World Cup 2019: Top 5 tournament debutants to watch out for

Cricket's biggest celebration - ICC World Cup 2019 is set to commence on May 30th. To make the tournament more exciting and intense, ICC decided to change the format from group stages to round robin and allowed only the top 10 ranked teams to compete this time, barring the associate nations.

There are the modern greats - the Fab 4s, the Steyns, the Morgans, the Cummins everyone is excited for. But the World Cup also serves as a platform for the future stars to mark their arrival in style.

The 2019 World Cup also features quite a few players who'll be playing their first 50-over World Cup. Some of these have already shown a lot of promise in their rather short careers. Here's a list of the five top World Cup debutants you should watch out for:

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 2

3 years is all it took Jasprit Bumrah from making his debut to becoming the leader of the Indian pace attack. In limited overs, he is captain Virat Kohli's go-to strike bowler irrespective of the stage of the game.

From the whispering bouncers to the toe-crushing yorkers and the unpickable slower ones, he has everything one could ask of a modern-day fast bowler.

2018 was a dream year for Bumrah. Not only he made it to the test squad, but also his ODI numbers were also astonishing. In 13 ODIs he played in 2018, he picked up 22 wickets at 16.63 a piece, maintaining an economy rate of 3.62 and a strike-rate of 27.5.

He currently sits as the No. 1 ODI bowler in the ICC rankings. It's rare but for the very first time, India doesn't really have any bowling woes going into the World Cup. And a lot of weight to the statement comes from the form Bumrah is currently in.

#2 Jason Roy

West Indies v England - 1st One Day International

England is certainly going into the world cup as the favorites. And while they have quite a few match winners in the squad, the dominance of Jason Roy as an opener is what they'll be betting big time in the upcoming World Cup.

Since making his debut on May 8, 2015, Roy has amassed 2661 runs in 73 ODI appearances at an average of 38.56 and a smoking strike rate of 105.51. As 300+ totals is a norm these days, Roy has become England's chase-master helping them successfully chase down massive totals.

It's his destructive nature of play that helped England chase down 305 in Melbourne, against Australia, last year. His record-breaking 180 off 151 balls helped England cruise their way to victory with 7 balls to spare.

This year he scored a 65-ball century to set up another successful massive run chase against the West Indies in Barbados, where England managed to chase down 361.

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#3 Kagiso Rabada

South Africa v Sri Lanka- One Day International

Kagiso Rabada, the fiery South-African speedster about whom Alland Donald is certain that he's well on his way to becoming South Africa's all-time greatest fast bowler, is another exciting World Cup debutant.

Making his ODI debut at the age of 20, Rabada has picked up 106 wickets in 66 appearances at an average of 26.43. He's currently at No. 5 in ICC's ODI Bowling Rankings. Last year, he was awarded Wisden's Golden Boy award, a yearly honor which goes to the best Under-23 male cricketer in the World.

In a pace attack studded with the likes of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, Rabada is the X-factor.

#4 Babar Azam

Pakistan v New Zealand - 3rd One Day International

Touted in the media as Pakistan's Virat Kohli, this 24-year old Lahore batsman certainly is one of the promising ones. Seems like the land of fast bowlers has managed to produce a batting prodigy.

Currently the No. 5 ODI batsman in the ICC rankings, Babar Azam has scored 2462 runs in 59 ODI appearances at an impressive average of 51.29. Since making his debut he has been instrumental in Pakistan's victories. On 29 occasions Pakistan has won with Azam in the side, his average bumps up to 85.94. Whereas in 28 losing occasions, he averages just 28.10.

Pakistan is a team which can never be written off no matter their form before the tournament. They surprised everyone by clinching the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017. And if they were to surprise us again, Azam will be relied upon to score big.

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#5 Rashid Khan

BBL - Strikers v Heat

When the World Cup 2019 will begin, Rashid Khan will not have turned 21. But, there's hardly anyone who is not already excited for this prodigious wrist spinner to spread his brilliance in the World Cup.

Rashid sits at No. 3 in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings and No. 1 in the All-rounder Rankings. In 57 ODI appearances, he has picked up 123 wickets at an astonishing average of 15, an economy of 3.90, and a strike-rate of 23.

Afghanistan qualifying for the World Cup ahead of Zimbabwe and Ireland is a proof of the country's cricketing passion. And while it looks a long shot for the team to reach the knockouts, it doesn't feel unrealistic for Rashid to feature among the top 5 wicket-takers of the tournament. Such is the charisma of this player!

Let us know in the comments which World Cup debutant you'll be watching out for.