Speedstars

Dale Steyn (South Africa)
He'd be licking his lips at the thought of bowling on those pitches Down Under. He's the world's best fast bowler, and the stage is perfectly set for him to turn it on. Make no mistake, if South Africa are to have any chance of breaking their World Cup jinx this time, Steyn will have to be at his absolute best. And you'd bet on him to be that. He seldom fails, not on big occasions anyway. In the 2011 World Cup, Steyn picked up 12 wickets including a five-for against India in Nagpur. He'd fancy doing an encore in Melbourne, won't he?
ODIs: 96, Wickets: 151, Best: 6/39, Avg: 25.14, 5W: 3

Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
To put things in perspective, the Australian looked more menacing than Steyn in 2014, even becoming the ICC Cricketer of the Year. He'll be eager to ensure that it continues. His left-arm thunderbolts will be all the more effective on his home soil, and he has bowlers to back him up too from the other end. Australia would do well to use him in short bursts, which is something that enables Johnson to be at his attacking best. He didn't exactly set the stage on fire in 2011, returning with 10 wickets in seven outings. But he's a transformed bowler this time around, and he'll be bowling in his den.
ODIs: 144, Wickets: 221, Best: 6/31, Avg: 25.72, 5W: 3

Steven Finn (England)
James Anderson might be England's best bowler, but Finn will be their trump card. At 6 ft 7 inch, Finn will be able to make the ball bounce from a good length even with the old ball, which can be a lethal weapon in Australia and New Zealand. Mind you, he doesn't have to break much sweat to bowl over 140 kmph consistently, and doesn't give away too many loose deliveries too. The Englishman tormented India in the tri-series, and also got into the act against the Aussies. Warming up for bigger things, perhaps?
ODIs: 51, Wickets: 77, Best: 5/33, Avg: 28.09, 5W: 1

Morne Morkel (South Africa)
Who wouldn't love to be a South African captain at the moment? If Steyn fails to deliver in a match — however rare the occurrence might be — Morkel can cause equal damage to the opposition batsmen. Tall, fast and accurate, Steyn's partner in pace has all the qualities to succeed in this World Cup and outdo some of the more illustrious and headline-grabbing fast bowlers. His strike-rate with the ball is 30, which means he takes two wickets every match on an average. AB de Villiers would take that quite gleefully.
ODIs: 91, Wickets: 152, Best: 5/21, Avg: 24.69, 5W: 2

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
No list of modern-day quality fast bowlers can be complete without the curly-haired Sri Lankan. He might not able to extract the kind of bounce some of the other bowlers will with his slinging action, but his accuracy and ability to bowl those toe-crushers at will make him no less threatening. Malinga is still the world's best when it comes to bowling at the death, anyway. Add to that, he's had two fruitful World Cups with the ball, notching up a total of 31 wickets in 15 matches. So he has the experience of delivering at the big stage.
ODIs: 177, Wickets: 271, Best: 6/38, Avg: 27.71, 5W: 7

Kemar Roach (West Indies)
Clearly, he is West Indies' best fast bowler in the squad, and his performance will go a long way in determining how far the Caribbeans go in this World Cup. He is a genuine wicket-taker, one who can consistently clock 150 kmph. That isn't good for batsmen in Australia! His best ODI figures came in the 2011 World Cup, a 6/27 against the Netherlands in Delhi. Yes, he can be a bit wayward and expensive, and it will thus be imperative for the other bowlers to keep things tight from the other end.
ODIs: 64, Wickets: 98, Best: 6/27, Avg: 26.85, 5W: 3

Mohammad Irfan (Pakistan)
Anyone who delivers the ball from 7 ft 1 inch on those pitches Down Under will be a handful. Irfan will be exactly that. The left-armer made his ODI debut way back in 2010, and has played only 39 matches since. But he's become more consistent of late. The New Zealanders got a taste of him in the UAE in December last year, where he picked up nine wickets in five matches. He reckons that if he remains fit, he will be able to win matches single-handedly for Pakistan at the World Cup. Time to walk the talk.
ODIs: 39, Wickets: 55, Best: 4/33, Avg: 30.07, 5W: 0

Tim Southee (New Zealand)
The New Zealander has matured as a fast bowler over the past couple of years. Not the kind that intimidates batsmen, Southee lets the ball do the talking for him. He had a terrific 2011 World Cup, dismissing 18 batsmen in eight matches on flat, unresponsive sub-continental pitches. The 26-year-old will surely make the new cherry swing prodigiously in New Zealand, and quite a bit in Australia too. With seven wickets in four matches in the recently-concluded series against Sri Lanka at home, Southee has made his intent quite clear.
ODIs: 84, Wickets: 114, Best: 5/33, Avg: 31.05, 5W: 1