When the new year came, the cricket fans were a little bit more excited than the others, because 2019 is a World Cup year. The ICC World Cup, which takes place every four years, will take place in 2019.
According to the schedule, the World Cup will start on May 30th and the final on July 14th. The host of this World Cup edition is England. The finale will take place at the legendary Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Australia will start the tournament as defending champion as the trophy was won in 2015 under the leadership of Michael Clarke at home. Many legends like MS Dhoni, Hashim Amla and Lasith Malinga will compete in their last World Cup. It would be interesting to see them performing on the big stage one last time.
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On the other hand, we will also see some youngsters like Aiden Markram, Rashid Khan and Jasprit Bumrah on their first World Cup appearance.
There are many interesting factors to consider at this World Cup. Let’s look at four key factors that could influence the 2019 World Cup.
10 Teams Tournament
The 2019 World Cup will be a ten-team tournament. The first eight teams qualified directly, while Afghanistan and Windies were the other two who qualified from the qualifiers. The decision to participate in the World Cup with only ten teams can be considered in two ways.
Due to the absence of many associated nations, there will not be many games where the stronger team just blows away the weaker one. There were a lot of one-sided games at the last World Cup, which may not have happened this time.
Besides, the Ten Team Tournament does not allow the associated nations to compete in the largest cricket tournament. There are many players from lesser known nations who deserve to take part in the World Cup, but it is not possible for them.
Format of World Cup 2019 Is Different Than Some Previous
Not only do we have a different number of teams in this World Cup, but also the format of the tournament is completely different than in previous editions. We do not have a traditional format in which the teams are split into two groups and then four teams are selected from each group.
There is only one group in this issue where all teams are represented. All teams play once against each other, and the four best teams reach the semi-finals.
This format tests the consistency and fitness of each team as they have to play nine games at a trot. It can be very difficult for unpredictable teams to reach the semi-finals. Each team has to win at least five games to have a chance for the last four.
This format was last adopted at the 1992 World Cup and it will be interesting to see how the tournament develops.
Possibilities of World Cup 2019
After the premature exit of England at the 2015 World Cup, they changed their attitude to the 50s format. They prepared flat places and easily scored more than 300 points. Suddenly, 350 have become a par score, and just under 300 is simply not enough.
England has already set high standards by having the highest ODI of all time. Your 481 against Australia last year is a pretty massive benchmark.
The story could be similar at the upcoming World Cup. During the tournament in England we could see some pretty flat places and high results. The quality of the bowling is being tested strongly, as the competition is due to the impact muscle.
It would not be surprising if many shock records are broken. England, India and New Zealand have some impressive batsmen and there will be a lot of competition between them. In such places there are many limits and thus entertainment for the spectators.
Spinners Can Be Lead
Since the pitches are flat and the ball does not swing, the batsmen can only be bridged by wickets in the middle. Who is better than a wrist spinner to get the job done? The resurgence of the wrist in recent years has been enormous. It could be suicidal to enter the World Cup without a wrist spinner.
India has a special combination of wrist and spin in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, while Afghanistan has the best leg spinner in Rashid Khan. The hosts will go with Adil Rashid and South Africa with veteran Imran Tahir. Shadab Khan and Ish Sodhi can deliver the goods for Pakistan or New Zealand.
It’s going to be a great competition between these wrists of this World Cup on these flat fields. Finger spinners like a lot, and high-quality wrists could be the focus of the 2019 World Cup.
