2019 ICC Cricket World Cup [Preview]
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is set to be played in England and Wales from 30th May to 14th July. A total of 10 teams will take part in this year’s competition. All the teams are placed in a single group and will play each other once. The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals of the tournament.
For the first time in this year World Cup, no associate nation is involved in this showpiece event. All the teams have announced their squads for the World Cup that will begin from 30th May.
Host England will certainly start as favorites to win their maiden World Cup in home conditions. Since the debacle in 2015 Cricket World Cup, England have certainly turned things around and playing an attacking brand of cricket at the moment. Batting has been their strength in the past couple of years as they managed to post huge totals on a regular basis in limited-overs cricket.
Eoin Morgan-led unit have world-class players like Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Jason Roy, who can single-handedly win games on their own in the limited-overs cricket. Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, and Captain Eoin Morgan are bankable players in the playing XI and would be keen to do well in this year’s competition.
On the other hand, India have selected a well-balanced squad for the upcoming Cricket World. The selectors have managed to pick experienced players for the mega event. Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, and Ravindra Jadeja were notable inclusions in the final squad for the World Cup.
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli will need to do the bulk of the scoring for India and lay down platforms for the likes of MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya to go berserk in the later stages of the innings.
Pace bowler Jaspreet Bumrah, Left-arm Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal will be crucial to India’s chances in this year’s tournament.
Australia have experienced a renaissance of sorts in the past couple of months in limited-overs cricket. Aaron Finch and co. have certainly looked in good form and managed to win bilateral series in India and against Pakistan in the UAE.
The return of David Warner and Steven Smith will bolster their batting resources. Usman Khuwaja, Shaun Marsh and Alex Carey have done consistently well with the bat for the side so far this year. One can never write off Australia as they are the most successful team in the history of Cricket World Cups with five trophies to their name.
Pakistan are the “dark horses” for this year’s competition. The side known for its unpredictable nature can certainly spring a surprise and win their second World Cup this year.
Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed will be hoping that the batting lineup can raise their game for the tournament in a bid to make a serious dash at the coveted prize.
South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies also look in good shape but will need to consistently well in order to challenge teams like India, England, and Australia for the big prize. Not much is expected from lower-ranked teams like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, who will need to do something special to pull off upset against top-ranked teams participating in the competition.
The craze and euphoria among cricket fans around the world have reached an all-time high as the 12th edition of Cricket World Cup is set to begin from this month.
