<p>The ICC World Cup 2019, the biggest event in cricket that promises glory and immortality to every cricketer on the planet is just around the corner. Scheduled to begin from May 30 and conclude on July 14, the tournament will see 10 teams fight for the ultimate prize in a format much akin to the one in 1992 World Cup. The group stage will see all the teams play in a round-robin league, with the top four teams qualifying for the semifinals. Among the ten participants, some are powerhouses of world cricket, while some will look to leave an indelible mark on the map of "Gentleman's Game''. Here is an analysis of each of the 10 teams who will enter into the arena. </p>.<p><strong>England</strong></p>.<p>The host of this year's World Cup, England was knocked out unceremoniously from the group stage in the previous edition. They faced immense criticism and ridicule for their shambolic performance in 2015, but they turned things around in style. The Eoin Morgan led side has changed their approach, from a leisurely take on their game to a deadly, marauding band of mercenaries. The likes of Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan can hit any team out of the park and the game. Since their 2015 debacle, they have adopted a blistering approach- outscore your opponents. But their rains of boundaries often clouds the one glaring chink in their armour- their bowling. Their bowlers have been often tonked for plenty, making them suspectible while defending any score. The addition of Jofra Archer can give their bowling the much needed bite, and if Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid manages to rhold their fort, England have ample chance of winning the much elusive crown of world champions. </p>.<p><strong>India</strong></p>.<p>India will enter into the tournamnet as one of the strong contenders to clinch the title. Virat Kohli and co. will like to repeat their 2011 feat by winning the trophy for the third time. And they have reasons to believe on their mettle. The team boasts of a destructive top order, with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli who is arguably the best ODI batsman at the moment, all capable of winning matches on their own, signle-handedly destroying the opponent. India's bowling attack is in excellent form, with the pace attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar being probably the best in their history of ODI cricket. Coupled with the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, the bowling line up looks lethal and raring to go. But India's only bone of contention will be their fragile middle order. They are without a permanent no.4; that added with Dhoni's indifferent form and lack of a reliable finisher can hamper India's chances of chasing big totals under crunch situations. </p>.<p><strong>Australia</strong></p>.<p>Australia are no longer the undisputed rulers of world cricket as they once were. Their kingdom is now a pile of debris, their famed domination is now a tale of the past. Still, they are Australia, capable of fighting back when the chips are down. And they did precisely that in the recently concluded ODI series against India in India, by doing the unexpected and clinched the ODI series 3-2. It showed their indomitable courage and unyielding spirit. Th return of Steven Smith and David Warner after their one year ban for ball tampering will provide added boost to their batting line-up, and if the bowling attack of Cummins, Starc, Zampa and co. manages to provide adequate support, Australia can very well dream of conquoring the world for the sixth time. </p>.<p><strong>New Zealand</strong></p>.<p>In the history of ODI World Cup, New Zealand have reached the final only once. In the 2015 World Cup, the Brendon McCullum led side were one step away from clinching the coveted title only to be thrashed by Australia. This time, the side is more poised and balanced. With a threatning bowling attack and the able leadership of Kane Williamson, New Zealand are the dark-horse of this year's World Cup. They are one of the favourities to reach the semifinals, and can surprise the cricketing fraternity by winning their first ever World Cup. </p>.<p><strong>South Africa </strong></p>.<p>Despite boasting tremendous heavyweight sides in the past, South Africa has never managed to cross the line of semifinals. Many a times they were denied curelly by fate, and more precisely rain, with the 1999 World Cup defeat to Australia carving an immortal place in the cricket folklore. This time, they are without their talismanic batsman AB de Villiers who had retired from the international side. Their bowling will largely depend on the birlliance of Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir. In the batting department, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis need to fire all their cylindars if South Africa harbours any hope of reaching the final phase for the first time in their World Cup history. </p>.<p><strong>Bangladesh</strong></p>.<p>Bangladesh will enter into the World Cup on the back of their tri-series win comrprising West Indies and Ireland. Their minnow tag is long gone now, to be replaced by a sense of confidence that they can fight it out with any team. Tamim Iqbal, Shakib-al-Hasan, Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah Riyad will form the core of their batting, with Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain taking the onus of the bowling. Mashrafe Moratza's inspirational captaincy can propel them to defeat some of the big names in the tournament. </p>.<p><strong>Pakistan</strong></p>.<p>Known to be unpredictable and dynamic, it is hard to guess Pakistan's outcome in this World Cup. Their victory in the Champions Trophy 2017 showed that it would not be prudent to write them off in the big tournaments. They have a stable opening duo in Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman and experinced battle hard warriors in Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez. They are going through a poor form in the longer format of the white ball cricket, but they have the ability to set the tournament on fire. </p>.<p><strong>West Indies, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan</strong></p>.<p>Both the teams are enduring a miserbale run in the ODI format. West Indies will be bolstered by the inclusion of Chris Gayle and Andre Russell, but they need to put up a formidable fight to make a mark this time. As for Sri Lanka, they have every chance of causing a susprise out of nowhere, but they need to pull their acts together, fast. Afghanistan will be playing their first ODI World Cup this year. They have a bowling arsenal of Rashid Khan and Mujib Ur Rahman, combined with the smart all-round cricket of Mohammad Nabi. They have a few chance of causing some uspsets in their inagural World Cup. </p>
