ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is on with India as a host. It is India’s first time solely hosting the mega event, as they co-hosted the 1987, 1996, and 2011 editions. The Cricket World Cup is truly a thrilling spectacle and unites talent from all around the globe. Fast bowling is one of the admirable aspects of cricket, and there are plenty of talented pacers in each team in this World Cup. Who will top the bowling charts from his team? Let’s take a look at the pacers who can make a significant impact in this mega ICC Event.
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Jasprit Bumrah (India)
India is a stronger contender for this World Cup. They have the advantage of home conditions, too. Jasprit Bumrah is the premium fast bowler for the Indian team. He made it back into the Indian side just before the World Cup. It was astonishing to see how Bumrah carried himself after the injury. He came back with greater intent and fresh skills. Bumrah’s exceptional abilities make him a match-winner. His arsenal is full of variety. He can swing the ball both ways, especially the in-swinger, a perfect Yorker, and bowl a lethal bouncer when needed.
Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
Shaheen Afridi is one of the lethal fast bowlers in modern cricket. He has pace, talent, and everything to be the world’s best bowler. He is famous for his wicket-taking heroics in powerplay, especially in the first over of the game. His death bowling is a thing of beauty, too. He can swing the ball on either side and delivers brilliant Yorkers. Pakistan’s spearhead can bowl slower ones and target the perfect areas. We have witnessed him outfoxing some of the best batters in the world. He has 90 wickets in 47 ODIs with an average of 23.86. A knee injury caught him in 2022, and he returned to international cricket after months in April this year.
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Trent Boult (New Zealand)
Boult is the icon pacer for New Zealand, and with Tim Souhtee injured, the responsibility is totally on him. The left-arm pacer is no shy of brilliant performances in the ICC events. Boult is the kind of bowler who can change the course of a big game single-handedly. Swinging the ball back and targeting perfect areas highlight the abilities of Trent Boult. He has been in good form against Bangladesh and England in the recent ODI series, where he took a 5-fer as well. He is a death bowling maestro as well and can bowl great Yorkers. He has taken 200 wickets in his ODI Career in 107 matches. He is currently at 3rd position in ICC ODI Rankings.
Mitchell Starc (Australia)
Starc is one of the most feared quick bowlers in cricket. He has led the Australian bowling line-up for a decade. He is among the few pacers worldwide who consistently bowls around 150 KPH. He can produce picture-perfect Yorkers. Starc is as lethal with the new ball as with the old one. He is currently in 7th position in the ICC ODI Rankings. He proved his form with a hat-trick in the warm-up match against Netherlands.
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Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
Kagiso Rabada is an experienced fast bowler from South Africa who can be a true magician with the ball at times. He can swing the ball both ways with good pace. His skill set makes him a bowler to look out for, especially in the Indian conditions. He can generate sharp bounces while maintaining his brilliant pace. Rabada’s pinpoint accuracy and wicket-taking ability make him a key player for his team. He has taken 149 wickets in his 94 One-Day Internationals. He is in the Top 15 in the ICC ODI Rankings.
Mark Wood (England)
Mark Wood portrays a raw pace and can consistently breach the 150 KPH mark. It will be challenging to play him at these Indian pitches with an absurd bounce at times. His lethal bouncers are second to none. He has played 62 ODI games, taking 74 wickets. He had a good stint in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, but injuries kept him mostly from ODIs. He has done great in Test Cricket this year and will also be looking to carry his form into ODIs.
Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka)
Dilshan Madushanka is a young and upcoming left-arm fast bowler from Sri Lanka. He has played only 9 ODI games and has taken 17 wickets. He is a good swinger of the ball and a wicket-taker in powerplay. He also has good slower deliveries in the middle and death overs. These make him a special player. He will impact Sri Lanka’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign.
Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)
Mustafizur Rahman is one of the best fast bowlers Bangladesh has ever produced. He is a skilled pacer with a taking ability early on in the powerplay. Mustafiz has a set of cutter variations that have brought him most of the success. His slower deliveries help him in death bowling, too. He has 158 wickets in 96 ODI matches with an average of 24.81. He has not performed worthy of his skills in recent times. However, conditions in India are mainly similar to those in Bangladesh, which will help Rahman.
Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan)
Fazalhaq Farooqi is a young left-arm pacer from Afghanistan. He is a promising fast bowler and can rattle the sumps in the early overs of the game. He has the ability to swing the ball and deliver deadly slower balls when required. He has 34 wickets in 24 games at an average of 29.38. Farooqi can swing the new ball and hit the hard lengths.
Bas de Leede (Netherlands)
Bas de Leede has greatly improved coming into this ODI World Cup campaign for the Netherlands. He is a right-arm fast bowler and has been a consistent performer with the bat and the ball. He took 15 wickets in 7 games during World Cup Qualifiers and helped his team in a big way in entering the quest for the mega ICC Prize.
