Teams likely to qualify for World Cup 2019 semifinals
The 2019 Cricket World Cup is the 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by England and Wales, from 30th May to 14th July 2019. Virat Kohli-led Indian side once again go into the tournament as one of the favourites to clinch the prestigious ICC tournament. India will play their nine group matches in six different venues after starting their campaign against South Africa.
ICC ranking of a team is a parameter of a team's performance in the recent past. As per the current ICC rankings, England is on the top of the ODI rankings.
Every team has already started their mission of achieving the World Cup, but have their own set of problems to address. Australia go into the tournament as the defending champions as they won the 2015 World Cup. In the last World cup, the other teams to have qualified for the semis along with Australia were India, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Here are the four teams who might qualify for the semifinals of the next World Cup.
#4 New Zealand
Led by Kane Williamson, New Zealand are currently one of the best sides in World cricket. The Black Caps narrowly missed out on winning the 2015 World Cup, losing to Australia in the final.
Since the retirements of Brendon Mccullum and Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson has led his side from the front. Their last ODI series didn't go well as they lost the series with a 3-2 margin against England. If New Zealand have to win the 2019 World Cup, it would be an uphill task for the young side.
Their main strength lies in the pace attack which includes the likes of Tim Southee and Trent Boult. New Zealand might well qualify for the semifinals, but their progress to next phase is a doubt as they lack a good batsman in the middle, an area they need to address before the next World Cup.
New Zealand's key players:
Batsmen: Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor.
Bowlers: Trent Boult, Tim Southee.