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With the IPL done and dusted, the entire cricketing fraternity is awaiting the start of the most prestigious tournament in cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The tournament is scheduled to get underway on May 30 with a fixture between hosts England and South Africa.
The teams are set to submit their final squads on or before May 23 after which the practice matches will take place. This edition is set to be even bigger than its predecessors and is set to have a huge opening.
Similarly, the teams will want their openers to fire because in England which is home to a few of the greatest batting tracks in the world, a good start is essential.
On that note, let's take a look at the openers of each team and rank them.
#10 Afghanistan
Opening Choices- Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad and Noor Ali Zadran
Afghanistan are clearly the minnows when it comes to batting orders in this World Cup and staying in line with this, their opening batsmen are the least powerful among all the other teams.
These players certainly have the prowess and ability to make big scores but consistency and composure comes begging. Young Hazratullah Zazai can really take the opponent for a toss if he learns how to stay at the crease for a longer time than the power play.
Mohammad Shahzad meanwhile will be the one who Afghanistan will look upon to provide a great start and make a big score but the big keeper-batsman certainly has his weaknesses. Noor Ali Zadran too is an experienced player though he is a very slow scorer and isn’t one who you want chasing big scores.
All in all, Afghanistan have talent and ability but they have very limited experience and they have to mature remarkably if they want to successfully deal with opposition bowling attacks.
#9 Sri Lanka
Opening Choices- Dimuth Karunaratne, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis and Lahiru Thirimanne
Sri Lanka’s WC squad received a lot of flak one it was announced and a major reason for this was leaving out many experienced players who had done no wrong. Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal are the most notable omissions while Niroshan Dickwella is missed too.
Dimuth Karunaratne’s shock appointment as captain is another bad choice. In fact, both their first-choice openers, Dimuth and Fernando average less than 20 in ODIs and Karunaratne has not played an ODI in nearly 4 years.
They however, have some backup opening options in Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne and even Kusal Perera who are quality players and this gives the side some breathing spae even if the regular openers fail.
However, Sri Lanka’s openers need to pull out a really big surprise if they want to compete with the other teams in the World Cup.
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#8 Bangladesh
Opening Choices- Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun
Bangladesh have a very potent team this WC but their opening pair isn’t as strong as the rest of their side. Barring Tamim Iqbal, the other openers have little experience playing in a big tournament and their stats in ODIs don’t support them either.
Tamim Iqbal has been very consistent and has fared well in ICC tournaments. Liton Das, however, has a lot of areas to improve and must avoid getting out within the power play overs.
Mohammad Mithun is a decent backup option though he prefers to bat at No.3 or No.4.
Overall, Bangladesh have openers who are good enough for their side but they need to step up if they want to beat bigger teams during testing times.
#7 New Zealand
Opening Choices- Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, and Tom Latham
New Zealand are a very strong side and one to watch out for in this World Cup. They have a fiery bowling attack, very strong middle order and an exceptional leader in Kane Williamson but their opening partnership is one area on which they need to work on.
Martin Guptill is a fine player with a great record in ICC tournaments and there is no problem in his part of the opening partnership. It has been Colin Munro who has hurried too much at the start and losing his wicket very early and he needs to step up his game during the World Cup.
They have a backup in Tom Latham who opens in Test matches and Henry Nicholls, who bats at all positions in the side.
New Zealand, have a powerful opening pair who need to learn to preserve their wickets and if they do so, they can become a real threat in this tournament.
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#6 West Indies
Opening Choices- Chris Gayle, Shai Hope, and Evin Lewis
West Indies are one team which revolves around their opening batsmen, and these heavyweight opening batsmen must fire. Chris Gayle will undoubtedly be looked upon as the aggressor and the 'universe boss' will look to carry on his great IPL form to the WC. He has seen a huge change in fortunes in the ODI format since the series against England and can really tear the opposition apart.
Shai Hope, meanwhile has been a revelation for West Indies and has shined in all formats for the side and has scored runs at will. He’ll be the one to play a sheet anchor role and carry the innings forward. Evin Lewis is an able backup for these two and has a decent ODI record.
All in all, the Windies have a strong opening pair who can, however, succumb due to the team’s dependency on them.
#5 South Africa
Opening Choices- Quinton De Kock, Hashim Amla, Rassie Van Der Dussen, and Aiden Markram
South Africa are strong contenders for the World Cup even without AB de Villiers and their opening pair is one of their biggest strengths this time.
Quinton de Kock is in the form of his life when it comes to ODIs and his swashbuckling style of batting combined with his resolve to protect his wicket makes him a real gem of a player up top. Hashim Amla too will be an important player and his classy, patient innings will be the kind which South Africa will want.
They also have able backups in Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen.
All in all, South Africa have a very strong top order, most of which is from their openers.
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#4 Pakistan
Opening Choices: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, and Abid Ali
Pakistan may be the dark horses this WC as they have a young unit which is capable of beating any opposition on their day. Part of their dominance is their dynamic opening duo of Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq which have trodden upon oppositions with ease.
They have been in top form right from the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and they will be Pakistan's trump cards in the World Cup. To back them up is impressive Abid Ali who scored a hundred on his ODI debut.
All in all, Pakistan have a great set of openers to go with their strong bowling attack and will be the dark horses this tournament.
#3 England
Opening Choices: Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, and Joe Denly
England are one of the favorites to lift the World Cup and their ascent in ODI cricket has been fascinating to watch and most of the credit should be given to their highly consistent openers and Jos Buttler in the middle order.
Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy form one of the most devastating opening pairs in the world and the duo has strike-rates above 100 in the ODI format and an average of close to 40. They are in cracking form ahead of the World Cup and Bairstow's great debut season in the IPL is a testimony to the above.
Joe Denly is an able backup for these two and though Alex Hales will be sorely missed, England are still a batting powerhouse and their openers are among the best.
#2 Australia
Opening Choices- Aaron Finch, David Warner, and Usman Khawaja
Australia's banned duo of David Warner and Steve Smith have returned back to their side and after their series win over India and Pakistan, they look to be back as strong contenders this World Cup.
They have 3 quality options to open their batting and while Aaron Finch, the captain is sure to open, Usman Khawaja could drop down to No.3 in order to allow Warner to play at the top. Warner is well and truly back to form after he won the Orange Cap in IPL 2019 despite playing just 12 games.
Finch and Khawaja, meanwhile have worked really hard for the side in the last couple of years and have managed to keep the side afloat in the absence of their 2-star players.
Australia has a lot of experience and firepower and this combined with their strong bowling attack and big hitters, they are a strong side in this World Cup.
#1 India
Opening Choices: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul
India has the best opening pair by a large margin as their openers have conquered oppositions in all parts of the world. Shikhar Dhawan has scored the most runs in the last 3 ICC tournaments and if his love affair with them is set to continue, he can really set the tournament on fire.
Rohit Sharma meanwhile has been a very responsible deputy to Virat Kohli and has done a great job for India in limited overs cricket. Both these openers share a very special bond and their stats clearly illustrate the same.
Stylish KL Rahul is a strong backup option to Rohit and Shikhar as he's coming off a tremendous IPL season and has done a good job for India whenever he has opened the batting.
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