World Cup 2019: Top 5 batsmen in the most runs battle

The World Cup 2019 is underway in England and Wales with India and New Zealand unbeaten in their campaign thus far while on the contrary, South Africa have failed to register a single win from three encounters.

Hosts England and defending champions Australia have two wins from three games each while West Indies and Pakistan have one win, one loss and one washed out game from three of their encounters thus far.

Sri Lanka have had their fair share of bad luck with two of their games washed out apart from one win and a loss from their two contested matches. Afghanistan, meanwhile still battle to register their first points on the board with three losses.

While this World Cup was touted to produce mammoth scores, there have only been a handful of 300+ scores, with a couple of good knocks from the likes of Jason Roy, Rohit Sharma and Shakib Al Hasan lighting up the competition.

Here is a look at the five highest run-scorers up until the washed out game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

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#5 Rohit Sharma - India

Rohit Sharma's form will be crucial for India

Rohit Sharma had the perfect start to the tournament as he notched up a masterful 144-ball unbeaten 122 laced with 13 fours and two sixes that laid the platform for India's chase of 228 against South Africa.

With form on his side and an excellent average against Australia, Sharma continued his fine form against the defending champions and scored a 70-ball 57, stitching an important 127-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan that helped India to 352 from 50 overs.

From two games, Rohit Sharma has 179 runs at a strike rate of 83.64 including one century and one half-century. He has a high chance of scoring Most runs in World Cup.

#4 Joe Root - England

Joe Root has started off the World Cup in fine fashion

One of England's most consistent batsmen over a long period of time, Joe Root made a decent start to the tournament with a 59-ball 51 against South Africa and followed it up with an important 104-ball 107 against Pakistan.

Root's century against Pakistan made him the first batsman to score a century in the 2019 World Cup but unfortunately, was not enough to take England across the line in their chase of a mammoth 349-run target.

However, against Bangladesh, Joe Root could not make the most of his time in the middle as he fell early to Saifuddin for just 21 runs. Yet, with a number of matches to come, Root can be expected to move up the ladder of most runs in this World Cup.

From three matches, Root has 179 runs at an average of 59.67 at a strike rate of 93.23 with one century and a half-century.

#3 Jos Buttler - England

Buttler's ability to strike the ball to all parts of the ground makes him one of the best batsmen of all time

A technically gifted batsman, Jos Buttler has already made an impact with his aggressive brand of batting. After just a 16-ball 18 against South Africa in the opening game of the competition, Buttler was back in his element against Pakistan.

The wicket-keeper batsman walked in with England in a spot of bother at 86-3 from 14.5 overs in their chase of 349 runs. With a unique array of cricketing shots, Buttler gave Pakistan quite a scare as he smashed his way to a 76-ball 103 which included nine fours and two sixes but as unfortunate to finish on the losing side.

With momentum on his side, Buttler was pushed up the order against Bangladesh and came in during the 32nd over, with England looking to accelerate their scoring rate in order to apply scoreboard pressure on Bangladesh.

Buttler smoked the ball to all parts of the ground as he notched up a 44-ball 64 with two fours and four sixes, batting through pain as his knock helped his side put up a massive 386-6 on the board.

From three matches, Buttler has 185 runs with an average of 61.67 and a strike rate of 136.03, making him an important part of England's batting order.

#2 Jason Roy - England

Jason Roy scored a match-winning 153 against Bangladesh

One of the most destructive openers in ODI cricket, Jason Roy announced his arrival in the ongoing World Cup with a scintillating 121-ball 153 against Bangladesh that earned him heaps of praise from pundits and fans alike.

Having already notched up a fifty against South Africa, Roy fell for just 8 against Pakistan and was in line for a big knock. With the Bangladesh bowlers unable to hit the right lengths, Roy went on a hitting spree, peppering boundaries with ease.

Roy did start slow though, as he reached his fifty in 38 balls and his hundred from 92 balls but soon picked pace, adding a further 53 runs in just 29 balls. Roy finished with 153 runs from 121 balls, including 14 fours and five sixes.

From three matches now, Roy has 215 runs at an average of 71.67 and a strike rate of 118.78.

#1 Shakib Al Hasan - Bangladesh

Shakib Al Hasan produced a quality knock against England

Shakib Al Hasan's contribution to Bangladesh's rise in international cricket is unparalleled and yet again, the all-rounder is making crucial contributions in the ongoing edition of the World Cup.

In Bangladesh's vital 21-run win against South Africa, Shakib Al Hasan's 84-ball 75 earned him the top honours and in the next game against New Zealand, Al Hasan came in at No.3 and essayed a mature knock, scoring a 68-ball 64 even as his team was skittled out for 244.

In Bangladesh's chase of a mammoth 387 against England, Al Hasan was yet again the lone bright spark for Bangladesh as he notched up his maiden century this World Cup, a 119-ball 121 with 12 fours and one six that ensured that England did not get away with a huge win.

From three games, Shakib Al Hasan has 260 runs with an average of 86.67 and a strike rate of 95.94.