The 2019 Cricket World Cup gets underway on Thursday 30th May, with host nation England facing South Africa in the tournament opener.
The Cricket World Cup is contested in the one-day cricketformat. These matches consist of 50 overs per side, with each side taking turnsto bat following a coin toss. The tournament is usually held every four years.
There are 10 international sides that compete in the groupstage of the tournament before the best four teams make it through to thesemi-final and final stages. We look at the 10 teams involved and their chancesof winning the tournament this year.
Middle-order: JoeRoot, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, James Vince
All-rounders: ChrisWoakes, Ben Stokes, Liam Dawson, Moeen Ali
Wicketkeepers: JosButler, Jonny Bairstow
Spinners: LiamDawson, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid
Pace bowlers: MarkWood, Liam Plunkett, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer
Overview
Despite being involved in every Cricket World Cup tournamentsince it’s creation in 1975, they’ve never been able to win the trophy. Thisyear, they’re the early tournament favourites.
England enter the tournament in great form, coming off theback of a convincing 4-0 win in their one-day series with Pakistan.
England consistently scored over 300 runs in that series,with the side only failing to top 350 runs once. Their series batting averagewas 356.
They also drew a series with the West Indies in theirCaribbean tour early this year.
Jos Buttler is proving to be one of the best wicket-keepersin the game. He’s also handy with the bat, and has put on incredible displaysrecently, especially in the second ODI against Pakistan, smashing 110 from 55including six fours and nine sixes.
Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy are becoming a formidableopening partnership too. They consistently score and put England in acommanding position. Roy scored two centuries in the ODI series againstPakistan, with Bairstow grabbing one. Bairstow also has 445 IPL runs to hisname in the 2019 league.
England’s pace attack is in a better place now than it oncewas, with Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett the longest serving of the four pacebowlers. The inclusion of Tom Curran and Jofra Archer has revitalised a weakpace attack.
Ben Stokes lack of form could also be of concern. Didn’t setthe IPL alight as was expected, lost his touch with his bowling and trying toohard to put up big numbers with the bat which is allowing more and moremistakes to creep in.
England should bealmost guaranteed of a place in the semis, as they’re one of the top four sidesin the tournament. But after that, it’s all a game of chance and how they playon the day. Favourites for a reason, but that never guarantees success. Beingfavourites in a tournament they’re hosting could also be a concern, asheightened expectations could get to the squad.
Pace bowlers: VijayShankar, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami
Overview
Regularly among the front-runners for the tournament victoryprior to it getting underway. They’re expected to be there or there aboutagain, with only England being favoured.
They’re in pretty good form coming into the tournament, butthis doesn’t guarantee them any form of success. India are one of those sidesthat lack consistency on the big stage, and can let the occasion get the betterof them.
Jasprit Bumrah has become the go to bowler for India, and ischanging the way other countries look at bowling techniques too. The slingercan do the damage with a new ball, during the middle over’s or right at thedeath, with his versatility instilling fear into the batting side.
They’ve got a world class top three in the batting ordertoo, that are likely to fire them into a great position in every game. Thethree complement each other really well, with Sharma taking time to get his eyein before becoming a destroyer with the bat and Dhawan going after theopposition from the first ball.
Middle order either lacks experience or consistency. KedarJedhav usually takes the six slot but really could do with game time under hisbelt. MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya can be world beaters on their day, but canalso struggle to ignite a middle order charge which could give others a wayinto the game.
Their first fourgames are against four top quality opponents in the shape of South Africa,Australia, New Zealand then Pakistan. If they come out of those four games withat least a couple of defeats to their name, then momentum could move to theopposition. Win all four and they’ll be in with a great shot of winning allmatches with huge volumes of confidence. They’re second-favourites for areason, and will fight England to the death for the trophy.
Middle-order: UsmanKhawaja, Shaun Marsh, Steve Smith
All-rounders: PatCummins, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis
Wicketkeepers:Alex Carey
Spinners: GlennMaxwell, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
Pace bowlers: PatCummins, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson, Mitchell Starc
Overview
They’re the reigning champions coming into this tournament,and they’ve re-found form prior to the tournament which has enhanced theirchances of retaining the crown.
They had previously been on a run of two ODI wins from 13attempts, but that has been followed up by a superb eight wins in a row.They’ve also brought back in two of their huge stars after their respectivebans in Steve Smith and David Warner.
