The 11th edition of the Cricket World Cup will be staged in New Zealand and Australia from February 14 to March 29. It will be the first time since 1992, the mega even will be organized here, when Pakistan won the title.
The hosts will be taking on England in their tournament opener while the co-hosts New Zealand will be against Sri Lanka on February 14. This will be followed by a much awaited India vs Pakistan encounter on February 15.
Expect to see some clean hitting and high strike rates in conditions that are favorable to the batsmen and gives the bat slight advantage over the ball.
Here are five players to watch:
A.B. de Villiers
Country: South Africa.
Age: 30
The South Africa captain is clearly the most feared batsman heading into the World Cup. The versatile de Villiers sounded a warning to bowlers around the world as he recorded the fastest ever century in a limited-overs international during a breathtaking knock of 149 off just 44 deliveries against the West Indies at Johannesburg last month.
De Villiers reached triple figures from just 31 deliveries, after setting the record for the fastest ODI half-century — his 50 coming off 16 balls. He also equaled Indian batsman Rohit Sharma's record of 16 sixes in an ODI innings.
The kind of incredible impact de Villiers can have is gauged from the fact that he had walked in to bat only in the 39th over!
His ability to judge the ball and move into position quickly gives him a vast advantage over other batsmen, particularly with the restriction of only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle through the 50 overs.
The top-ranked ODI batsman goes into the World Cup with two centuries and six half-centuries in the last 11 games.
He can sweep, reverse-sweep or hit pre-meditated heaves to the leg side — even to deliveries pitched outside the off, irrespective of the ball speed.
With second-ranked ODI batsman Hashim Amla batting before him, there is every chance de Villiers will get opportunities to start whacking the ball straight away.
De Villiers, who has 7,459 runs from 179 ODIs at an average of over 52, has scored three centuries in his two previous World Cups, including back-to-back hundreds in 2011.
If South Africa is to end its drought in World Cup knockout matches, much will depend on de Villiers.
