World Cup 2015: It Could be a Pace Bowlers' Tournament
The rules may favour the batsman but in Australia and New Zealand, the conditions will favour the bowlers. The teams with the best bowling units will have their noses in front in World Cup 2015.
- Jaideep Chakrabarty
- Updated: February 13, 2015 05:52 PM IST
Smaller grounds, flat decks, heavier bats, field restriction -- limited overs cricket is loaded in favour of the batsmen and in most tournaments, the men with the willow call the shots. World Cup 2015, though, will be a bit different. In Australia and New Zealand, the teams would be defined by their bowling units because the wickets will have enough juice for the quickies while the bounce and the longer boundaries will favour quality spinners.
Here are the best attacks that would be on display at this World Cup:
Australia
The hosts have a potent attack. They might have three left-arm seamers but all of them serve different purposes. Mitchell Starc is fast, can swing it both ways and is a handful in the early overs. James Faulkner is a death-over specialist and if fit, will pitch in with his slower ones and yorkers at the back end of the innings. Mitchell Johnson, of course, will burst in for three over spells to provide penetration and rock the boats of the opposition. With a fit-again Pat Cummins and an accurate Josh Hazlewood, Australia have their bases covered in case of an injury. The Aussies also have the option of Shane Watson and Mitch Marsh. Both similar kind of players - big hitters and can do a job with the ball and Australia has the luxury to field either or both of them. (World Cup Full Coverage)
The Aussies do have a minor chink in their armour - the slow bowling department. Xavier Doherty is the only spinner in their ranks. While he is very good in tying up the runs, he doesn't possess the capability of taking wickets. Their other option Glenn Maxwell is luck of the draw -- the days he finds his groove, he gets a few wickets; the day he doesn't, he might go for quite a few.
Barring that, the Aussies are a fantastic fast bowling unit that can rip through any batting line-up.
South Africa
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The biggest advantage for South Africa is that their bowling attack doesn't rely on conditions. Vernon Philander is accurate and can swing it anywhere. Dale Steyn is the best fast bowler in the world and can get wickets even on the moon while Morne Morkel extracts bounce from the flattest of wickets. In Australia, on helpful tracks and two new balls, the trio might just go on a rampage. Then, they have the option of the raw pace of Kyle Abbott or the versatile and much improved Wayne Parnell. (Exciting New Zealand's Best Shot at Glory)
Right from the era of Allan Donald, Fannie de Villiers and Shaun Pollock, the Proteas have been a difficult attack to face but it's been one dimensional. They always lacked a good spinner -- they had Pat Symcox, Johan Botha, Nicky Boje, Paul Adams but their main job was to dry up the runs from one end.
However, this World Cup, they have an ace up their sleeve -- the X-factor of Imran Tahir. Tahir is a maverick and lends immense variety to this Proteas side. He is an attacking leg-spinner who turns the ball and picks up big wickets. On pitches that will offer bounce, this Pakistani-born tweaker can turns the World Cup in favour of the Rainbow Nation.
New Zealand
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Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Daniel Vettori and Corey Anderson -- New Zealand have the most balanced attack of this World Cup and they hunt in a pack. Never in their history have New Zealand been so strong. Always the bridesmaids at big tournaments, the Kiwis have a lot of variety in their attack. Boult is exceptional with his swing while McClenaghan will rough up the opposition up with pace. Tim Southee is dangerous with his swing early on and then comes back with his deadly yorkers. (Eight 'Bad Boys' Who Can Light Up Event With Their Antics)
Kyle Mills is not fast but has been in the business for far too long. He is a miser with the ball and is New Zealand's most trusted bowler in all formats. Adam Milne, much in the mould of Shane Bond, is fast and can cause serious damage. Corey Anderson is more than capable of doing the fifth bowler job and has done enough to sideline someone as talented as Jimmy Neesham.
If that wasn't enough, the opposition then has to contain with the guile of Daniel Vettori. One of the greatest left-arm spinners ever, Vettori, is a master of his craft and gets wickets even on unfriendly tracks. A reluctant superstar, the bespectacled spinner is playing his last World Cup. He's had his injuries, went into retirement, coached an IPL side and is now back in that black shirt to give it a final shot.
England
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England, normally, doesn't feature as favourites in any ICC tournament. They might have reached the finals of the World Cup three times, yet have never inspired much confidence. This time again, they aren't a clear favourite, especially without the services of Kevin Pietersen.
However, they have a very strong bowling attack. If the World Cup was being played on the docile sub-continental pitches, England wouldn't stand a chance but in Australia, a bowling unit comprising of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steve Finn, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali does give them an edge. (It Will be Hard Work for Spinners at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015)
Anderson is in a league of his own. Currently one of the best bowlers in the world, this Lancashire man is a genuine swing bowler and can be lethal. Broad is the perfect foil for Anderson. He runs in and hits the ball on the deck and extracts movement off-the-track. He is wayward at times but bowling in tandem with Anderson makes him a threat.
Finn is the Morne Morkel of England. He is tall, very tall and that makes him awkward. He bowls at a lively pace over 140 clicks and generates a very nasty bounce. Moreover, he bowls from very close to the stumps, which helps him to be at the batsman's throat continuously. Woakes, though, is an unknown quantity. This strapping all-rounder is nippy, hits the deck hard and can do the "Flintoff" job for England.
But England's ace will be Moeen Ali. It's high time the world accepts him as a front-line spinner. He has done enough to prove so. With a high arm action and a good release, Moeen generates plenty of revolutions on the ball. He may not have the doosra or the carrom ball but does enough in the air and off-the-track to fool the batsman.
England aren't favourites and have areas to work on but their bowling is a good package and if they want to go anywhere near the top four, their bowlers would have to come to the party!