World Cup 2019: Three batsmen who could have a breakout season in this tournament

The 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup is up and running. Even though we have witnessed some one-sided games there is hope that will be a pretty competitive tournament going ahead. We have seen a surprise as Bangladesh defeated South Africa to get points on the table. Net run-rate could be an issue towards the later part of the tournament and hence some of the teams are trying to give it a booster shot right now.

We have seen over the years that the World Cup is all about performing under pressure. There is so much external pressure at this big stage that it tests your temperament as a player. It is in the World Cup where we get to see world-class players who play for their country for a long time.

It is always a joy to watch young players come up and perform at the highest level. Many times they don’t have the fear of failure and so tend to perform better than the others. This year as well there are a number of youngsters who would be worth watching. So, let’s have a look at three batsmen who could have breakout seasons in this World Cup.

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#3 Imam-ul-Haq

Imam-ul-Haq has shown tremendous consistency opening the batting

There is a lot of talk about India’s top-three but the Pakistani top-three too are really good and one of the key members of them is their left-handed opener, Imam-ul-Haq. In his short ODI career so far, Imam has scored 1389 runs in 29 games at a stunning average of 57.88 and a strike-rate of 81.18.

He has five fifties and six hundreds to his name. His conversion rate shows that he likes to score big whenever he gets in.

He doesn’t like to throw his wicket away which could be seen in the recent ODI series against England where he scored a 150. He is a good timer of the ball and works hard for his runs. He has the capability to be the match-winner up at the top for Pakistan. It wouldn’t be surprising if he has a great World Cup with the bat this year.

#2 KL Rahul

KL Rahul ended the No.4 debate for India

Lokesh Rahul solved the No. 4 problem for India after scoring that fabulous hundred against Bangladesh in the warm-up game. He came at a crucial stage when India had lost two early wickets and played the perfect role of a No. 4. We all know how much talent does this young man have. There is too much class in Rahul to not score runs consistently. When he scores runs, he looks like a millionaire.

Rahul hasn’t played much ODI cricket for India but we all know the damage he can do once he gets going. He has more than enough experience of playing in the Tests and the IPL. If India’s top three get going then he might come at stages where he will have to take on the bowlers pretty early.

But if India loses their openers early, then his role at No. 4 will become all the more important. He can definitely create some new records with the bat and hence he is one of the batsmen to watch out for.

#1 Rassie van der Dussen

Rassie van der Dussen has five fifties in ten innings

Rassie van der Dussen is a middle-order batsman for South Africa and we already saw him bat twice in this World Cup. He has played only eleven ODIs for South Africa but his record speaks volumes about his capability.

In the ten innings which he has batted, he has scored 444 runs at a mind-boggling average of 74 with a highest of 93. He has five 50+ scores in ten innings. Even in the first two games, he was really impressive with the bat in hand. He knows how to build an innings and score runs under pressure.

He might not be technically the most current batsman but he is effective and scores runs which is the most important thing. He is in great form at the moment and if he keeps going the same way he will surely break some records in this World Cup campaign.