Cricket World Cup Predictions: Who will stand where at the end?
The wait will finally be over in less than a week as England take on South Africa in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup opener at The Oval on 30 May. Unlike the last few editions, this will be a 10-team round robin format where all the teams play against each other and the top four will qualify for the semifinals.
The hosts are clear favourites going into the tournament. However, India and Australia have an equally strong squad at their disposal. This is expected to be a closely fought World Cup and no team can be taken lightly.
Without much ado, let’s have a look at where each team will stand at the end of the league stage.
#10 Afghanistan
Despite being the lowest ranked team in the tournament, Afghanistan have the ability to spring a surprise or two. They have a good bowling attack and a decent batting lineup to challenge any team in the tournament. Gulbadin Naib was appointed as the captain just weeks before the tournament, and it hasn’t gone down well with some of the players in the squad. Expect them to put up a fight but Afghanistan may have to contend with a 10th place finish.
#9 Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has done well in the previous tournaments but this World Cup is a lot different for the ‘Islanders’. Sri Lankan cricket is going through a bad phase at the moment and apart from the Test series win in South Africa, they struggled in every series they have played in the past year. Dimuth Karunaratne, who last played an ODI game in the 2015 World Cup, will lead the side, which lacks match-winners and also experience. They have won only one ODI out of the nine played in 2019.