World Cup 2019: Ranking the top five batsmen of the tournament

Before the World Cup, fans and critics expected the tournament to be a batsman's tournament. Change in rules and improvement in batsmen's equipments had tilted the game in their favour in the limited-overs format. In the last few years, we had seen even scores of 350 plus being chased with ease.

Contrary to the predictions made by fans and critics, bowlers did have a role to play in the tournament. The pitches had something for the bowlers so the batsmen had to work hard for their runs, especially in the latter half of the tournament.

Teams had to work hard to even chase score around 250, owing to the conditions and pressure of the World Cup. In spite of these difficulties, we saw a record seven batsmen score more than 500 runs in the tournament. To put this in context, before this tournament, only seven batsmen had been able to achieve this feat in all the editions.

It is very difficult to pick the best in the tournament, but here is a selection of the batsmen who made the most impact with the willow.

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#5 David Warner - 647 runs

David Warner

David Warner was making a return to international cricket after serving a ban for his involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal. The devastating opener curbed his attacking instincts for the benefit of the team as he took his time before going for his shots.

It proved to be a great move as the left-hander finished as the second top-scorer of the tournament. Warner scored 647 runs in the tournament including three centuries and three half-centuries.

The Australian opener had a chance to become the highest scorer of the tournament but he fell short by one run in the semi-final. While it was a great tournament on a personal level, the left-hander must be disappointed as he could not save his team from being knocked out by England.

#4 Jonny Bairstow - 532 runs

Jonny Bairstow was at the front of England's resurgence in the tournament

Jonny Bairstow has been one of the best batsmen in the ODIs in the last few years. At one stage, England seemed to be struggling to even qualify for the semi-finals. Critics and fans started to question if the English team could handle the pressure, but Bairstow came out in style and silenced the doubters, particularly aiming former English cricketers Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen.

The right-handed batsman scored two centuries in the last two matches of the group stage against India and New Zealand to help his team qualify for the semi-finals, bringing England back to their aggressive ways.

While he failed to put a big score in the final, he scored a stroke-filled half-century against a Mitchell Starc-led bowling line-up in the semi-final to give England the momentum ahead of the final.

#3 Shakib Al Hasan - 606 runs

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan was the most consistent batsmen in the 2019 World Cup. The Bangladeshi all-rounder was in incredible form of the tournament as he scored at least 40 runs in every innings in the 2019 World Cup.

In the process, Shakib scored two centuries and five half-centuries, which helped him equal the world record set by Sachin Tendulkar. The left-hander scored fifty or more runs in an innings seven times, which is the same as the number of by the Indian maestro in the 2003 edition.

Despite his heroics, he could not save his team from bowing out of the tournament in the league stage. While it was a disappointing tournament for Bangladesh, no one will forget the effort of Shakib. He also picked 11 wickets to become the first player to achieve the double of scoring more than 600 runs and taking more than 10 wickets in a single World Cup.

#2 Rohit Sharma - 648 runs

Rohit Sharma

While Indian fans are still recovering from the disappointment of the semi-final loss to New Zealand, they can take heart from some of the performances in the league stage. Rohit Sharma was on fire as he scored five centuries in just eight innings before the semi-final.

The "Hitman" scored 648 runs throughout the tournament to finish as the top-scorer of the tournament. In the process, the right-hander broke Kumar Sangakkara's record of most centuries in a single World Cup campaign. Rohit looked like a man on a mission to win the tournament for India.

He failed to deliver against New Zealand in the semi-final as the dream was cut short for the Men in Blue. This also meant that he fell short of Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of most runs in a single record. While the semi-final was a forgettable match, it was a memorable tournament for Rohit Sharma.

#5 Kane Williamson - 578 runs

Kane Williamson

Cricket is a team sport but some players have the ability to singlehandedly upgrade a team. One of those players is Kane Williamson, who played a pivotal role in the success of his team in the 2019 World Cup. While three batsmen scored more than Williamson in the tournament, the Kiwi captain deserves the first spot due to his importance to New Zealand.

Williamson scored at least 228 runs more than anyone for New Zealand in their campaign. The Kiwi top-order had a poor World Cup but the right-hander dug his team out of trouble on multiple occasions throughout the tournament.

He scored back to back match-winning centuries against South Africa and West Indies to help his team qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-final, he scored a brilliant half-century against India, which helped Kiwis post a competitive total on the board. While Williamson and his team suffered heartbreak in the final, he deservedly walked home with the Man of the Tournament award.