CWC 2019: Six tournament debutants who can light up the World Cup

The World Cup is now officially just a month away from us. The 12th edition of the biggest tournament in cricket will have ten teams clashing against each other to find out who is the best in the world.

Hosted by England and Wales, this World Cup will be a showcase for some of the leading players in this world. Few of them will be riding it into the sunset – Chris Gayle, Imran Tahir, etc., while this will also be the international comeback for David Warner, and Steve Smith, as the likes of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root will be looking to cement their legacies.

The global tournament will also be showcasing some of cricket’s newbie talents that have sprouted over the past 4 years. Though all these players have already made their mark in the international stage, making a statement at the grandest stage of them all would be the crown jewel in their careers.

Here’s looking at 6 first-timers in the World Cup who can make the World Cup their own

Honorable Mentions

Hardik Pandya has been showing remarkable hitting prowess in the IPL this season, and India will be looking forward to that to address their finishing issues with batting

Russie van der Dussen, a late entry into the South African line-up, but someone who has lent them the much needed stability which was missing since De Villiers’ retirement.

Babar Azam, the prolific Pakistani batsman has set the world stage on fire ever since his debut in 2016. Pakistan would certainly be relying on him to bolster their batting.

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#1 Jonny Bairstow

A career that started way back in 2011 but kicked off only post England’s disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign. Slotted in the middle order to begin with, Jonny Bairstow started opening for England since the Pakistan tour of England in mid 2017. He has not looked back since. In 33 innings opening for England, Bairstow has scored 1471 runs at a healthy average of 50.72 with 6 centuries, and a belligerent strike rate of 113.32.

He is a vital cog in England’s all-out attack approach towards batting, as his dynamic starts up the order have allowed the likes of Eoin Morgan, Buttler, Stokes, and Moeen Ali down the order to bat with even more freedom. Bairstow’s form has also been immense, with 445 runs in just 10 IPL matches, striking them at 157.24.

With Alex Hales out of the equation for England, Bairstow will take up an even more key role in the batting line-up. England will start the World Cup as one of the favourites, and a firing on all cylinders Bairstow will be instrumental if they are to win their first ever 50-over World Cup.

#2 Usman Khawaja

Classical shots abound from Khawaja

A late bloomer, Usman Khawaja has had quite a few stops and starts to his ODI career. But his form since the beginning of 2019, where he was again recalled to the ODI team on back of his stupendous Test form, has been nothing short of phenomenal. Playing 8 matches against India and 5 against Pakistan, Khawaja racked up 769 runs in those matches, with 2 centuries and 6 half-centuries.

His form was vital in Australia picking up away series wins in India and Pakistan and boosting their profile as a genuine World Cup contender. Australia were a team that could hardly buy a win in 2018, but Khawaja, along with the likes of Maxwell and Finch’s resurgence has slotted Australia back into familiar territory of World Cup contenders.

With Warner and Smith back into the team, and looking ominous, Khawaja’s brand of cricket would fit right into the system. From an afterthought to a certain in the playing XI, Khawaja’s journey has been nothing short of miraculous. Australia would be counting on this southpaw coming good on the biggest occasion of them all.

#3 Shimron Hetmyer

West Indies have picked a squad that looks like a bunch of mercenaries on a mission. One such hitman, who would be playing his first major tournament is the southpaw Shimron Hetmyer. A powerhouse that comes in at No.4 or 5 and has the potential to pummel the bowling into submission.

Just 25 matches old, Hetmyer has made his mark in the International stage with 899 runs and 4 centuries, striking them at 110.30. He has centuries against the top 2 ODI teams in the world – England and India. Given the right kind of platform, Hetmyer has the potential to destroy bowling attacks and win matches on his own.

Comfortable against pace and spin, he could be more than a handful in the English tracks. His recent form has been suspect, as he has had an extremely poor run in the IPL. But ODI cricket and English pitches will be a whole another ball game, and with the cushion of the likes of Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope et al., at the top, we might be in for some fireworks from this southpaw.

#4 Kagiso Rabada

The only bowler to feature in the top 5 of both ODI and Test rankings, Kagiso Rabada has been an absolute beast since making his debut in 2015. A genuine quick who regularly bowls in the 140-150 km/h range, Rabada is the next big thing in South African cricket. Along with Ngidi, Steyn, and Nortje, Rabada will form a fearsome bowling attack, that will be looking to offset what could potentially be a slightly suspect batting line-up.

With 106 wickets in just 66 ODIs, Rabada will be spearheading the Saffer attack at just 24 years old. His form in the IPL has also been exceptional with an astounding 25 wickets in 12 matches, 8 more than the next best. This will be his second major 50 over tournament at the global stage, post the Champions Trophy in 2017 where he returned average figures.

Rabada has grown to become twice the bowler he was 2 years ago, and will be looking to right those wrongs from last time, and help South Africa’s push towards their first World Cup win ever.

#5 Rashid Khan

20 years old and already a global superstar in the T20 arena, Rashid Khan will be a bowler to watch out in the World Cup. With mind-numbing numbers of 123 wickets in a mere 57 ODI matches, albeit mostly against associate nations, Rashid has been one of the key figures in Afghanistan’s astronomical rise up the ranks over the past few years.

His brand of leg-spin is relatively new in the circuit, and not many teams playing in the tournament would have come up against it. The element of mystery could well turn out to be a game changer in a few games this World Cup. In able company of Mujeeb, Nabi, Shinwari and Hamid Hassan, the Afghan bowling attack has the capability to shock quite a few teams.

Rashid Khan has been in reasonable form as well, with decent returns in the IPL season. And if Afghanistan would be looking to spring a surprise or two in the World Cup, Rashid Khan will certainly be the man that could make it happen.

#6 Jasprit Bumrah

The treasure of Indian bowling is probably as important to the team as Virat Kohli is. Jasprit Bumrah, the star that is, on potential, on its way to becoming possibly the greatest pace bowler India has had till date. Currently, ODI’s No.1 ranked bowler, Bumrah would be looking to make his mark in the World Cup and take pre-tournament favorites as deep into the tournament as possible.

With 85 wickets in just 49 ODIs at an incredible average of 22.15, Bumrah is one of the premier fast bowlers in the world right now. Potent at the death, and equally able in the powerplay, a fit and firing Bumrah will be more than a handful for just about all the teams in the World Cup.

He, in tandem with the likes of Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav, form the most potent bowling line-up in the world. Though all of them, except Shami, will be playing in their first ever World Cup, the weight of expectations would certainly be lying on the spearhead, Bumrah.