<p>The ICC World Cup 2019, the biggest event in cricket that promises glory and immortality to every cricketer on the planet is just around the corner. Scheduled to begin from May 30 and conclude on July 14, the tournament will see 10 teams fight for the ultimate prize in a format much akin to the one in 1992 World Cup. The group stage will see all the teams play in a round-robin league, with the top four teams qualifying for the semifinals. Among the ten participants, some are powerhouses of world cricket, while some will look to leave an indelible mark on the map of "Gentleman's Game''. Here is an analysis of each of the 10 teams who will enter into the arena. </p>.<p><strong>England</strong></p>.<p>The host of this year's World Cup, England was knocked out unceremoniously from the group stage in the previous edition. They faced immense criticism and ridicule for their shambolic performance in 2015, but they turned things around in style. The Eoin Morgan led side has changed their approach, from a leisurely take on their game to a deadly, marauding band of mercenaries. The likes of Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan can hit any team out of the park and the game. Since their 2015 debacle, they have adopted a blistering approach- outscore your opponents. But their rains of boundaries often clouds the one glaring chink in their armour- their bowling. Their bowlers have been often tonked for plenty, making them suspectible while defending any score. The addition of Jofra Archer can give their bowling the much needed bite, and if Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid manages to rhold their fort, England have ample chance of winning the much elusive crown of world champions. </p>.<p><strong>India</strong></p>.<p>India will enter into the tournamnet as one of the strong contenders to clinch the title. Virat Kohli and co. will like to repeat their 2011 feat by winning the trophy for the third time. And they have reasons to believe on their mettle. The team boasts of a destructive top order, with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli who is arguably the best ODI batsman at the moment, all capable of winning matches on their own, signle-handedly destroying the opponent. India's bowling attack is in excellent form, with the pace attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar being probably the best in their history of ODI cricket. Coupled with the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, the bowling line up looks lethal and raring to go. But India's only bone of contention will be their fragile middle order. They are without a permanent no.4; that added with Dhoni's indifferent form and lack of a reliable finisher can hamper India's chances of chasing big totals under crunch situations. </p>.<p><strong>Australia</strong></p>.<p>Australia are no longer the undisputed rulers of world cricket as they once were. Their kingdom is now a pile of debris, their famed domination is now a tale of the past. Still, they are Australia, capable of fighting back when the chips are down. And they did precisely that in the recently concluded ODI series against India in India, by doing the unexpected and clinched the ODI series 3-2. It showed their indomitable courage and unyielding spirit. Th return of Steven Smith and David Warner after their one year ban for ball tampering will provide added boost to their batting line-up, and if the bowling attack of Cummins, Starc, Zampa and co. manages to provide adequate support, Australia can very well dream of conquoring the world for the sixth time. </p>.<p><strong>New Zealand</strong></p>.<p>In the history of ODI World Cup, New Zealand have reached the final only once. In the 2015 World Cup, the Brendon McCullum led side were one step away from clinching the coveted title only to be thrashed by Australia. This time, the side is more poised and balanced. With a threatning bowling attack and the able leadership of Kane Williamson, New Zealand are the dark-horse of this year's World Cup. They are one of the favourities to reach the semifinals, and can surprise the cricketing fraternity by winning their first ever World Cup. </p>.<p><strong>South Africa </strong></p>.<p>Despite boasting tremendous heavyweight sides in the past, South Africa has never managed to cross the line of semifinals. Many a times they were denied curelly by fate, and more precisely rain, with the 1999 World Cup defeat to Australia carving an immortal place in the cricket folklore. This time, they are without their talismanic batsman AB de Villiers who had retired from the international side. Their bowling will largely depend on the birlliance of Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir. In the batting department, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis need to fire all their cylindars if South Africa harbours any hope of reaching the final phase for the first time in their World Cup history. </p>.<p><strong>Bangladesh</strong></p>.<p>Bangladesh will enter into the World Cup on the back of their tri-series win comrprising West Indies and Ireland. Their minnow tag is long gone now, to be replaced by a sense of confidence that they can fight it out with any team. Tamim Iqbal, Shakib-al-Hasan, Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah Riyad will form the core of their batting, with Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain taking the onus of the bowling. Mashrafe Moratza's inspirational captaincy can propel them to defeat some of the big names in the tournament. </p>.<p><strong>Pakistan</strong></p>.<p>Known to be unpredictable and dynamic, it is hard to guess Pakistan's outcome in this World Cup. Their victory in the Champions Trophy 2017 showed that it would not be prudent to write them off in the big tournaments. They have a stable opening duo in Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman and experinced battle hard warriors in Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez. They are going through a poor form in the longer format of the white ball cricket, but they have the ability to set the tournament on fire. </p>.<p><strong>West Indies, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan</strong></p>.<p>Both the teams are enduring a miserbale run in the ODI format. West Indies will be bolstered by the inclusion of Chris Gayle and Andre Russell, but they need to put up a formidable fight to make a mark this time. As for Sri Lanka, they have every chance of causing a susprise out of nowhere, but they need to pull their acts together, fast. Afghanistan will be playing their first ODI World Cup this year. They have a bowling arsenal of Rashid Khan and Mujib Ur Rahman, combined with the smart all-round cricket of Mohammad Nabi. They have a few chance of causing some uspsets in their inagural World Cup. </p>
