World Cup 2019: Pakistan are the ultimate underdogs going into the competition
The 2019 World Cup is now only a few months away. Teams have been preparing for it for a good part of two years now. Each team aims to have their best players fit and their combinations sorted to be able to mount a formidable challenge for the title.
The conditions in England will play a large part in determining who the winner will be. The format in this World Cup is such that each team will have to play every other team at least once. That eliminates the prospect of an undeserving team making it to the semi-finals as a result of winning an easy group.
Seam bowlers will likely play a pivotal role for their teams. Team squads will, therefore, have to be composed with sufficient depth in that department. Sub-continent teams will particularly have to be mindful and select condition-specific batsmen.
Joe Root
England will be the prohibitive favourite going into the tournament. They are the #1 ranked ODI team in the world and will enjoy home-field advantage. They have played some excellent cricket over the last year or so and have a settled team that is well balanced.
England have some capable attacking batsmen at the top of the order and have depth in their batting line-up, as well. This is the best chance for them to win the World Cup in a long time and only a very special effort from a team with a penetrating set of bowlers likely stands a chance to beat them.
India is the other team that is in good form and has the necessary ammunition to mount a challenge for the title. They have great variety in their bowling and Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammed Shami make-up their new formidable seam attack. However, issues with their middle-order and the over-reliance on their top three batsmen may prove to be their Achilles heel.
Australia, as usual, are always in the scheme of things and can never be underestimated, no matter what their ranking is.
But the team that could very well lift the trophy, despite their inconsistent recent ODI form, is Pakistan. Their likely bowling line-up will include the likes of Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Hassan Ali. Mohammad Abbas is Pakistan's latest find who is currently not in their ODI squad but will almost certainly be part of their World Cup plans.
Abbas is, arguably, the best seam bowler in the world, particularly in English conditions. He was instrumental in helping Pakistan draw their latest Test series against England in England. His accuracy and skill in swinging the bowl may prove deadly for opposing batsmen. Moreover, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017 in England without even having Mohammad Abbas in their line-up.
Pakistan's batting line-up has been its weakness, in recent times. However, their batsmen's performances recently against Australia and New Zealand suggest that they are getting more confident and are showing the affinity to set big totals or chase stiff targets. And that could be a dangerous sign for their opponents.
Moreover, Pakistan is the #1 ranked team in T20s. Fakhar Zaman at the top of their batting order remains a significant threat to any bowling line-up. Their middle-order of Azam, Malik, Nawaz, and Hafeez is well balanced with experience and youthful exuberance. Finally, they have two seaming all-rounders in their line-up that are every bit as effective in exploiting the English conditions with their bowling skills as they are capable of holding their own with their batting capabilities.
So, while the world is debating who among England, India, or Australia has the best chance to win, the most under-rated and dangerous team that could win the World Cup could be Pakistan.