Several batting records were broken in the just concluded 2019 ICC World Cup, but it didn’t really turn out to be the batting festival as predicted by many before the tournament began.
Ultimately, it ended up being a pretty even contest between bat and ball in England with bowlers making their voices heard loud and clear over the course of the six weeks.
Among the bowlers, it was the pacers who were the more dominant force compared to the spinners with conditions in England playing to their strengths.
What was more remarkable about the bowling display in the World Cup was the success enjoyed by left-armed pacers. Among the top nine wicket-takers of the tournament, as many as five of them were left-armed fast bowlers.
Here, we look at their incredible showing in the 2019 World Cup.
Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
Matches: 5
Wickets: 16
Economy-rate: 4.96
The teenager was not an initial part of the Pakistan playing XI, but he seized his opportunity with both hands after Hasan Ali’s ineffective showings.
Afridi bowled with some venom in his five outings with his cleverly disguised slower delivery doing plenty of damage. Just over a year ago, the youngster was playing in the U19 World Cup for Pakistan and now he has his name on Lord’s honours board following his five-wicket haul against Bangladesh.
His figures of 6-35 against the Tigers was the best by any bowler in the entire tournament.
Afridi was flying in his maiden World Cup campaign.
Trent Boult (New Zealand)
Matches: 10
Wickets: 17
Economy-rate: 4.83
The New Zealand stalwart has consistently been up among the very best over the past four years or so and he did not disappoint in the World Cup.
Boult led the formidable Kiwi pace attack admirably in the tournament with his trademark inswingers to right-handed batsmen making plenty of appearances.
The southpaw was at his very best in the semi-final against India where he trapped danger-man Virat Kohli plumb in front of the wickets with another booming inswinger.
Boult was pivotal to New Zealand’s strong run.
Mohammad Amir (Pakistan)
Matches: 8
Wickets: 17
Economy-rate: 4.90
The Pakistan pacer couldn’t buy a wicket to save his life over the past two years, but they came at bucketloads for him in the World Cup.
Amir was back to his very best in England and showed some excellent control with both the new and the older ball. The senior Pakistan left-armed pacer was particularly brilliant in his side’s loss to Australia at Taunton where he returned with figures of 5-30.
All that and more from a man who was not picked in Pakistan’s initial 15-man World Cup squad.
Amir was back to his old best.
Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)
Matches: 8
Wickets: 20
Economy-rate: 6.70
While he might have been slightly on the more expensive side, Mustafizur Rahman turned out to be Bangladesh’s best wicket-taking threat in the tournament.
The 23-year-old did extremely well to finish as the fourth highest wicket-taker in the tournament and managed to bag five-wicket hauls against India and Pakistan with the latter coming at the iconic Lord’s.
His canny slower deliveries in the death overs worked a treat and the youngster is starting to look like his former self once again after what was a lean period for him.
20 wickets is no small feat by Mustafizur.
Mitchell Starc (Australia)
Matches: 10
Wickets: 27
Economy-rate: 5.43
It was once again Starc’s tournament to shine with the Aussie pace spearhead finishing as the top wicket-taker for the second World Cup campaign in a row.
Starc created history in England by bettering his compatriot Glenn McGrath’s record of picking up 26 wickets in a single World Cup edition in 2003.
The southpaw hurried batsmen up with his express pace while also managing to generate some late movement with the white-ball. His booming yorkers were on point in England and his delivery to shatter Ben Stokes’ stumps in the round-robin clash was arguably the best delivery of the entire tournament.
Mitchell Starc has now taken the most wickets by a bowler at a single World Cup; passing Glenn McGrath’s record of 26 wickets in the 2007 World Cup #CWC19 #CmonAussie #AUSvENG #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/Zag9j8TUGG
— Fox Sports Lab (@FoxSportsLab) July 11, 2019
