One of the most delightful sights in cricket is the ball zooming past the boundary ropes, after being clobbered by the willow.
With just eight days to go, the 2019 World Cup will be mostly a high-scoring affair, going by the mammoth totals on the batting-friendly England pitches in the recent One-Day International (ODI)s.
Thus, almost all teams will be banking on their openers to give them a brisk start to lay the foundation for huge scores in cricket's showpiece event.
Onmanorama zeros in on five explosive openers who could unshackle their prowess with the willow and take centre stage in the prestigious quadrennial event.
Mohammad Shahzad
Afghanistan do not have many players on paper who can take the game away from opposition bowling attacks. But wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad is an explosive talent who will look to make the most of the hard, new ball in powerplay overs. His compact build, immense strength and tremendous swing of the bat means the top-edged six is a sure shot from him. His approach at the top of the order with the bat in hand will without doubt see his side to a strong start and would be key to force more fancied teams on the back foot.
Jonny Bairstow
England's Jonny Bairstow has been in imperious form for the past few years. The wicketkeeper-batsman has the ability to play big shots, knows to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking.
His power-hitting was in full display during the IPL, where he scored 442 runs in 10 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 62 ODIs he has played so far for England, Bairstow has scored 2,297 runs at a strike rate of over 106.
Chris Gayle
Dubbed the 'Universe Boss', Chris Gayle is arguably one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket. He has been in great form in the recent times and has played numerous blitzkrieg knocks. This year, Gayle has scored 424 runs in five ODIs with two tons, including a glorious innings of 162.
In the just concluded IPL, Gayle scored 490 runs in the 13 matches he played for Kings XI Punjab.
The 34 sixes he powered bore testimony to his strike rate of over 150. What makes Gayle a terror for the bowlers is his ability to clear any boundary.
Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman, who holds the record for being the only Pakistani batsman to score a double century in ODIs, is one of Pakistan's batting mainstays. The left-hander has been in the limelight ever since his brilliant ton in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against India, which saw Pakistan lift the trophy for the very first time. Now, he has made a strong statement by scoring an 84-ball ton in the recent ODI series against World Cup hosts England.
Rival teams have indeed heard the warning bells from Zaman.
David Warner
David Warner has been in tremendous form since his return after serving a one-year ban for ball tampering. The dashing Australian opener won the Orange Cap in IPL 2019, scoring 692 runs in just 12 matches for the Sunrisers. His combination with with fellow opener and captain Aaron Finch is an explosive proposition, especially during powerplays, which can spur the team to their title defence.
