World Cup batsmen
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CWC 2019: Run feast on the cards as batsmen thriving

Mustafa Ismail·
One Day International (ODI)
·2 Comments·

If the ongoing England vs. Pakistan series is anything to go by, the flat pitches at the World Cup will allow batsmen to deliver some huge scores…

A mammoth 1451 runs have been scored in just two matches during the England vs Pakistan series, which has reinforced the notion that English pitches are as flat as pancakes. In fact, fans shouldn’t be surprised if 400 is crossed or even chased by batsmen during the World Cup. Even Pakistan, who often struggle to post big scores with the bat, have crossed 350 twice in a row.

The batsmen have elevated their performances, and the pitches have certainly allowed them to score more freely. Pakistan possess a strong bowling line-up – but they’ve been obliterated by an English side similar to the one that they bowled out under 250 in the 2017 Champions Trophy semi-final.

England have a world-class squad at their disposal and their batting line-up is arguably the best in the world. These pitches are tailored to their aggressive approach, with the team capable of chasing down almost any score with absolute confidence. While the batsmen’s attacking nature could backfire on a tricky pitch, adapting quickly to varying conditions could make them the team to beat. In the 3rd ODI of the series, England played fantastically to reach a target of 359 with 5 overs to spare. Chasing that kind of score is a monumental achievement by itself, let alone with such ease.

There have been some tremendous batting displays over the past two games, with the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Jos Butler and Jonny Bairstow playing spectacular knocks. On the other hand, they haven’t really had to bat in challenging conditions yet. It’s been a massive test for the bowlers of both teams and neither unit has really found a formula to pick up wickets and stop the flow of runs. Both the pacers and spinners have received similarly brutal treatment – and if the same pitches are produced during the World Cup then the nightmare will continue for them.

High scoring affairs are always entertaining, which is likely to convince the ICC to produce flatter pitches during the World Cup. However, for connoisseurs of the game, it’d be much better to view a balanced contest between bat and ball. If it’s just one-way traffic, with batsmen pelting the ball around the stadium, then the tournament will become monotonous – especially towards the tail end. A variety of different pitches will make things more unpredictable and add to the excitement of the game.

It’d be thrilling to see 450 getting chased down in the World Cup and with how things are going, the probability of that happening is high. That being said, low-scoring games will be stimulating as well as teams scrape through and find it difficult to chase 200. Here’s to a tournament with a range of scores and tightly contested games with something in them for everyone.