World Cup 2019: 6 best knocks in the tournament thus far

The 2019 World Cup is well underway and it has already given us some spectacular performances on all fronts. There have been some scintillating performances with bat and ball, and with the flat tracks proving to be a batting paradise, batsmen have enjoyed some top shows.

England scored 311/8 in the opening match and with all the hype around big scores in this World Cup, South Africa failed to live up to expectations as they were skittled out for just 207. In their next game against Bangladesh, the South African bowlers were yet again put to task as Bangladesh registered their highest score of 330/6 in ODI cricket.

Joe Root's 104-ball 107 was the first century in this World Cup and was followed up by a masterclass by Jos Buttler, who notched up a scintillating 76-ball 103 laced with nine fours and two sixes.

With the tournament just starting out, there is no doubt that there will be more batting performances to look forward to, but, as of now, we have a look at some of the best batting shows in this edition thus far.

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#6 Ben Stokes (England) - 89 v Pakistan

Ben Stokes came through for his team

Ben Stokes proved just how good he is with the bat in England's opener against South Africa. He delivered an all-rounder performance, shining not only with the bat in hand but also with the ball, while his reverse-cupped one-handed stunner was dubbed as the 'catch of the century'.

In the opening game of the tournament, England was put in to bat first and amassed a respectable score of 311 runs in their 50 overs. Among half-centuries from Joe Root, Jason Roy, Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes, Stokes' knock stood out, with the southpaw mixing aggression with assurance as he notched up a 79-ball 89 with nine fours to take England to 311-8 from 50 overs.

#5 Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) - 84 v England

Hafeez's 84 was a quick-innings that gave Pakistan some impetus

Pakistan's experienced all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez could very well have been sitting in the sidelines after he underwent a follow-up surgery on his fractured thumb. Luckily for Pakistan, Hafeez was fit in time for the World Cup and provided his team with experience and talent to pull them through to an important win against England.

Pakistan was put in to bat in conditions that favored batting and the openers got them off to a great start, putting up 82 runs for the opening stand. Imam Ul-Haq fell during the 21st over and in walked Mohammad Hafeez, who was out for a 24-ball 16 against West Indies.

In the company of Babar Azam, Hafeez stuck to the basics and put up an impressive 88-run stand and continued his good run in the middle overs as an 80-run stand with Sarfaraz Ahmed took Pakistan to a place from where they could explode.

Pakistan put up a commanding total of 348-8 from 50 overs courtesy of Hafeez top-scoring with an important 62-ball 84 laced with eight fours and two sixes that earned him the 'Man of the Match' award and ended Pakistan's 11-match losing streak.

#4 Nathan Coulter-Nile (Australia) - 92 v West Indies

Nathan Coulter-Nile helped Australia win against West Indies

Coming off a comfortable win against Afghanistan, Australia's batting unit was put to a stern test against the West Indies bowling attack on a pacy strip as they found themselves tottering at 79-5 from just 16.1 overs.

An important 68-run stand between Alex Carey and Steve Smith was cut short by Russell and Nathan Coulter-Nile walked in, with all but little history of playing match-winning knocks in ODI cricket.

However, along with Steve Smith, Coulter-Nile exhibited a solid brand of batting, flicking and pulling with grace as he put up 102 runs with Smith before the latter was sent back by a Sheldon Cottrell stunner.

The fall of wickets around Coulter-Nile did not affect him as he went about playing out the West Indies' bowlers threat and in the process registered his highest ODI score of 92 from just 60 balls with eight fours and four sixes before he holed out to Jason Holder at long-on.

Coulter-Nile's impressive effort took Australia to 288 from 49 overs which sufficed in the end as they restricted the opposition to 273-9 and notched up an important 15-run victory.

athan Coulter-Nile managed to get Australia a win at Nottingham against West Indies with a brilliant 92 off 60 balls. He managed to maintained a crucial partnership with Steve Smith that took his team to a defensible total of 288.

Coulter-Nile said he did not think he would go on to score 92 at this crucial juncture. At the post-match presentation ceremony, he said, “No. I did not think I would get that much. I remember Smith being on 81 and me not hanging around in a practice game, so I thought I would stick around a little bit. I played a pull shot second ball and it went up, luck went my way – a couple dropped safely and inside edged a few. That's the way cricket goes.

“I felt it (the surface) was quite hard - it was a bit up and down but I settled in and got used to it.”

Nathan Coulter-Nile’s score of 92 is the highest score by a No.8 or below in World Cup history. H

#3 Jos Buttler - 103 v Pakistan

Joe Root and Jos Buttler fought valiantly to keep England in the chase

Faced with a tough task of chasing down 349 from 50 overs, Joe Root and Jos Buttler scored impressive hundreds but were still unfortunate to finish on the losing side as England finished 14 runs short.

England's chase was not off to the ideal start as the openers were followed by Eoin Morgan to the pavilion as the score stood at 86-3 from 14.5 overs. Ben Stokes was soon walking back to the hut with the score on 118-4 as Jos Buttler joined Joe Root at the crease.

Buttler's dymanic batsmanship was on display right from the first ball as he kept the scoreboard ticking with his wide array of shots and kept England in the game. Having reached his century in just 75 balls, Buttler earned the record of becoming the fastest batsman to a World Cup century but was soon sent back for a 76-ball 103 with nine fours and two sixes.

#2 Joe Root - 107 v Pakistan

Joe Root's spectacular ton couldn't carry England over the finish line

England's Joe Root became the first batsman to score a century in the World Cup 2019 when he got to the landmark against Pakistan at Trent Bridge.

Arriving at the crease with Jason Roy sent back in just the second over, Root did well to play out the new ball and also settled into the groove, ensuring that the required run-rate in their chase of 349 was never out of hand.

At one point in the match, Joe Root and Jos Buttler were looking set on course to take England past the finish line with their 130-run stand. However, Root's long vigil at the crease came to a sudden halt when he was caught by Hafeez off Shadab Khan that dented England's chase.

In the end, the hosts fell short by 14 runs but Root's knock stood out as he finished with a 104-ball 107 with 10 fours and one six that laid the foundation for England's chase.

#1 Rohit Sharma - 122 v South Africa

Rohit Sharma carried his team to victory against South Africa

Chasing 228 against South Africa in India's tournament opener, Rohit Sharma became the first Indian batsman to score a century in this World Cup with his 144-ball 122 dominating India's 6-wicket win.

Sharma's innings had a lot more value than just winning the game as India lost Shikhar Dhawan early to Rabada and Virat Kohli followed soon after. KL Rahul's mature innings gave Sharma a lot more freedom to attack as he got to his half-century and continued to pile misery on the South African bowlers.

All throughout the innings, he was cautious and ensured that he did not throw his wicket away. Post KL Rahul's dismissal, Sharma ensured that he was still at the crease and brought up his century off 123 balls and in the company of MS Dhoni, got India across the line with ease with over two overs to spare.