Like in 2019, will Bairstow fire England's title defence again?

Across formats, the importance of opening batters has been immense. In Tests, they have the daunting task of seeing off the new ball. As T20 cricket has evolved, the need for them to exploit the powerplay overs has kept growing. And in ODIs, openers have the unenviable job of tackling the new ball as well as grinding it out in the middle overs.

- Aditya Chat

It's a huge responsibility which requires specialised skills. And in a marquee event like the World Cup where the pressure is immense, the opening batters must deliver to give their team the upperhand.

They have the opportunity to face the most deliveries and can leave a huge impact on the outcome of the tournament.

In four of the five previous ODI World Cups, both openers of the winning team finished among the top 10 run-scorers of the tournament. Overall, seven of the 12 editions - barring 1975, 1983, 1996, 1999 and 2015-saw both openers of the winning team feature among the top 10 run-getters.