[VoxSpace Selects] World Cup 2019 : The Top Three Contenders For The Coveted Title

World Cup 2019 Mania

The cricket World Cup fever is here and all the fans of the game are gearing up for the mega event which occurs once in every four years. The responsibility of hosting the World Cup this time has been handed to England and Wales. All the teams which have qualified for the event have been preparing for more than a year now. Some of the teams have done well coming into the tournament while some have struggled. Although each and every team participating in the event can win the matches on their days, there are some which look in a better place to be featured in finals. Let us try to analyze the top three teams that are strong contenders to be the finalists and understand why they have more chances than other teams.

My Pick And The Whole Squad

The first two teams which immediately come to my mind when talking about finals are Team England and Team India. These two teams have been playing incredible cricket for the past eighteen months. England especially has redefined their style and brand of cricket since their early exit from the 2015 World Cup. They have been dominating against every team they have played and have formed a core of strong match-winners in their side over a year leading up to the World Cup. On the other hand, Team India too has been consistent in their performances and has settled down on a strong core of players. These two teams, I strongly believe, have good chances of clashing with each other in the finals for the World Cup trophy.

Apart from these two strong teams, other teams haven’t been in great form as such. Some of the teams have done well but in patches, like Australia and South Africa and some teams have been below par like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. One team that has done well and has been consistent is New Zealand. Though they have struggled here and there, overall they have been a force to reckon. With a difficult choice between Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, I pick New Zealand as the third team that could give tough competition to the other teams and feature in finals. Since the tournament is in England and Wales, the pitches and the overhead conditions are a paradise for the fast bowlers. Hence, the team with strong and varied pacers will have more chances to win matches.

 

The Squad

The following is the full squad of India, England and New Zealand cricket team for World Cup 2019.

India Squad

Virat Kohli (Captain) Ravindra Jadeja (All-Rounder)
Rohit Sharma (Batsman) Kedhar Jadhav (All-Rounder)
Shikhar Dhawan (Batsman) Kuldeep Yadav (Bowler)
Lokesh Rahul (Batsman) Mohammed Shami (Bowler)
MS Dhoni (Wicket-Keeper) Jasprit Bumrah (Bowler)
 Vijay Shankar (All-Rounder) Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Bowler)
Dinesh Karthik (Wicket-Keeper) Yuzvendra Chahal (Bowler)
Hardik Pandya (All-Rounder)  


England Squad

Eoin Morgan (Captain) Liam Plunkett (Bowler)
Jonny Bairstow (Batsman) Adil Rashid (Bowler)
Jason Roy (Batsman) Mark Wood (Bowler)
Joe Root (Batsman) Tom Curran (All-Rounder)
Ben Stokes (All-Rounder) Liam Dawson (All-Rounder)
Jos Buttler (Wicket-Keeper) Jofra Archer (All-Rounder)
Moeen Ali (All-Rounder) James Vince (Batsman)
Chris Woakes (All-Rounder)  

New Zealand Squad

Kane Williamson (Captain) Colin Munro (All-Rounder)
Tom Blundell (Wicket-Keeper) James Neesham (All-Rounder)
Trent Boult (Bowler) Henry Nicholls (Batsman)
Colin de Grandhomme (All-Rounder) Mitchell Santner (All-Rounder)
Lockie Ferguson (Bowler) Tim Southee (Bowler)
Martin Guptill (Batsman) Ish Sodhi (Bowler)
Matt Henry (Bowler) Ross Taylor (Batsman)
Tom Latham (Wicket-Keeper)  

Overall Balanced Indian Cricket Team

Team India has been doing well since the 2015 World Cup and has been one of the favourites to win the trophy this year. The team looks pretty balanced with some good mix of bowlers and batsmen and have match-winning players in their squad.

To begin with, Virat Kohli will be leading the side for the first time in a World Cup tournament. His record as captain has been pretty good. Time and again, he’s been showing that he can turn the match in his favour whenever needed. Although he hasn’t been in great form as captain during the recently concluded Indian Premier League, his records while leading the national team depict a different story. With Rohit Sharma as his deputy, Virat has someone who is a good thinker of the game. Rohit Sharma, high on the back of his incredible display of leadership in the IPL will be a great asset for Virat when needed. Not to forget the legend MS Dhoni, one of the greatest minds and a great reader of the game, who will be offering his services to Virat in making some difficult decisions.

The Three Departments

The batting department looks pretty much settled with the trio of top three batsmen Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. The latter two have been in great nick and will be looking to contribute to the team’s win consistently. The only weak spot, for now, is the number four position which has been the talking point for quite some time now. There are players like KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik and the surprising pick, three-dimensional player Vijay Shankar who will be competing for that batting position. I feel Dinesh Karthik would be the best option for that position who provides stability and at the same time can be aggressive when needed. The rest of the lineup has finishers and hitters in the form of MS Dhoni, Kedhar Jadhav, and Hardik Pandya.

When it comes to the all-rounders, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja provide the variety in the playing eleven depending on the pitch. This will be boosted by players like Kedhar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar who can chip in here and there.

Team India has successfully managed the workload of the bowlers, especially the fast bowlers. In Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, they have great wrist spinners who will be a crucial factor in team India’s journey to win the World Cup.