Australia boast a ferocious pace attack. Cummings, Stoinis,Richardson, Coulter-Nile and Starc all have their own style of attack, thoughit’s all pacey, they use it in different ways. Starc’s bowling was one of themain catalysts that lead them to the Cricket World Cup win in 2015 ad he wasthe joint highest wicket-taker.
Mitchell Starc used to come with his strike partner JoshHazlewood, though he’s fallen out of favour which has paved the way forCoulter-Nile to take his place. The latter can also pick up quick fire runswhich adds to the Australian batting game.
Zampa has been prolific in Australia’s spin attack thisyear. He’s picked up the most ODI wickets and stands as their lead spinner.
Their squad doesn’t contain a back-up wicket keeper, socould leave them thin on options. Aaron Finch could fill in behind the sticksif needed. Back-up wicket keepers have been left on the standby list, whichcan’t be called into the XI on immediate notice.
Much of their fortune will depend on form and fitness.
They’re not the team they once were, but they’ve put together a decent run of form, their best since the previous World Cup, and that could go a long way in this tournament. The over-reliance on their bowling could be a downfall, but they’re still expected to compete. They’re third-favourites because of their recent upturn in form, but they’ll need a good start or risk a poor tournament.
Openers: HashimAmla,Quinton de Kock, Rassie van derDussen
Middle-order: Fafdu Plessis, Aiden Markram, David Miller
All-rounders: JPDuminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Chris Morris
Wicketkeepers: Quintonde Kock
Spinners: ImranTahir, Tabraiz Shamsi
Pace bowlers: DaleSteyn, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Overview
South Africa come into the tournament with a relativelyinexperienced side, though they have been somewhat impressive. It’s expectedthat eight of their 15 will be making their tournament debuts.
A youthful and exuberant side could play into their hands assides of old have carried baggage of rivalries into the tournaments, where asthe young players will be out there to impress for themselves on the biggeststage for their country.
Their bowling attack is quickly picking up a reputation asone of the most exciting and best bowling attacks in one-day cricket. DaleSteyn holds down the fort in terms of experience, but they’ve got youth comingthrough such as Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Dwayne Pretorius and Chris Morris thatare bolstering their options.
Rabada was in scintillating form in the IPL claiming 25wickets from 12 matches before a back injury put him out. He’s likely to leadthe Proteas attack, though can be handy after the introduction of a new ball orbeing saved for crucial over’s at the end of the game.
Hashim Amla and Aiden Markram have been far from their bestin the build up to this tournament. They’re both lucky to be in the squad, withReeza Hendricks being left out despite being a more in-form option.
There’s a lack of batting attack that South Africa can relyon to dig them out of bowling holes. Only Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kockhave batting prowess, which could lead to an overreliance of their youngbowlers to get results.
It could be one World Cup too early for the South African youth to lead their side all the way to glory. They’re expected to make it deep into the tournament and could throw their name in the hat for a semi final spot if all goes to plan. They’re fourth-favourites for a tournament win.
Openers: MartinGuptill, Henry Nicholls, Colin Munro
Middle-order: KaneWilliamson, Ross Taylor
All-rounders: Colinde Grandhomme, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner
Wicketkeepers: TomLatham, Tom Blundell
Spinners: MitchellSantner, Ish Sodhi
Pace bowlers: Colinde Grandhomme, James Neesham, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, MattHenry
Overview
They’ve got great pedigree in Cricket World Cups, andthey’re level with Australia in the number of semi-finals they’ve reached inthe competition with seven appearances.
They narrowly lost out to Australia in the 2015 tournament,but they get better with each passing tournament so they’re again expected tobe in with a shout of reaching the last four at least.
With Brendon McCullum stepping aside, Kane Williamson hastaken the reins of the captaincy and much of the team is still the same fromthe squad that competed in 2015.
Williamson himself is a strength in terms of his captaincystyle and his batting. He’s not changed too much from when McCullum was incharge, but built off the solid foundations his predecessor left. Williamson isone of the best batsmen in the world and has been competing at a consistentlevel for many years. He’s down in New Zealand’s middle-order but acts as theglue in the side.
Ross Taylor has also picked up his game in recent years,with his ODI batting averages sitting at 0.50 in 2017, 91.29 in 2018 and 74.13in 2019. He’s picked up five centuries and 15 half-centuries in the last threeyears, and would be looking to bow out on a high ahead of potentially his lastWorld Cup.
Colin Munro comes into the World cup on relatively poor form.He’s struggled to hit high numbers and could be dropped to the reserve list.There’s not an awful lot of squad depth or different options. Munro wouldlikely need to step back in to the opening role if one of Henry Nicholls orMartin Guptill gets an injury.
