Not just Shaheen Afridi, but also Reece Topley, Shoriful Islam, Sam Curran, and Marco Jansen may cause difficulty for India

ICC World Cup 2023 Updates | Trent Boult, Mitchell Starc, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are present

Trent Boult, Mitchell Starc, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are present. What other left-arm seamers, among these, might pose a threat to India in the ICC World Cup 2023?

On one of the flattest cricket grounds in the world, Pakistan hit a massive 338 in the first innings in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final on a sunny afternoon at London’s Oval. The happenings of the second innings would turn into a horror show that would haunt the Indian batters and fans of the ICC games for years to come.

Mohammad Amir, a left-arm fast bowler, destroyed the Indian top order with his swing, seam movement, and—most significantly—left-arm angle. It signaled the start of a pattern that other teams would subsequently imitate in order to frustrate the Indian hitters and have success.

Given the well-known weaknesses of Indian batting against left-arm seam, World Cup sides with access to talented left-arm seamers would aim to use them against India’s top order.

A World Cup team with access to skilled left-arm seamers would attempt to utilize them against India’s top order given the well-known limitations of Indian batting against left-arm seam.

Let’s look at some of the other bowlers that might challenge India with their left-arm angle in the World Cup 2023, aside from Mitchell Starc, Boult, and Shaheen who are the obvious dangers for Rohit Sharma’s side with the ball.

Reece Topley

• 26 matches
• 38 wickets
• average of 26.81
• 5.21 economy rate in ODIs.

It is reasonable to say that Topley’s stock was rising and he was on the verge of becoming an elite bowler, but for his terrible accident while competing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. When teams play England, the 29-year-old will be one of the main dangers. He can stroke the ball and is swift and powerful. He can also frequently hit powerful lengths, which may drive the batter forward and make them unsure of whether to play the ball or not.

Topley has a remarkable record against India, picking up 12 wickets at just 16.42 an average. Who can forget his six-wicket haul against India at Lords last year when he only allowed 247 runs to be scored? He took wickets with the new ball and subsequently returned in the middle overs to break the partnership and finish off the tail, demonstrating his danger throughout the whole game.

The fact that India will play the reigning champions England in Lucknow, where the ground is noted for having little swing but can benefit bowlers who do have effective slower ones, is a plus. Only time will tell if the pitch swings and seams differently than it did before following the renovation. If it happens, Topley will be difficult for Rohit and company to manage on this surface.

It was entertaining to see the Bangladeshi bowler’s new-ball explosion against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, protecting only 193 runs. He bowled under the lights that day with perfect line and length. Although he doesn’t have much to show in the wickets column It was challenging for Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman to make contact with the ball with a bat.

Shoriful has the ability to bowl quickly—roughly 135 KPH—as well as swing the new ball. In the Super 4 match in Colombo against Sri Lanka, he was ineffective with the new ball. However, he returned for his second outing with the old ball and picked up two wickets with his deceptively slower ones in the middle overs.

Shoriful Islam

• 21 matches
• 33 wickets
• averaged 24.84
• 5.37 runs in ODIs.

It was entertaining to see the Bangladeshi bowler’s new-ball explosion against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, protecting only 193 runs. He bowled under the lights that day with perfect line and length. Although he doesn’t have much to show in the wickets column It was challenging for Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman to make contact with the ball with a bat.

Shoriful has the ability to bowl quickly—roughly 135 KPH—as well as swing the new ball. In the Super 4 match in Colombo against Sri Lanka, he was ineffective with the new ball. However, he returned for his second outing with the old ball and picked up two wickets with his deceptively slower ones in the middle overs.

The Bangladeshi bowler’s new-ball explosion against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, which only managed to safeguard 193 runs, was exciting to see. On that particular night, he bowled with the ideal length and line. Despite the fact that he has little wickets to his credit Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman found it difficult to make contact with the ball with a bat.

Shoriful has the capacity to swing the new ball and bowl quickly—roughly 135 KPH. He struggled with the new ball against Sri Lanka in the Super 4 game at Colombo. He did, however, come out for his second appearance with the old ball and took two wickets in the middle overs with his ostensibly slower ones.

Despite not being a traditional new-ball bowler, Curran can swing the ball. Although he can slip in slower balls, a yorker, and a quick bouncer that flies onto the hitters at the death, his strength is with the old ball. Unlike his fellow Englishman Topley, he does not have an express pace, but he does have special talents on top of that. Despite possessing all the techniques, Curran has never been able to produce at his peak level against the Indians. In three games (all in India), he took two wickets at an average of 69.00 versus The Men in Blue.

For a seasoned combatant like him who is also working in the IPL and is aware of the circumstances, those are rather typical stats. He is still a good bowler, and the Indian thinktank has to be cautious of him. He was named Man of the Tournament in the 2022 T20 World Cup for a reason.

Sam Curran

• 26 matches,
• 28 wickets,
• an average of 36.78,
• and a 5.89 economy rate in ODIs.

Despite not being a traditional new-ball bowler, Curran can swing the ball. Although he can slip in slower balls, a yorker, and a quick bouncer that flies onto the hitters at the death, his strength is with the old ball. Unlike his fellow Englishman Topley, he does not have an express pace, but he does have special talents on top of that. Despite possessing all the techniques, Curran has never been able to produce at his peak level against the Indians. In three games (all in India), he took two wickets at an average of 69.00 versus The Men in Blue. For a seasoned combatant like him who is also working in the IPL and is aware of the circumstances, those are rather typical stats. 

He is still a good bowler, and the Indian thinktank has to be cautious of him. He was named Man of the Tournament in the 2022 T20 World Cup for a reason.

Marco Jansen

• 14 matches,
• 18 wickets,
• average of 38.22,
• a 6.23 economy rate in ODIs.

Indian cricket fans are familiar with the tall, lanky fast bowler from his outings for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Regardless of the surface he bowls on, the 6’8″ fast bowler can generate bounce, and he is deadly with the new ball. The Indian batting contingent may need to make adjustments to his delivery release point prior to the game.

But Jansen has failed to take a wicket in either of his two matches against India. However, South Africa will square off against India at Eden Gardens. At this location, the new ball does swing, thus Jansen could be able to get quite a bit out of the surface. The catch is that he must take the catch with the fresh ball because as the ball ages, the Kolkata surface becomes the greatest for batting. In addition, if the surface does not help Jansen, his bowling in middle and late innings is still a work in progress aside from his new ball talents.