ICC World Cup 2019: Top 4 contenders to win the title
The rehearsal for the biggest cricket tournament begins for all the top 10 countries who have qualified for the World Cup 2019. The mega event begins on 30th May with the host England taking on the Proteas in the tournament opener.
The format of this edition of the World Cup has changed to round-robin format between ten teams with each team playing a total of nine matches. Top 4 teams will progress to a knockout stage of semi-finals and the finals.
It is similar to the 1992 World Cup format where eight teams had competed against each other in round robin format. Lord's will host the finals on 14th July.
All the teams have started their preparations in full flow as less than 12 months are left before the tournament kicks off. After 2015 World Cup till now, some of the teams have played brilliantly while some teams have struggled to get going. With the current form and consistency, let us find out the four strongest contenders for the title.
#4 Australia
The defending champions are one of the strongest teams in world cricket. When it comes to the big tournament, the Aussies are the best performers and have handled the pressure well. In the last five editions of the World Cup, they have won 4 titles and lost only one against India in 2011.
The infamous sandpaper gate incident might have hit the Australia team very hard without the services of David Warner and Steve Smith, but they are still a very strong side. The bowling line-up comprises of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Andrew Tye along with back up bowlers. In the spin department, they have Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa.
The batting also looks solid with the likes of D'Acry Short and Aaron Finch at the top while in the middle order they have Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis. Also, Warner and Smith will return before World Cup which will boost their chances.
The Australian team looks a very balanced side, and with their ability to raise their game in knockout stages they might well defend the world title.