ICC CWC 2019: 5 reassuring centuries in the warm-up games

The ICC World Cup 2019 promises to be a tournament filled with extravagant batting displays. All the participating teams have played their warm-up games and are now gearing up for the main event. The 10 warm-up matches gave us a glimpse of the spectacle that awaits.

Most of the teams performed well, but we can assume that everyone hasn't shown their maximum strength as these are just practice games. The players examine the conditions to find out their chances of adapting.

Some of them were incredibly successful in adapting to the conditions during the warm-ups. Top players giving their best and newcomers showing some promise are sure to boost the team's morale before the high-pressure tournament.

A few players lit up the warm-up matches with sensible batting. These batting performances would've been reassuring for their teams. In this article, let us revisit the best centuries scored in the warm-up matches.

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#5 MS Dhoni (113 runs from 78 balls)

MS Dhoni

Nothing gives more joy to an Indian cricket fan than witnessing a vintage performance from MS Dhoni, especially before a tournament such as the World Cup. Dhoni's century against Bangladesh shows that he is set to make a major impact in England and Wales.

The former Indian captain was totally unstoppable as his fiery batting consisted of eight boundaries and seven maximums. Dhoni scored the ton with a strike rate of 144.87. It would've certainly been reassuring for the side as their openers failed to give a good start.

As of now, Dhoni has four half-centuries in eight ODIs this year. The wicket-keeper also ended the 2019 IPL with the highest batting average of the season. India would want more centuries from him during the main fixtures, especially when the team have a poor start.

#4 Steve Smith (116 runs from 102 balls)

Steve Smith

The Australian team certainly missed a stable batting department during the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner. These two are class batsmen, who act as the very backbone of the Aussie batting line-up.

Warner showed a glimpse of promise against England but it was Smith who impressed the most with a century. The former captain used the platform to reassure the side that his form remains untainted by the time out.

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#3 Shai Hope (101 runs from 86 balls)

Shai Hope

Maybe, the main strategy of the West Indies cricket team is to accumulate maximum runs in every single match and put the opposition under pressure. They trapped the mighty Kiwis during their warm-up clash in such a script by scoring 421 runs.

Most of the batsmen contributed with their quickfire cameos, but it was Shai Hope who played the anchor role with his cataclysmic century. The wicketkeeper-batsman could certainly play a key role in the main fixtures.

#2 Tom Blundell (106 runs in 89 balls)

Tom Blundell

Tom Blundell's century against the West Indies didn't result in a victory for New Zealand. However, it was really a reassuring performance because of the circumstances surrounding how and when it was scored.

Blundell isn't really an internationally established batsman with many years of experience. In fact, he is yet to make his official ODI debut. Such a batsman scoring a century against the mighty Caribbean bowling while chasing 400+ shows absolute class.

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#1 KL Rahul (108 runs in 99 balls)

KL Rahul

Over the past few years, India have been searching for a solid batsman to fill the coveted number four spot. The batsmen who were given that position failed to seal the deal one after another to a point where it became an overwhelming concern for the team management.

KL Rahul's century against Bangladesh in the warm-up match puts an end to that dilemma. The century showed some of the untapped potential in Rahul, and it would've certainly been reassuring for the side. Now, Rahul looks ideal to play in that spot.