{"id":9244,"date":"2019-05-15T10:24:07","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T04:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/?p=9244"},"modified":"2019-05-15T10:24:07","modified_gmt":"2019-05-15T04:54:07","slug":"icc-cricket-world-cup-2019-rating-openers-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019-rating-openers-side\/","title":{"rendered":"ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Rating the openers from each side"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is around two weeks away and the excitement is building among the fans across the globe with each passing day.
\nThe 2019 World Cup will be a mega platform to showcase talent and building consistency in ranks. Batting in particular is an important phase of the game and the openers in particular will be counted upon.
\nOver the decades, teams that have won the Cricket World Cup, have been blessed by their openers in particular. They face the new ball and often set the tone of the innings.
\nThey also get to face the maximum deliveries and provide a base for the side to build upon. A strong start is desirable and it’s something sides will be looking to build upon.
\nThe 2019 World Cup promises to set the fireworks from the openers, as each team is blessed with desirable names in their ranks. Here we rate the opening combinations of each team participating in the CWC 19 based on what they will offer and the efforts the players have put in recent past.<\/p>\n

India have quality in opening department<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Indian<\/p>\n

India\u2019s two main options in the opening lies with pioneers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. They have been the source of inspiration for many years now. The two understand their games well and there is a basic sort of comfort all around. Both Rohit and Dhawan have a staggering 4,586 partnership runs between them.<\/p>\n

They have hit 15 hundreds and 13 fifties together at an average just under 45. There’s quality on offer here. Both have the strength in playing the role as attackers and also as anchormen.
\nRohit and Shikhar are the go to openers and their understanding and maturity is what India will look up to. Both have the authority to command the situation.\u00a0Both the players had a successful year in ODIs in 2018. Providing depth is the in-form KL Rahul.<\/p>\n

The Karnataka batsman hasn\u2019t played much ODIs though (14), but this is the right time to invest in him as he is the in-form batsman. India get a 9\/10 rating. That’s simply because of the numbers and quality they bring on the table.<\/p>\n

Australia can rotate when required<\/h2>\n

\"\"
Usman Khawaja raises his bat after a ton against India in ODIs. (Image: Twitter @BCCI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nThe Aussies\u00a0have been remarkably boosted with the return of David Warner. The defending champions have a selection headache in terms of opening combination.
\nUsman Khawaja and skipper Aaron Finch have been solid together after scoring the runs against Pakistan in the 5-0 series whitewash earlier this year.
\nWarner, who made a return after 12 months, bagged the Orange Cap in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). His return means that the Aussies will have to change the dynamics a bit.
\nWhat we feel strongly is that all three of Finch, Khawaja and Warner will feature in the starting line-up and perhaps the skipper will drop down to accommodate Warner.
\nWarner and Finch have also enjoyed a solid run in the past and scored 2,126 partnership runs with five hundred under their belt. Australia get 9\/10 rating, They have three in-form batsmen and can be rotated at ease.<\/p>\n

England can provide the sparks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The English team will be relying on openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow to provide the ultimate joy atop and are both aggressive with their intent.<\/p>\n

They deserve a special mention for being the best in business going into the World Cup. They had a terrific 2018 and amassed 1,025 and 894 runs respectively. The aggression provided by the two players makes England dominate the show from the word go.<\/p>\n

All will depend on Roy and Bairstow\u2019s fine understanding. The two players have thrived at home and they know the conditions in and out. They can unsettle bowlers at ease. That\u2019s where the strength lies.
\nWith Alex Hales being sacked, England may look upto James Vince as the third opener likely. The absence of Hales will bother England and Vince has big shoes to fill in. England get 8\/10 rating.<\/p>\n

South Africa need to be consistent<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"SA\"
\nSA need a to find answers. They have the quality in the form of Quinton de Kock.
\nThe southpaw is currently enjoying a strong form with the bat.\u00a0He was on top gear against Sri Lanka in the ODIs this year.\u00a0De Kock churned out his most productive ODI bilateral series ever. He slammed one century and three fifties in five innings.
\nDe Kock will be one assured opener and it remains to be seen whom South Africa choose to partner him with at the top.
\nHashim Amla has been an accomplished senior player for South Africa in ODIs. He has scored 7,910 runs in ODIs at an average of just under 50. However, the classy batsman has struggled for form lately.
\nAiden Markram is the third name in the list. He has played 18 ODIs for the Proteas and has a poor average of 29.58. He is yet to hit a ton. SA need to be consistent and identify the right combination. They get a 7\/10 rating.<\/p>\n

