World Cup 2019: Rating the batting of all teams in the tournament

As years have gone along, the batting in limited-overs cricket has constantly evolved. Batsmen have improvised and adapted to scoring runs and that too at a quicker rate. The conditions have also been stacked in the favour of batsmen in white-ball cricket. Two new balls, flatter pitches and shorter boundaries are aiding the batsmen as well. 300 is no more a winning score these days as it was evident during the ODI series between England and Pakistan. In fact, scores of more than 350 have been racked up 53 times since the last World Cup in 2015. Moreover, the pitches in England are belters and the hitting ability of the teams will be tested. Teams cannot afford to lose the momentum at any stage of the innings and and clearly, each batsman of the line-up has to make sure of the same. Here we rate the batting of all the participating teams in the World Cup 2019 England – 9.5/10 Jason Roy of England celebrates with Jonny Bairstow. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images) The group stage exit in the 2015 World Cup may have been a blessing in disguise for England. That 2015 debacle led to a drastic change in the way they approached 50-over cricket. While the pitches have been in favour of the batsmen, the way England go about their business in ODI cricket has been fabulous. They hit the 300-run mark consistently. They possess power-hitters throughout the line-up and bat very deep. Starting right from the top with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, England have an explosive opening pair. Joe Root and Eoin Morgan have shown the ability to adapt to different situations. Then comes the powerhouse of their batting line-up with Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali. Moreover, England, by far, have the best lower order in the world. In fact, Adil Rashid who has multiple first-class centuries would be the best No. 10 or 11 going around. Hence, going into the World Cup, England certainly possess the best batting unit. India – 8.5/10 Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) India is predominantly recognised as a batting country with the number of stalwarts it has produced so far. Even today, India have one of the best top three in limited-overs cricket. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli do the bulk of the scoring and have won numerous games for the Men in Blue. However, the problem lies at No. 4. It is one spot that they’ve found no solution to in the last four years. Moreover, with MS Dhoni needing time to get going and Kedar Jadhav blowing hot and cold a touch, India tends to lose momentum in the middle overs. Dhoni and Jadhav should take care that the scoring rate is not getting affected when they come out to bat. Also, Hardik Pandya will play a huge role of a finisher in this World Cup and if he manages to replicate his IPL form, then he can definitely make up for the middle-overs blip. The lower order is not so great for the two-time champions and the top seven will have to make sure that they bat most of the overs. Australia – 8.5/10 Glenn Maxwell. (Photo Source: Twitter) If this list was made two or three months back, Australia would’ve got a lower rating. However, things have turned around quite drastically in the last couple of months. The Australian batsman have started to show consistency and have started winning games for them as well. Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch hit form at the right time while Shaun Marsh who has been in and out of the ODI side has been in good form throughout. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are all-round options but act as power-hitters and have done well too. Add to this, the flair of David Warner and the consistency of Steve Smith. The addition of the two stars to the in-form batting line-up certainly gives this side a massive boost. West Indies – 8.5/10 Chris Gayle. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) The last time Windies won an ODI series was against Bangladesh back in 2014. Since then, they have been poor in the 50-over format and haven’t been able to put up strong performances. The Caribbeans certainly possess the firepower and can set or even chase down huge targets. They possess a formidable batting line-up starting right at the top. Chris Gayle has been in murderous mood in recent times while Shai Hope has been supremely consistent. Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo add teeth to the middle-order. Meanwhile, Andre Russell who has been in fabulous form adds some muscle to side. Windies have a few more options and most of them can be dangerous with the bat. New Zealand – 8/10 Martin Guptill. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) The New Zealand batting line-up may not seem as good as it was back in the 2015 World Cup. However, it is still a good one. Martin Guptill has been very good at the top while Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor hold forte in the middle. The experienced duo have shouldered the bulk of New Zealand’s batting responsibility. The middle-order does have a couple of good, solid batting power but there are a couple of spots to be filled. First is Guptill’s opening partner and then next would be the mix of all-rounders. Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme are other two big hitters in the line-up. Overall, the Kiwis have quite a bit of experience in their side and have always been the dark horse in ICC tournaments. South Africa – 8/10 Quinton de Kock. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Ever since AB de Villiers retired, South Africa have been searching for his able replacement. That void is quite big. Moreover, there are a couple of players who are out of form. Hashim Amla hasn’t been able to buy a run while David Miller hasn’t been in the greatest of forms either. However, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock have led the charge with the bat more often than not. There are a lot of expectations from Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram. The South African batting seems quite talented and has the ability to put up big scores. They will hope their key players hit form ahead of the big tournament. Pakistan – 7.5/10 Babar Azam. (Photo Source: Twitter) Pakistan have racked up 340+ on every occasion in the recently concluded series against England. However, they have tended to struggle with the bat. They have always been criticised for not putting up the big scores. They will take heart from the fact that they could prove their critics wrong in the series against England. Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam have been consistent while Fakhar Zaman has given Pakistan some good starts. But the problem starts in the middle with no power-hitters. Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik are all anchors and cannot go hard straightaway. Pakistan will hope the inclusion of Asif Ali adds some power in the middle-order. Bangladesh – 7.5/10 Tamim Iqbal. (Photo Source: Twitter) Bangladesh have come a long way in ODI cricket over the last few years. They have been playing consistent cricket and they also made it to the semi-final of the 2017 Champions Trophy. They boast of a pretty and experienced batting unit. Barring a few positional changes, Bangladesh’s batting line-up has been playing together for quite some time now. Tamim Iqbal has been brilliant at the top while his opening partners have come and gone. Shakib Al Hasan at three seems to be a good option and the all-rounder has delivered every time he played at that slot. Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim control the innings in the middle. However, the big question will be, can Bangladesh put up big scores or even chase them down?. If they do manage to do that, Bangladesh will give teams a run for their money. Afghanistan – 7/10 Mohammad Shahzad. (Photo Source: Twitter) Afghanistan’s rise in international cricket has been a remarkable story. This is the second World Cup that they will play. Afghanistan have always been a strong bowling group. However, the batsmen have often let the team down. Mohammad Shahzad has been brilliant at the top and some of the batsmen have been doing well. Rahmat Shah has been the pivot at No. 3 while the likes of Asghar Afghan and Hashmatullah Shahidi are constants in the middle-order. There is no hitter in the line-up who can smash the ball from the word go. They will surely put up an admirable fight in the tournament but they might always post 10-20 runs less than the par score or target. Sri Lanka – 6/10 Dimuth Karunaratne. (Photo by Rob Jefferies/Getty Images) Sri Lanka was the only team that sprung a lot of surprises while naming their World Cup squad. Captains changed and there was a major reshuffle, especially in the batting department. The likes of Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal and Upul Tharanga have all been shown the door despite constantly featuring the XI. Hence, Sri Lanka’s batting wears an inexperienced look that will surround Angelo Mathews. The all-rounder will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility with the bat. The opening combination has changed as well with Dimuth Karunaratne taking over the captaincy reins and returning to the ODI side after four years. The likes of Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva will need to do the bulk of the scoring.

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World Cup 2019: Rating the batting of all teams in the tournament

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