ICC World Cup: A deluge of runs in the offing?

As the ICC World Cup begins in India today, fans can expect torrents of runs over the next month and a half.

And there was plenty of evidence of that in the warm-up games, where 300-plus scores proved insufficient in some games. For instance, New Zealand chased down Pakistan's 345 with eight overs to spare and plenty of wickets in hand.

Bangladesh also toppled Sri Lanka's 264 with ease in another warm-up. Pakistan on the other hand almost chased down Australia's 351 before falling 14 runs short of the target with more than two overs remaining.

Defending champions England did not get much opportunity to demonstrate the batting style that they have revolutionised since the 2015 World Cup with their first warm-up game against hosts India washed out without a ball being bowled.

But an exciting English batting unit, with their "no holds barred" motto, showed glimpses of their power-hitting prowess in their rain-reduced game against Bangladesh. Set to score 197 in 37 overs, they stroked those runs in just over 24 overs despite Bangladesh pacers taking regular wickets, giving an indication of what may follow in the showpiece event.

England will certainly bring the style and substance that have compelled others to follow in the opening game against New Zealand in Ahmedabad today.

Besides, the wickets in India are far more generous to batters than they were before and the introduction of two new white balls in an innings -- with one used from either end -- since 2015 promises plenty of runs. The balls stay harder for longer, allowing batters to pummel them with their increasingly powerful willows.

The average first-innings score in ODIs played in India since the last World Cup is a staggering 276.

Moreover, as the glamorous Indian Premier League has become an annual congregation of global stars for the slam-bang T20 contest, conditions in this part of the world are no longer a mystery.

Considering all these aspects and the robust batting lineups boasted by almost all 10 participating teams, this World Cup might exceed all expectations in terms of producing runs.

Of the past World Cups, the 2015 edition, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, produced over 26,500 runs in 49 games, the highest in World Cup history.

The last edition in 2019 in England saw just over 22,000 runs scored in 48 games, and the seaming English conditions may have played a role in that.

But in India, with the stage all set for fireworks, cricket aficionados may see 350-run marks toppled with greater regularity than previously thought, and the aggregate runs crossing the landmark set in 2015.