World Cup 2019: Team-wise best and under-par batsman

Several eyebrows were raised when New Zealand selected Tom Blundell instead of Tim Seifert in the World Cup squad. Blundell is yet to make his debut in ODI cricket and will play his first game in the World Cup if he gets a chance. He might not have played in a tournament as big as this earlier in his career and there would be a lot of nerves. His inexperience playing at this level makes him the under-par batsman of his team.

6. Pakistan

Best batsman – Babar Azam

In the Pakistan team, Babar Azam has got to be the best batsmen. Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman are not far behind. But Azam bats at the crucial number three position and often anchors the innings. He enjoys playing the long innings and is surely the most consistent in this team. The 24-year-old has got nearly 3,000 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 51 and strike rate of 86. With 9 ODI centuries already, Azam will look to add to his tally in the World Cup and play an important role for his team.

Under-par batsman – Imad Wasim

Pakistan’s Imad Wasim has got the ability to strike the ball big and is a valuable asset with the bat in T20 cricket. But his performance in ODI cricket with the bat isn’t as good. In the 34 innings that he played, Wasim remained unbeaten on 14 occasions and thus his average looks good on paper at 39. While he hasn’t really done much wrong and fitted into his role well, his numbers seem weak when compared to the other players.

7. South Africa

Best batsman – Quinton de Kock

For the best batsman from the South African team, the competition between Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis is quite high. Rassie van der Dussen has also been performing well in recent times. But the consistency levels of Quinton de Kock have been unmatched. He averages nearly 46 in the format and scores his runs at a strike rate of 96. De Kock has performed really well in recent times and even has 14 ODI centuries to his name.

Under-par batsman – Aiden Markram

Aiden Markram might be a good Test player but his success levels in ODI cricket haven’t been good. His average of 29 for an opener is under-par. This means that he doesn’t often provide his team with the best of starts. Markram’s highest score thus far is just 67 and isn’t the most reliable batsman in this Proteas batting line-up. He could possibly be used as the reserve player in case there are any injury woes.

8. Sri Lanka

Best batsman – Angelo Mathews

He might have started the tournament with two consecutive ducks but Angelo Mathews is still the best batsman in the Sri Lankan team. The all-rounder has played over 200 ODIs for his team and has been great all these years. While one might bring up the names of Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis, both these players aren’t consistent and haven’t done justice to their talent as yet. Even Dimuth Karunaratne is playing ODI cricket after a long while and thus Mathews seems the best of the lot at the moment.

Under-par batsman – Milinda Siriwardene

All-rounder Milinda Siriwardene is possibly the weak link with the bat in this team. The southpaw has played 26 one-day international games thus far and has accrued 513 runs at an average of just 23. He scored half-centuries in three innings which implies that he didn’t do much in the rest of the 23 innings where he batted. However, he could be useful if the team is looking for some quick runs at the death.

9. Windies

Best batsman – Shai Hope

Shai Hope, without a doubt, is the best batsman for the Windies in this format. He will be critical to their plans in the World Cup. No one from this team in recent times has played as consistent cricket as Hope has done. He currently ranks 5th on the ICC ODI batsmen rankings and scored over 2000 runs in ODI cricket. Hope already has 6 ODI centuries to his name and has got an excellent technique and temperament.

Under-par batsman – Darren Bravo

It was quite surprising that Windies opted for Darren Bravo in their World Cup squad ahead of some other good players. The left-hander has played in over 100 ODIs for his team and is still yet to make his mark. Thus far, he only scored 2820 runs in 107 ODI matches at an average of 30. His strike rate of 70, yet again, is quite disappointing and is definitely the weakest batsman in this squad.

10. India

Best batsman – Virat Kohli

It is a no-brainer that Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the Indian team, in fact, in the world at the moment. The Indian skipper has changed the definition of consistency and is breaking several records with every game. He already has almost 11,000 ODI runs at just 30 years of age and averages an unbelievable 60 in the format. A lot of India’s hopes in the tournament will lie on the shoulders of this Delhi lad.

Under-par batsman – Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar is just at the starting stages of his international career. While he can play some glorious shots, inexperience is what brings him here on this list. The nerves clearly got the better of him in the Nidahas Trophy 2018 final and it could have been curtains on his career had India lost that game. He is yet again in a similar position, playing the biggest event ever in cricket. If such a situation arises again at a crucial stage of the tournament, Shankar needs to come up with a better show.