As I mentioned earlier, since the event is in England and Wales, fast bowlers will be in the picture right from the beginning. And Indian team has some good set of bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Jasprit Bumrah has been lethal with his bowling and will be the most vital player if India has to get the trophy home. His skills upfront with the new ball and later in the death overs will be very crucial.

England Cricket Team – The Fiery Bunch

When it comes to the England team, one word which comes to the mind is Aggression. The way they remodelled their approach after their disappointing display in the World Cup 2015, has been paying great dividends for them. Eoin Morgan, who will be leading the side for the tournament, is himself an aggressive batsman. The team management started building their squad with a mix of players with both aggressive and passive game. The biggest advantage the England team has is that the tournament is in their own backyard. They are well versed with the conditions and the knowledge of the pitch and its behaviour. This will enable them to start the tournament as the favourites.

Morgan has been doing a splendid job when it comes to leading the English side. The team has been dominating in various bilateral series against different oppositions. Morgan has Jos Butler as his deputy, who will have an advantage as a wicketkeeper, to be close to the game and hence giving valuable suggestions to Morgan when needed.

The team management has been trying to build the core players. Leading up to the World Cup they have tried different players with varied skills and stumped everyone with some interesting and surprising picks.

The Three Departments

England’s batting department consists of incredible batters who have the capability to change the game individually. The openers, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow have been in great form. Bairstow has been an unstoppable force who looks like he is out there to conquer the world. He showed his prowess in the IPL 2019 dominating some of the best bowlers of the world.

The middle order has players like Joe Root, Morgan and Ben Stokes who are match winners and will be looking to score heavy runs and help the team pile up big scores. Although Joe Root hasn’t been in the greatest of the nicks, the quality and skills he possesses will be a threat to the opposition. With players like Jos Butler, who is an unbelievably outstanding batsman, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, England team has a strong lower order. These players along with Stokes will allow Morgan to be flexible with the different options with both bat and ball.

The biggest factor in this tournament is going to be the bowling. And England has outstanding quality in this department. Woakes, Plunkett and Mark Wood have done wonders with the ball in hand. And the bowling department will be bolstered by the surprise inclusion of Jofra Archer. Jofra Archer has been making noise everywhere he goes with his unmatchable performances. He is a player one wouldn’t want to miss having in the squad and hence the team management drafted him in as soon as he turned eligible. He will be a very important link between the England team and the trophy. They have decent spinners in Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid who will be in a supporting role helping the pacers by bowling some tight and economical overs.

Beware Of The New Zealand Cricket Team

The choice of New Zealand cricket team being in my top three list might be surprising. Compared to the other teams, New Zealand doesn’t start with the favourite tag. But they have been performing outstandingly well from the past 18 months and have come a long way over the years. The team has climbed up the order in the rankings clearly indicating their progress. Although they don’t have too many star players, the players have been doing good and this is what ultimately matters.

The responsibility of leading the side is in the able hands of Kane Williamson. He has been remarkable in leading the New Zealand team and has done wonders, which has resulted in them winning more often than not. Tom Latham will be his deputy and will provide valuable feedbacks from behind the stump which gives him a better overview of the game.

The Three Departments

The batting department looks pretty settled with Martin Guptill, Colin Munro and Kane Williamson taking up the top order. They have done pretty well leading up to the World Cup, especially Williamson, who we know as one of the best batsmen in a current lot of players. The middle order has some quality players like Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls who will be helmed by the evergreen Ross Taylor.  Taylor particularly has been in a sublime form and has got his old mojo back after a rough phase with the bat. Add to that, his experience over the years will come in handy to deal with some tricky situations.

New Zealand team is blessed with incredible all-rounders in their squad like Colin de Grandhomme, James Neesham, and Mitchell Santner. These players along with the likes of Nicholls, Munro, and Williamson give the team more options and flexibility when it comes to forming a balanced playing eleven.

The next and the most important department, bowling, will be spearheaded by the talented duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee. These two bowlers have been magnificent and have changed the face of New Zealand cricket. They will be a vital cog in the plans and strategies of the New Zealand team. These two will be supported by the likes of Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson and the ace leg spinner Ish Sodhi who will be looking to keep the middle overs tight and quiet.

Final Words

One might argue that South Africa and Australia might also feature in the finals. Though both these teams consist of amazing players, they have failed to maintain consistency. Australia, in particular, hasn’t been in the greatest of the forms. Although their squad is elevated by the inclusion of David Warner and Steve Smith, the team in an overall perspective hasn’t been able to put the performances required to win matches.

South Africa too has incredible players in their squad and has done well in the past few months. Nevertheless, they lack the team spirit required. Ergo the players have performed well individually on different occasions, but the team as a whole hasn’t been consistent. That’s where the New Zealand team despite not having star players has performed well as a team. Hence, they have more chances than others to feature in the finals.

This is my prediction of the top three teams for the World Cup 2019 and the analysis behind the choices. Overall it will be an exciting tournament. It’s interesting to see the competitive display of cricket from all the teams. My best wishes to all the teams and players participating in this mega ICC event. Cheers!