CWC 2019: Ranking the top 3 batting sides in the tournament
It is that time of the year when cricket fans all over the world rejoice. It is the ICC Cricket World Cup month. Every cricket playing nation takes pride in watching their team perform at the highest stage and win matches to get the trophy home. This year ten teams namely England, Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan fight to become the world champions.
It's been already four years since the trans-Tasman finale where New Zealand put up a shoddy performance to lose the final at the hands of their rivals Australia. Every team has chosen its preliminary squad for the upcoming mega event, and have indeed put their best combinations possible.
The conditions in England this time are more conducive to the batsmen. The wickets are fully dry and flat with least assistance to the bowlers. So the team that bats really well throughout the event has more chances to make it to the finals. Each team has notable names in their batting unit.
Here we will look at the top three batting sides in the tournament.
#3 Australia
One thing about Australia is their competitive nature and dominance when it comes to ICC tournaments. Australia has always played the best cricket when it comes to multi-nation tournaments. The fact that they are 5-time world champions stands testimony to their dominance in world cricket.
Although Australian cricket had to go through their lowest ever moments for controversial incidents reflecting in their performances in the past 2 years, the team has got back to its best at the right time. The team is riding on confidence after winning ODI series against India and Pakistan recently.
The defending champions have named yet another strong team for this world cup. Moreover, the return of David Warner and Steve Smith has boosted the team balance immensely. The Aussie batsmen have fared well since the last World Cup - Aaron Finch (41), Warner (55.17), Smith (44.8), Usman Khawaja (47), Glenn Maxwell (32), and Alex Carey (31). The presence of the experienced Shaun Marsh, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis adds more balance to the already strong batting line up for the Aussies.
Preliminary Squad:
Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Alex Carey, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon.