World Cup 2019: Roundup of the warm-up matches
The build-up to the World Cup 2019 has kicked into high gear with team media sessions and press conferences. But the most important thing for each team before the start of the tournament has been the series of warm-up matches scheduled.
With none of the warm-ups officially recognized as ODI matches, each team was free to play up to 15 players in order to fine-tune their batting and bowling plans and solidify their ideal team combinations.
The warm-up matches went differently for each team, with some benefiting more than others. Hosts England lost their first match to Australia by 12 runs, but would have been more concerned by the mounting injury concerns rather than the result. Eoin Morgan, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes are currently dealing with injuries, though Wood and Woakes are the only long-term concerns and will have to be managed accordingly.
A win in their final match against Afghanistan highlighted their improved ability to bat against spin bowling, which will be crucial as the tournament progresses and the pitches get drier.
South Africa started with a win in their first warm-up against Sri Lanka but rain forced their match against West Indies to end without a result. Their biggest gain from the warm-up matches will be the two half-centuries that Hashim Amla scored. Amla finding form just before the tournament starts coupled with his experience in English conditions will be crucial to South Africa's chances, especially in the absence of Dale Steyn due to a shoulder injury.
Australia won both their warm-up matches, against England and Sri Lanka, and will be pleased with Steven Smith's century and their bowling performances in both matches. But it is still unclear as to who between David Warner and Usman Khawaja will partner Aaron Finch at the top of the order, with both of them impressing in their chances.
Sri Lanka lost both their warm-up matches, to South Africa and Australia, but will take some confidence from the individual performances of Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews and Lahiru Thirimanne. Questions remain over their bowling and their ability to bat 50 overs consistently though.
Afghanistan won their warm-up match against Pakistan by 3 wickets, with Mohammad Nabi, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Dawlat Zadran impressing in that match. But then they lost their next match to England.
Mohammad Shahzad retired hurt in the match against Pakistan and did not play against England, which is something that the team management will have to factor into their discussions.
Pakistan lost their first warm-up match to Afghanistan and rain ruined any possibility of play against Bangladesh, with their only positives being Babar Azam's century and Wahab Riaz's late spell of reverse swing. With them not having won an ODI match since January and the lack of potency in their bowling and batting showing up repeatedly, time is running out to get their act together ahead of the World Cup.
India had mixed results in their matches, losing to New Zealand and winning against Bangladesh. Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul and MS Dhoni all found form with the bat and Kuldeep Yadav rediscovered his wicket-taking ability after a horrid IPL season, but a vulnerability to swing bowling is a concern to address.
Bangladesh only had one proper warm-up match, against India, after their match against Pakistan was abandoned due to rain. And despite a heavy loss, they would be happy to see that Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim scored some runs.
Bangladesh will not be too worried about their team combination after this match, as the same group of players went on to win a tri-series in Ireland just before the warm-up matches.
New Zealand had one good day with the ball against India and one horrible one with the ball against West Indies, where they conceded 421. The performances of Trent Boult and Kane Williamson in both matches were a large positive. Meanwhile, Tom Blundell's batting and keeping in the match against West Indies bode well for him if he is to make his ODI debut during the tournament, with regular wicket-keeper Tom Latham recovering from a finger injury.
West Indies showed that they aren't a team to be taken lightly after smashing 421 against New Zealand, and they will look towards Shai Hope to continue his excellent run of form. Andre Russell's late order fireworks were also crucial, as were the tight bowling lengths from Jason Holder and Kemar Roach. An improved fielding performance is what they will be looking for, but it is clear that this is no longer a team to be underestimated.
The only thing left is for the World Cup matches to start officially. With all the teams present and finding form, a competitive and exciting tournament is on the cards from Thursday onwards.
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