Windies will rely on Gayle power<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"
\nChris Gayle and Evin Lewis are the obvious choices for the opening role for WI. The veteran Gayle\u00a0is the key man once again at the top of the order.
\nThe 39-year-old peaked during the 2-2 ODI series against England this year.\u00a0He was breathtaking and gave a glimpse of what\u2019s to come after\u00a0averaging 106 across the five games.
\nGayle is West Indies\u2019 most experienced player with 289 ODI caps to his name. Going with an in-form Gayle means a lot for West Indies.
\nLewis needs to show his prowess after being entrusted for the role. They have Nicholas Pooran as back-up. Both these players have the promise, but can they be the ideal partners for Gayle? WI get a rating of 6\/10 for being over reliable on Gayle.<\/p>\n

Pakistan can turn on the heat<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"
\nImam-ul-Haq is Pakistan\u2019s main asset in the opening department. The southpaw will need to be consistent. He has been a consistent force for the side.
\nHis principle role will be to play as an anchor and bind the side.\u00a0Joining him upfront is the explosive Fakhar Zaman. He can be inconsistent at times, but he presents an aggressive nature and could bolster the side in getting those brisk starts at the beginning.
\nRecently, he slammed a ton against England in the ongoing ODIs.\u00a0He will need to handle the responsibility well.
\nThe Asian team has the back-up in Abid Ali, who doesn\u2019t have experience under his belt. But he has the temperament as seen against Australia in his debut match. Mohammad Hafeez can open as well if required. Pakistan have variety on offer and get 7\/10 rating.<\/p>\n

New Zealand have to change things around<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Martin
Guptill is NZ’s main option – image source: Zee News<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nFor NZ, Colin Munro and Martin Guptill are the household names.\u00a0They will be the main openers and both provide the base of getting off to brisk starts. They can take the game away in a flash and that can set the tempo for the Kiwis. Although, both these players can be guilty of being inconsistent at times.
\nGuptill, who scored 423 runs in ODIs last year, was wayward against India at the start of 2019. He got back to form against Bangladesh and scripted two successive centuries.\u00a0He has the desired quality to come strong. Munro will need to play smart cricket and make his presence count.
\nWicket-keeper batsman Tom Blundell is be the back-up, but\u00a0is yet to play an ODI. With inconsistency and an inexperienced name as back-up, NZ get a rating of 5\/10.<\/p>\n

Bangladesh have worries to deal with<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"
\nThe opening pair has been an area of concern for Bangladesh. Besides Tamim Iqbal, the person to accompany him upfront has lacked the cutting edge. Both\u00a0 Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das have been in and out.
\nBoth batsmen have intermittently held the role, but neither has shown the quality to say, I earn this spot. It remains to be seen who gets the nod to join Tamim up the order.\u00a0Bangladesh may be tempted to start with Das, who barring\u00a0121 against India in the Asia Cup 2018 final, hasn\u2019t produced much substance.
\nIf he fails, then the Tigers will promote Soumya up the order to bat alongside Tamim. They get a rating of 4\/10.<\/p>\n

Afghanistan have promise on offer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"
\nAfghanistan have a promising opening combination. In\u00a0Mohammad Shahzad, they already have an opener, who has the desired knowledge and experience.\u00a0His boundary-hitting abilities could be the way for the side to go out and attack. The 31-year-old has scored 2,562 runs from 79 ODIs that includes five hundreds and 13 fifties.
\nHe will be well supported by Hazratullah Zazai.\u00a0If they decide to pair Zazai and Shahzad, there could be fireworks. The two can take bowlers to the cleaners in matter of no time.
\nThey also have\u00a0Noor Ali Zadran, who can be an able customer against the new ball. He has 47 ODIs under his belt. Facing top quality attacks can be immensely testing for them. Afghanistan get 6\/10 for their promise.<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka can struggle in CWC 19<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne is a notable Test player and he has played just 17 ODIs up till now.\u00a0So this will be a big test for the player to come in and mold himself to the demands of 50-over cricket. He will not get the time to settle in as this is the World Cup and teams will be coming hard at each other.<\/p>\n

21-year-old opening batsman Avishka Fernando keeps his place.\u00a0He is likely to be the back-up. He has played just 5 ODIs and scored 71 runs. He was recently seen against South Africa.\u00a0Thirimanne last played an ODI in 2017. He is most likely to open the batting. The left-handed batsman has the desired experience.<\/p>\n

With not such big names and gaps in their careers, Lanka get a rating of 3\/10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is around two weeks away and the excitement is building among the fans across the globe with each passing day. The 2019 World Cup will be a mega platform to showcase talent and building consistency in ranks. Batting in particular is an important phase of the game and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,41,785,542,946,563,818,580,679,693,602,318,2379],"tags":[1957,2212,2414,1176,1853,2415,1359,2416,2417,2418],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9244"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}