World Cup 2019: 5 Records which can be broken in this edition

The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is about to get underway as the warm-up games are going on in full gear. The excessive fanfare has already started in support of each of the sides as encouragingly large crowds were seen in the clash between England and Australia as well as that between India and New Zealand.

With England proving to be a location more suited for high-scoring games, there is always a lot of excitement and action going on in the game. Most of the records which have previously been set are on course to be broken in this World Cup due to the advancing nature of the dominance of bat over the ball.

While winning the World Cup will be the main goal, personal milestones will also be given some importance by the players and they will look to surpass records and etch their name into the history books.

On that note, let's take a look at 5 records which can be broken in this edition.

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#5 Fastest ODI Half Century (16 Balls)

AB de Villiers is the current holder of this record

This is one of the more easier records which can be broken in this edition of the World Cup. The fastest ODI half-century scored by AB de Villiers is nowhere near the fastest T20 half-century and with the ODI game evolving into a high-scoring and attacking game, quick runs have become essential for any batting side.

This tournament also comes right after the IPL rather than before it, meaning that the players haven't had too much time to adapt to the difference in formats. While for a few players, this might be a disadvantage but it might prove to be an advantage to big-hitters who rely on their brute force.

Jos Buttler's blitzkrieg during the middle overs against a quality spin attack in the warm-up game against Australia had so much intent in it. It will not take much for players like Andre Russell, Hardik Pandya or Glenn Maxwell to conjure up something similar to break this record.

#4 Most Wickets in a World Cup (26)

Kagiso Rabada is one of the contenders to break this record

The record for most wickets in a single World Cup lies with Glenn Mcgrath, who is also the leading wicket-taker, overall in World Cup history.

While this isn't the first record that comes to your mind, it's highly possible that 26 wickets can be taken due to the change in formats. For a team to make it to the finals, they have to play 10 matches compared to the 8 games last tournament. Yet, Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult managed to pick up 22 wickets in just 8 and 9 games respectively.

This year, the World Cup is taking place in England which is clearly a pace bowler's paradise and with few of the world's top bowlers battling out for their respective nations, this record being broken this time around might not come as a surprise.

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#3 Highest Score in a World Cup Game (237*)

Martin Guptill smashed the West Indies in 2015

The highest score in a World Cup game was scored by Martin Guptill in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand when he remained unbeaten on 237 against the West Indies.

However, his record is certainly in trouble and though it does sound a bit tough, there a lot of chances that someone might surpass that score in this edition. The way the game has evolved, 300 is no longer a winning score and restricting the batsmen in just the powerplay overs is not enough as the batsmen have made it a habit of registering big scores in group stage games.

With players like Rohit Sharma, Jason Roy, Chris Gayle and David Warner competing in the tournament, the breaking of this record is completely within the realms of possibility.

#2 Highest Team Total in ODIs (481/6)

Alex Hales was a major reason for England's mammoth total

England holds the record for the highest ODI team total as they scored 481/6 against Australia in 2018 while Australia holds the record for the highest team total in a World Cup game as they scored 417/6 against Afghanistan in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Both these records can be broken in this edition of the World Cup due to the run-scoring prowess of each and every team and the batsman-friendly conditions currently on offer in England.

England scripted their record-breaking total on their home turf and with the sides showing what they can do with the bat in the warm-up games, teams breaking either of these records should not come as a surprise.

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#1 Most Runs scored in a World Cup (673)

Sachin Tendulkar scored 673 runs in 2003

Sachin Tendulkar currently holds the record for the most runs scored in a single World Cup as well as the highest run-scorer overall in World Cup history. The Little Master scored 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup held in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe in 11 matches.

This has been a pretty unbreakable record up till now because of the less no. of games a team played but due to the change in the format to a round-robin one, the teams get to play more matches and with the quality and consistency of batsmen who are in action, breaking this record isn't too tough.

Players like Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root are known for their consistency and can achieve this goal.