3 bowlers who can make a mark during their maiden World Cup campaign

Ever since the Cricket Governing Body revealed the 2023 ODI World Cup schedule, the excitement and hype for the tournament has been on the rise. The premier 50-over event, which is slated to be held across various states in India, will kick off on October 5 with previous edition finalists England and New Zealand taking on each other at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

This is the first time India is exclusively hosting the ODI World Cup and for the same reason, many pundits have picked India as the favourites to lift the coveted title, along with defending champions England and Australia. All 10 teams have been gearing up for the marquee event for some time now and recently all have picked their 15-member squad. Like every edition, this time too we will get to see many new faces as they have performed exceptionally well to impress the selectors.

On that note, let’s take a look at three bowlers who can make a mark during their maiden World Cup campaign.

3. Maheesh Theekshana (Sri Lanka)

Maheesh Theekshana, who made his ODI debut on 7 September 2021, has been impressive in recent times. The right-arm off-break bowler has grabbed 39 wickets from 24 ODI matches at a healthy economy of 4.35. Thikshana also plays for Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League, where his spin attack was instrumental in their glory in the 2023 season. The 23-year-old is expected to have a great debut while he contributes to his side’s success in the upcoming World Cup.

2. Mohammed Siraj (India)

Mohammed Siraj is a great example of ‘for every setback there is a comeback’. The Hyderabad pacer was trolled heavily during his initial stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) but managed to turn his haters into fans and has now evolved into one of the key bowlers in India‘s pace attack.

The right-arm fast bowler, who made his debut in January 2019, has so far played 26 ODIs and has taken 46 wickets at an economy rate of 4.87. The 29-year-old was India’s pace attack leader in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. With Bumrah back from injury, the opposition batters will have a terrifying outing on Indian pitches during the World Cup.

1. Haris Rauf (Pakistan)

With his consistent performances over the past three years, Haris Rauf has emerged as an integral part of Pakistan‘s pace attack. The right-arm seamer has so far taken 53 wickets in 27 ODI matches at an economy rate of 5.69. Notably, Rauf is in excellent form in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, where he is the top wicket-taker with nine wickets from three matches. The 29-year-old has been putting up decent numbers on Pakistan soil in recent times, which shows that he can also shine in Indian conditions during the World Cup.