“Well begun is half done.”
The impact the openers can have on a team’s success in a major tournament can’t be stressed enough. A strong start eases the pressure on the middle-order and ensures that the powerplay overs are utilised well.
It’s not surprising that the opening batsmen from three of the four teams that have made it to the semi-finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup have performed a notch above the rest. New Zealand, however, have had to rely on captain and third man in, Kane Williamson, to get the job done.
We compare and contrast the openers based on their average, strike-rate and consistency.
The x-axis measures the batting average of the players while the y-axis scales their strike rate. The size of the bubble is proportional to the total runs scored by that player.
We can draw some major conclusions from the chart obtained by the data.
AUSTRALIA
Aaron Finch.
The defending champions have arguably the best opening pair in the tournament. David Warner and Aaron Finch have 1020 runs between them and have both led the leading run-getter’s chart at different times in the tournament.
Both the players have three fifties and two centuries in eight innings so far. The formidable pair has hence always formed a strong foundation for the Aussies to build a solid innings. However, the lower middle-order has often failed to end the game on the same tempo.
Warner boasts an average of 79.75 while Finch has a healthy 56.33. But the skipper has maintained a healthy strike-rate of 102.21, while the southpaw Warner has scored 638 runs at a cautious strike-rate of 89.48.
The Aussies are still strong contenders to defend the crown and the two players at the top of their batting line-up are the main reasons why they can threaten England at Edgbaston.
ENGLAND
Hosts England are also top-heavy but enjoy a more stable middle-order. A largely dependable line-up marked by the likes of Eoin Morgan, Joe Root and Ben Stokes has allowed openers Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy to play more freely and take more risks.
Given the liberty to go for the biggies, Roy (114.04) has registered the highest strike-rate among the opening batsmen from the top-four teams. Bairstow (97.26) has also achieved almost a run a ball so far and has completely let himself loose in the tail-end of the group stage games.
While Australia boast possibly the strongest opening pair, the Englishmen are up there as the most dangerous. Roy and Bairstow have maintained healthy strike-rates at a very good average of 68.2 and 51.33 respectively.
Both players have four 50+ scores – even though Roy missed three games with a hamstring injury – and have made it a habit to get there quickly. This pair can be extremely dangerous, especially if England bat first against Australia on Thursday.
INDIA
Rohit Sharma has certainly been the best batsman of the World Cup. The 32-year-old has scored 647 runs in the tournament, smashing five centuries and one fifty in the process. The leading run-getter of the tournament now holds the record for the most centuries in a World Cup.
Rohit has achieved this at a commendable strike-rate of 97.77 and his average of 92.42 is a level above any other opener. He has taken his time to settle at times, but has looked unstoppable after gaining some momentum.
It appears that the withdrawal of the injured Shikhar Dhawan from the squad has not hurt India as much as people expected. KL Rahul has maintained a 50+ average to ensure that the southpaw is not missed. Although Rahul has failed to maintain a massive strike-rate, he has done a good job in providing Rohit the support he needs and allowed him the liberty to take initiative.
The Mangauru-born batsman clearly isn’t as destructive as Dhawan but with one century and two fifties, he has shown that he is here to leave a mark and not just as a spectator.
This opening pair contains a fair balance of safety and destruction and could just be the most dependable of the lot up against New Zealand’s dangerous pacemen.
NEW ZEALAND
Unlike their neighbours, the Kiwis have not had any luck at the top of the order. Martin Guptill – who had a sensational World Cup in 2015 – has amassed just 166 runs, which incidentally is Warner’s best score in an innings this season.
It does not help New Zealand that Guptill’s partner Colin Munro has fared no better. The 32-year-old scored 125 runs in six games before being replaced by Henry Nicholls, who has scored eight runs in two games.
Munro and Guptill have registered averages of 25 and 23.71 respectively. They’ve been consistent – just not in the way New Zealand would have wanted.
Guptill’s highest score – a 73* against Sri Lanka – accounts for about 44 per cent of his total score in this tournament. This means that the Auckland-born batter has averaged 13 runs in the remaining games.
The Kiwis have had to rely on Williamson – who is ticking along at an average of 96, despite recent woes – far too much in this World Cup and the inability of the openers to come clutch in crunch moments will most likely hurt them in their semi-final against India
