ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Jasprit Bumrah to Shaheen Afridi, top 5 death bowlers to watch out for

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The much-awaited ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has already started in India with New Zealand defeating England in the opener in Ahmedabad by 9 wickets. It was a perfect revenge for the Blackcaps after their heart-breaking defeat in the 2019 World Cup final against England.

Undoubtedly, the World Cup in India would be helpful for the spinners due to the turning wickets. However, fast bowlers too would play a key role in setting the tone of the game from the beginning. We take a look at the top five death bowlers in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 who can be a threat to any team.

5 Trent Boult

Trent Boult has been sensational for his team since 2012 and has appeared for the team in the past two World Cups. He helped his side reach the finals on both occasions, however, failed to achieve glory in the end.

This time, the left-arm seamer would be looking to shift his gears once again to make New Zealand the champion in the 2023 World Cup. With 198 wickets in the ODIs to date, the 34-year-old would look to dismantle the stumps of the batsmen once again. He will be a crucial bowler for New Zealand at death due to his rich experience in world cricket.

Boult has been excellent in the Indian conditions as he has picked up 24 wickets in 13 matches in India at an economy rate of less than 5 with the help of one fifer as well. While Boult is at his best in the powerplay overs, death bowling is one of his stronger aspects as well.

#4 Matheesha Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana is a death specialist for Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup
The new sensation in world cricket, Matheesha Pathirana has impressed many with his pace since his debut. His action just like Lasith Malinga is another quality of this young speedster. This is going to be a crucial tournament for him and playing in India will be a challenge for the Sri Lankan.

He is a yorker specialist and can turn the game at any moment, therefore it would be interesting to see him in the World Cup. With 15 wickets in 10 matches to date, the journey is still new for the right-arm fast bowler, however, the more he will bowl, the better he will become from here. He has played 2 games in India so far and remained wicketless with an economy of around 9.00 which is on the higher side.

#3 Shaheen Afridi

Another left-armer in the list is Shaheen Afridi who has been one of the most consistent bowlers in the past few years. Afridi has 86 wickets in his ODI career to date and the ongoing tournament would be the best stage for him to complete his 100 ODI wickets.

The young speedster is someone who can bowl really well at the death and can restrict the opposition players from hitting big blows. The yorkers and slower ones from Afridi have dismantled many batsmen over the period of time and if he can be able to do this in this tournament, then it is going to help Pakistan a lot in this cricket festival.

This is the first time that Afridi will be playing in India and it would be interesting to see how he performs at the biggest stage in front of the best batsmen.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is one of the death bowlers to look at in this World Cup. One of the best in the business, Jasprit Bumrah will be the one bowler to look at in this World Cup. The right-arm pacer is playing at home this time and this is a perfect opportunity for him to get the best out of him.

There's no doubt that he usually gives a perfect start to the side, however, Bumrah is quite dangerous at death with his perfect yorkers and bouncers. The 29-year-old has helped India win matches on numerous occasions in the past and the team would be hoping for a similar kind of performance.

Bumrah has 129 wickets in 78 ODI matches so far with an economy of around 4.70 which is impressive for a fast bowler. He has picked up the maximum number of wickets against Australia in his career with 26, which he would surely like to increase in the first game against the Men in Yellow. Bumrah has been a remarkable bowler at home as he has 44 wickets to his name in India with an economy of 5.02.

#1 Mitchell Starc

One of the finest ODI fast bowlers of all time, Mitchell Starc is the player to watch out for in this World Cup. He had been sensational for Australia in the 2015 World Cup at home, however, this time, the conditions won't be similar. Starc is someone who can bowl 145-150 Kmph consistently and that's what makes him dangerous here.

His inswingers towards the beginning and yorkers towards death have been exceptional to date. The left-arm-pacer has 220 wickets in ODIs to date with an average of just 22. His economy is also around 5.00 which is quite impressive for a genuine fast bowler.

In India, Starc has picked up 26 wickets but his economy is over 6.00, also the average is on the higher side as well. In the 2023 ICC World Cup warm-up matches, Starc took a hat trick against the Netherlands and is expected to peak as the tournament goes on and the Kangaroos get to face tougher opposition in the mega-tournament.

Authored by - Mohak Arora, Sports Coach at Parimatch Sports