Colin de Grandhomme has also struggled with the bat of latetoo. He’s been solid with his bowling, which is likely why he was preferredover Doug Bracewell, but his form in the middle order is a worry.
They lost momentum ata crucial point coming into the World Cup but have found form over differentformats, so they know what they have to do if they want to remain competitive.If they can all come together and find their peak form, they’ll likelychallenge again. On their day, they could go all the way, but if they’re offcolour, they’ll fade away early on. Matches against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh andAfghanistan give them the perfect start and opportunity to build form.
All-rounders:Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik
Wicketkeepers: SarfarazAhmed
Spinners: MohammadHafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim
Pace bowlers: HasanAli, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi, Wahab Riaz
Overview
Pakistan are one of the outsiders for the tournament,however on their day they could upset some of the favourites. But they need towork on their consistency. They were a shadow of themselves in the 2015 CricketWorld Cup, but found their best form in 2017 when they beat off the favouritesto win the Champions Trophy.
They’ve brought three all-rounders with different skillsetsto this World Cup, and it’s a move which has strengthened their positionmassively. Imad Wasim works wonders with the bat in the middle order, but needsto become more consistent with the ball in hand and pick up wickets moreregularly.
Shadab Khan is the polar opposite, picking up regularwickets with his wicked spin, but can’t find any form of consistency with thebat.
Faheem Ashraf is another asset for the Pakistan side. He’s apace bowler that’s quite handy with the bat too, and can bail his side out of troubleif on form.
One of the main weaknesses is that their batting attackdoesn’t seem to be filled with players that would suit the wicket in England.Imam-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez are known fortheir batting, and not their ‘big-hitting’, which the ground suits more inEngland. They could struggle to find the runs and get the scores on the board.
They’ve gone with a relatively inexperienced side and passedup on the opportunity to take Asif Ali on the tour with them. They lack playersthat can pick up runs quickly when needed.
They’ve got a strong change of making the semis if they can pull all the strings together and play to a high calibre. Their unpredictability in terms of their form means that they could also turn up and fail to make it out of the group stage. It’s a team filled with talent that has underperformed of late, but they’ll need to find more wickets and pick up runs quicker if they’re to threaten the favourites for the trophy.
Middle-order:Shai Hope, Nic Pooran, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer
All-rounders: JasonHolder, Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Russell
Wicketkeepers: NicholasPooran
Spinners: FabianAllen, Ashley Nurse
Pace bowlers: JasonHolder, Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Russell, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel,Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas
Overview
The West Indies have gone through a rough patch in recentyears, but it’s widely thought that they’re over that now and they’re going toattempt to make up for the years lost to poor form.
They’re filled with superstars, and they’ve got two of thebest ODI crickets on their squad. If Chris Gayle and Andre Russell are on fire,then there’s nothing that can be done by the opposition to stop them.
Their only issue is consistency. All of the talent is therein the squad, but it’s far too hit and miss to come up with a challenge. Ifthey can find their form and consistency in this tournament, they could go allthe way.
Shai Hope is another that will help the Windies put up agood score. He’s able to churn runs at will.
Their batsmen struggle facing spinners, which could be anissue in this tournament. If other teams come to them with their A-gamespinning, then it’s likely the Windies will struggle.
Fabian Allen is listen as an all-rounder, but he’s a muchbetter and more potent threat with the bat than he is will the ball in hand.He’s not known for his wicket taking ability, and they could have done withanother bowler in the squad to back up their batting talent.
If they can get it all together, then of course they’re expected to be a threat and challenge for the title. But with their poor form not too long ago, it’s no guarantee that they’re fully over that period. Form will heavily rely on the stars, and if Chris Gayle isn’t smashing the ball all over the place, runs may be harder to come by. Could go all the way, could fall at the first hurdle.
They’re one of the sides at the World Cup that are in astate of disrepair. Since losing two of their greatest ever batsmen in the formof Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, they’ve failed to find anyone thatcan come up with the consistency required with a bat in their hands.
They lost to South Africa heavily in the quarter-finals ofthe 2015 tournament, and since then, have continued a gradual decline,resulting in a new low in 2017 when they lost a five-match ODI series 3-2 toZimbabwe on their own patch.
They still have Lasith Malinga in their ranks, and despitehis career seemingly coming to an end, he’s back revitalised and as good asever, and remains their best bet when it comes to looking for wickets. Histechnique still leaves him as one of the most awkward and unpredictable bowlersin the game.
