Pacers To Watch Out For World Cup 2023: The 2023 World Cup in India will start in less than a month. Teams have begun their preparation in all earnestness. There are injury concerns for most teams heading into the tournament. The fitness of their bowlers being their major concern. In a long tournament like the World Cup where each team is slated to play a minimum of 9 games, the format can get taxing. Teams will rely on rest and rotation to keep their bowlers fresh especially the pacers. Most of the World Cup winning team historically have had exceptional pacers in their ranks.
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We look at few exciting Pacers To Watch Out For World Cup 2023:
#4 Lockie Ferguson
The New Zealand pacer might not have had the best of times recently. But Lockie Ferguson is one of the fastest seamers going around in the world. He had a breakthrough World Cup in 2019 when he rushed batsmen for sheer pace. Ferguson can get the ball to climb on batsmen cramping them for room. In a team that has the swing and guile of Tim Southee and Trent Boult, Ferguson brings in the X-factor to the side. He has picked up 85 wickets so far in 53 games. Ferguson will look to add few more to his kitty in the upcoming World Cup.
#3 Anrich Nortje
He broke onto the scene with a sizzling display in the IPL in 2020 playing for the Delhi Capitals. Anrich Nortje even out bowled his decorated counterpart Kagiso Rabada. He eventually emerged as the franchise’s first-choice overseas pacer. Nortje has stepped up beautifully in international cricket too. His experience with the conditions in India will serve him well. Nortje has fine numbers in his brief career so far having picked 36 wickets in 21 games at an average of 25.7 and a strike rate of 27.1. If South Africa has to go deep into the tournament, Nortje would need to play a big role.
#2 Haris Rauf
He is easily amongst the fastest bowlers in the world. Haris Rauf showed in the 2022 T20 World Cup what sheer pace can do. The wickets in Australia made him an even more difficult bowler to contend with. In flat Indian wickets, Rauf will act as an enforcer especially in the middle overs to disrupt batters. He is brilliant at the death too with his variations. It will be exciting to see how he goes about his business in the ODI World Cup. Rauf’s numbers are pretty impressive as he has grabbed 49 wickets in 26 games at an average of 5.75 and a strike rate of 26.4.
#1 Mark Wood
He showed what sheer pace can do in the 2023 Ashes. Mark Wood proved to be a point of difference between the two sides in the last 3 Tests. He breathed fire in the 2023 IPL too picking up a sensational fiver in his very first game for LSG. Wood can hurry up any of the batters in world. He has got a mean bouncer and a superb Yorker to restrict the tail. His ODI numbers might not appear flattering but he surely is an impact player who will be expected to don Jofra Archer’s role this edition.
