ICC World Cup 2019: 4 favorites to lift the trophy
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was facing Nuwan Kulasekara in a packed Wankhede Stadium on 2nd April 2011. 122 crore people in India were chanting ‘Dhoni, Dhoni, Dhon!’
Dhoni did not disappoint the crowd, and finished the game off in style. The 28-year wait had ended; the hopes had finally transcended into reality.
The victory created a huge buzz in India, and the party went on long into the night.
Such is the aura of the World Cup. It is that period in the cricketing calendar when the best meet the best. It is cricket’s biggest carnival, and it can make you a great player from just a good player.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is scheduled to take place in England and Wales this year. England will be hosting the event for the first time in two decades, and the format will be a complete round robin one. The best 10 teams will lock horns against each other, with each team playing 9 games.
With just a few months to go for this blockbuster event, let’s look at the four hot favourites to lift the trophy.
#1 England
England are probably the strongest contenders for this year’s World Cup, especially since they are playing at home.
Although England are the inventors of the game of cricket, they have failed to lift the prestigious trophy even once. But after a heartbreaking exit from the 2015 World Cup, they have undergone a huge transformation under the leadership of Eoin Morgan.
Today, England's cricketers play an aggressive brand of cricket throughout the 50 overs. The country has a tremendous ability to produce all-rounders; their lower order batsmen almost always give them handy runs. That gives the top-order batsmen the license to go hard right from the beginning.
With batting firepower like they have, they can back their lineup to chase down most scores. Their batting has been complemented nicely by the combination of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. Both of them create inroads into the opposition's batting lineup during the middle overs.
However, a one-dimensional fast bowling attack is a concern that England need to address.