

8. New Zealand – Kane Williamson

Runners up from the previous edition, Kane Williamson has a decent enough squad to go one step further than the last time. Yet, there is some inexperience and inconsistency in the side, which can come to haunt them in crucial junctures. Their skipper Williamson is their most consistent cricketer in the last few years and the fans and management will be banking heavily on him to do well.

He didn’t enjoy the greatest of seasons with Sunrisers Hyderabad, registering just one fifty, that too in the final group game. Yet, he has over 13,000 International runs to his name and who can forget that six he hit of Pat Cummins to seal a win in Auckland. Williamson is tailor-made for big moments and has enough composure to soak in some big moments, making him the Black Caps’ most important player this edition.

9. South Africa – Kagiso Rabada

The youngest among all the elite names mentioned in this list, Kagiso Rabada is expected to make a match-winning impact pretty much every game. One of the fastest bowlers in the world, with his pace and accuracy, the South African had just bossed the IPL with 25 wickets in 12 matches. There is no denying he can repeat those heroics once again, at a stage that matters the most.

It might be difficult to believe, but he already has over 300 wickets in International cricket in such a short span of time. South Africa will miss some of their stalwarts like AB de Villiers for this World Cup, but the presence of Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada makes them strong contenders to finish in the top four. A stupendous fast bowler is stepping up the gas every time he walks out to bowl and maybe, we might witness something that special from this young dynamite.

10. Sri Lanka – Kusal Perera

After helping Sri Lanka register an improbable Test series win in South Africa, Kusal Perera now has his eyes set on the World Cup. The southpaw reminds people of the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya and just like him, Kusal Perera backs a great punch during his strokeplay. He will relish batting on these tracks and if he can get some good support from his teammates, we could witness some good knocks from his bat.

Sri Lanka’s team combination doesn’t look very appealing, but there are some individuals like Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga and Lahiru Thirimanne, who are capable of producing something brilliant. Since there’s no Dinesh Chandimal in the squad, there is no one obstructing his place in the XI and will get to keep wickets as well. The Lions in the past were a huge force to reckon with, not so much now, but one can never rule anyone out at this level.

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