World Cup 2019: Rating the pace bowling attack of all the teams

The hosts were spoilt for choices and they didn’t even bother to drop an in-form David Willey to accommodate Archer. The West Indian-born pacer paid it back by taking 3 for 27 against South Africa. The English pace battery in this World Cup could be a real headache for teams as someone like Ben Stokes can chip in as the sixth bowler. Spearhead Chris Woakes went without a wicket against SA but that didn’t stop England from bowling the opponents out.

Mark Wood didn’t get an opportunity in the match either. Liam Plunkett is another handy weapon that Eoin Morgan has as is Tom Curran who also didn’t get to play against the Proteas. But at times, they are out of ideas and leak runs from all ends. However, Archer’s inclusion makes their pace bowling look strong.

Australia: 9/10

Australia’s pace-bowling attack will also be among the top three. They have in fact picked a lot of pacers for defending the title and it is unlikely that the absence of Josh Hazlewood and Jhye Richardson will be felt. Left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc, the joint highest wicket-taker last time, will be Australia’s key bet this time as well.

Then there are Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson and Marcus Stoinis who bowls medium-fast but has been largely been overlooked of late. While Starc and Cummins will be the spearheads, the role of Behrendorff or Coulter-Nile will be key as the third seamer and a lot about Australia’s fortunes will depend on that.

South Africa: 8.5/10

The trio of Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi certainly makes the South African pace attack one of the best of this World Cup. However, the fitness of the ageing Steyn who missed the first match against England will be a concern for Faf du Plessis. But when in flow these three bowlers can blow any opposition away and they might do it in this edition of the World Cup as well.

Chris Morris who made it in the last minute and Andile Phehlukwayo also bring some experience as supporting bowlers while Dwaine Pretorius is still in his early days. Imran Tahir complements the South African pace bowling well but the Proteas have to ensure that their pacers are fully fit to do the job for them.

New Zealand: 7/10

New Zealand might not be as tight in their fast bowling like some of the other teams but the presence of the veteran spearheads in Trent Boult and Tim Southee make them a force. The two pacers have over 330 ODI wickets between them and could be a deadly combination in the English conditions.

Boult took eight wickets in the two warm-up games and the Kiwis will look forward to another 2015-like performance from him. The back-up to Boult and Southee has some experiences in Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson and James Neesham but the job will largely depend on how quick the top two make inroads.

Windies: 6/10

The two-time champions have a strong contingent of fast bowling no doubt but will they click as a unit? The likes of Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell are too inexperienced in international cricket while Shannon Gabriel made a comeback recently in Ireland after a long gap.

The experience lies with skipper Jason Holder and Kemar Roach while the likes of Carlos Brathwaite and in-form Andre Russell will have to chip in with a solid supporting role. In the ultimate analysis, the Windies might have reflected on the past to pick a bowling attack having more pace bowlers but some other teams rank better than them in this department now.

Sri Lanka: 5.5/10

A lot has been said about Sri Lanka’s squad selection for this World Cup. A number of experienced players have been overlooked and the captain, Dimuth Karunaratne, has not played in an ODI after 2015. However, even though the batting gives rise to speculation, the Islanders do not have too bad a pace bowling attack.

They will be led by the evergreen Lasith Malinga who has 322 wickets under his belt. Experienced Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal and former captain Angelo Mathews will be handy support to Malinga. Besides, the presence of left-arm seamer Isuru Udana definitely adds diversity to the Lankan bowling attack. But can they restrict top batting line-ups on flat tracks in England?

Pakistan: 5/10

It is ironical that Pakistan, who have always been known for their pace-bowling attack, is ranked so low this time. It is precisely because the Men in Green have taken a ride on the time machine by bringing two old warhorses back into the final squad after the hammering they received from England.

But how much will the presence of Mohammad Amir, who has five wickets from last 15 games, and Wahab Riaz, who hasn’t played ODIs after the Champions Trophy in 2017, improve Pakistan’s bowling attack that can’t defend almost anything, not even against Afghanistan? Mohammad Hasnain is too young still while Hasan Ali is mid-experienced. Shaheen Afridi has a lot of potential but he too is early in his career. The decision to omit Junaid Khan and Faheem Ashraf might make Pakistan bleed in the tournament.

Bangladesh: 4/10

The Tigers will be banking heavily on Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain, the hero for his countrymen in the last World Cup. However, the former’s injury woes will remain a concern for Bangladesh apart from the fact that he has lost a bit of pace. Captain Mashrafe Mortaza is an ageing pacer and his fitness will also be a headache.

Abu Jayed has just made his debut and although he took a fifer in his second game against Ireland, World Cup is a completely different ball game for newcomers. Mohammad Saifuddin is another pacer in the ranks but with only 11 wickets from 13 games and an average of 44 plus, he is not too experienced either. For Bangladesh, Rubel, playing in his third World Cup, will be key.

Afghanistan: 4/10

Afghanistan, who are playing their second World Cup after 2015, are a team which banks more on their famed spin attack led by the sensational Rashid Khan. Their pace attack has nothing much to write about except a few like Hamid Hassan who returned to the national team after a while and Dawlat Zadran who has 107 scalps.

Captain Gulbadin Naib is another pacer who recently took a six-fer against Ireland but will more often not complete his quota of overs. Aftab Alam is the other pacer in the side with 37 international wickets. Overall, Afghanistan certainly look a pacer short.

India: 8.5/10

One of the best fast-bowling attack in this World Cup among the visiting teams. Jasprit Bumrah is undoubtedly the man to watch out for in this competition. His skills in wicket-taking and drying up runs in the death overs have become legendary now. Mohammed Shami is another top performer in the side who has been doing his job relentlessly across both Tests and ODIs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar though hasn’t played international cricket for some time now but he can be a handy bet in English conditions. And then there is Hardik Pandya, who the Indian fans would like to see as their reply to Stokes. Vijay Shankar is another medium pacer in the ranks and provided he gets games, it would diversify India’s attack more. The Men in Blue might miss a left-arm seamer though.