Angelo Mathews is another gem in the Sri Lankan ranks. He’stheir star man with the bat, and after being out of the team for a while due toa dispute with the Sri Lankan cricket board, he’s come back on top form and hasshowed no signs of slowing down, hitting 227 runs in four innings.
The Sri Lankans have a habit of not being able to just loseone wicket at a time, but they crumble together and lose wickets by the truckload. They usually fall like a pack of cards, and the fact they’ve stuck withunderperforming and out of form batsmen doesn’t give the side much chance.
Their opening partnership lacks the form and experience tomake teams fear them. Captain Dimuth Karunaratne will play alongside eitherAvishka Fernando or Lahiru Thirimanne, with the two either relativelyinexperienced (Avishka at 21 years old) or out of form (Thirimanne hasn’tplayed an international game for two years).
They’re in a sorrystate, and really don’t look like being able to put together any challenge tothe big guns that will be firing. They could finish bottom of the pile oncurrent form, and it isn’t looking like this World Cup is the time to turn itaround either.
All-rounders: Shakid-al-Hasan,Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain
Wicketkeepers: LitonDas, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun
Spinners: ShakibAl Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Mosaddek Hossain
Pace bowlers: SoumyaSarkar, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman,Abu Jayed
Overview
Commonly referred to as a side that have been overawed bythe big occasion, the Bangladesh side have started to prove people wrong. Theyreached the quarter-final in the 2015 World Cup, before reaching the semis ofthe 2017 Champions Cup. In the 2018 Asia Cup, they came within one ball ofwinning the trophy, only to have India come out on top.
They may struggle with the new format of the tournament, andmight not even make it out of the first round. They have a few good optionsthat give them hope, and are one of those sides that shouldn’t beunderestimated because they can genuinely beat anyone on any given day.
Tamim Iqbal is the biggest threat that Bangladesh posses. Hehas the capabilities to get them off to a lightning fast start and can put upbig numbers.
Middle-order batsman Mushfiqur Rahim is someone who hasimproved as the years have gone by, and with his vast knowledge and experiencein the game, can help their side drastically. Can play a crucial scoring rolelate on if needed.
Liton Das has maintained his place in the World Cup XVdespite being in some of the worst form of his career. He’s averaging less than20 over the last 27 matches he’s played in, and really struggled in theirrecent ODI series against New Zealand, failing to reach double figures.
Team lacks that stand out player that can strike fear intothe opposition and win them the game out of nowhere. Their squad is quitepredictable, and could be easily picked off.
They’ve got a teamfull of players who have got decent performances in them, but they rarely findthem together and therefore come up short more often than not. It’s likely thatthey’ll come up short again here. They’ll need to win a bare minimum of fivegames if they stand any chance of making it through and that looks like it mayjust be out of their grasps. Could spring a shock though if they all cometogether.
Openers: HazratullahZazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Noor Ali Zahran
Middle-order: AsgharAfghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Rahmat Shah
All-rounders: GulbadinNaib, Aftab Alam, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shinwari
Wicketkeepers: MohammadShahzad
Spinners: MohammadNabi, Samiullah Shinwari, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Pace bowlers: GulbadinNaib, Aftab Alam, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan
Overview
One to look out for, they could cause an upset on their dayalthough this is only their first appearance at the ODI Cricket World Cup.
They have an abundance of bowling talent, and their bowlershave been consistently performing across the domestic T20 leagues. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and MohammadNabi all ooze quality.
Rashid has a huge lot of variation in his bowling which canstun batsmen, but he’s particularly good with his quick leg spins. Nabi is oneof the most consistent bowlers in the game, and can drop the ball on a coinwhen required. His consistency gives batters nothing and encourages them totake risks, which forces errors. Mujeeb has a bag full of tricks up his sleeveand can switch it up whenever he wants.
The spinners are a constant threat during the powerplay, butcan also take regular wickets during the main innings.
One flaw could be that they’ve handed the captaincy tosomeone who has no prior experience of captaining the side whatsoever, and hecould be overawed by the magnitude of the tournament.
Changing the captain this close to the tournament is asurprise move, but what’s even more surprising is that they have the formercaptain still among the roster and will be competing in the tournament too,which could cause unnecessary tensions. Not all of the team agree with thedecision.
They’re expected to cause at least one shock in the tournament, but they’re not expected to be highly competitive throughout the tournament. They’ve got a great bowling attack but there’s not much in the way of batting, just a couple of big hitters that they’ll rely upon. Not expected to make it past the group stage.
