Top 5 Batters with high strike rates that will benefit their team in the 2023 World Cup
The 2023 World Cup has witnessed some marvellous performances in its early phase. There have been 12 centuries in the first 10 matches of the bonanza event. From a dozen’s collection, eleven tons came at a Strike Rate of over 100.
Some venues such as Hyderabad and Delhi have seen runs come in excess of 300 on numerous occasions. Certainly, the approach of batting in the Fifty Overs format is rapidly changing and few teams have stuck to an aggressor intent.
In such cases, players with high strike rates turn out to be indispensable for a particular team irrespective of a chase or a defense. So let us have a quick glance through the top five batters with high strike rates who can be a game-changer for their team in World Cup 2023 by Mr. Mohak Arora, a Sports Coach at Parimatch Sports:
#5 David Miller
South Africa’s lower-order mainstay, David Miller has a batting strike rate of 103.85 in ODIs. But if zoomed into the last couple of years, the southpaw has an impressive batting strike rate of 119.25 in the fifty-overs format.
In addition, Miller has been scoring more than run-a-ball for the last four years in his cricketing career in ODIs. For a batter who comes to bat in the lower middle order, it is important to notch up quick runs in the slog overs and that is something Miller has been doing superbly for his nation.
Every now and then in his international career, Miller has displayed his killer instinct and there is no doubt why he is an important asset to the South African team during the ongoing World Cup.
#4 Hardik Pandya
The Indian all-rounder’s batting strike rate in ODIs reads 110.35. He is a murderer of finger spin and nobody knows it better than the Pakistan all-rounder, Imad Wasim. Hardik Pandya rose to the occasion on the back of improved T20I performance in IPL and transpired his power-hitting traits into the extended white ball format.
Pandya has a batting strike rate of 109.31 in Indian conditions. He was brilliant with the bat in a recent group stage game of the Asia Cup where the Baroda-based cricketer scored 87 runs off 90 balls when the team was under pressure.
The best part of the innings was he started off slow and then accelerated as the slog overs approached. Certainly, he is India’s finisher with the bat and has loads of responsibility to fulfil.
#3 Jos Buttler
The English captain is renowned for his stroke-making abilities. Jos Buttler has a range of shots in his armoury and has evolved into a very mature batter. He has a batting strike rate of 118.04 which is the second highest in this format among the players included in the 2023 World Cup.
Buttler’s strike rate for each calendar year reads over 100 except for 2020 and 2021 when the pandemic shortened the number of international cricket matches. The English skipper generally bats in the middle order for his side in ODIs and resonates with the Baz-Ball style of playing cricket.
He was seen to strike at the rate of 200 against Bangladesh in both the warm-up game and in the recent league stage encounter. The best part about the Englishman is that he can bat in the same fashion for cameos and for extended innings.
#2 Heinrich Klaasen
Heinrich Klaasen has garnered three tons in the last six months
South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batter, Heinrich Klaasen is in beast mode with the willow in hand for the past year. He has a batting strike rate of 112.3 in ODIs but that’s just an understatement to his calibre.
The 32-year-old stormed three centuries in the last six months including one each in the Indian Premier League, Major League Cricket and against Australia in the bilateral series. In his latest ton, Klaasen whacked 174 runs off 83 balls, boosting the scoreboard to 416 in 50 overs.
The Proteas is a brilliant striker of the cricket ball and does not shy away from taking on the spinners in the subcontinent conditions. Klaasen is yet to fire full gear in the World Cup 2023 but his presence in the lower-middle order will definitely benefit the Green and Gold.
#1 Glenn Maxwell
There are few players in the world who are unstoppable when they’re in the mood to swing the bat hard. Glenn Maxwell falls on the particular list. The Australian all-rounder has a runs-per-ball rate of 1.23 which is the highest in the array of cricketers participating in the World Cup (batted for at least 15 innings in ODIs).
Although Maxwell lacked game time in competitive cricket since July owing to several physical setbacks, he came into the groove against Pakistan in the recent World Cup warm-up clash. The Victorian notched up 77 runs off 71 balls including four fours and six sixes. In the tenure between 2019-2021, Maxwell had an ODI strike rate of 132.76.
Australia lacks someone to hold the fort in their lower middle order after Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. This is the perfect opportunity for Maxwell to step up and make the most of his experience by helping the Kangaroos reach the knockout stage of the tournament.