The ultimate battle begins
The 2019 ICC World Cup bursts into action today with 10 nations eager to give it their all
The 2019 ICC World Cup is all set to burst into action today, with 10 nations eager to give it their all in order to bag the cricket world’s biggest prize. The competition takes place every four years and every participating team is eager to clinch the Cup, but the only team successful in doing so will be the one that is geared to batten down and ride out the pressure.
The host team, England, also happens to rank as the world’s number one ODI team, is one of the top contenders for the title this time around. English cricket has tasted great success and has gone through a radical change following the disappointment of 2015. This year’s World Cup will finally prove whether or not the struggle was worth it.
Besides, India, the Asian powerhouse, and Australia, the defending champions, are also there to prove their mettle at the mega event. The Men in Blue have a favourable team balance, aided by the astute leadership of star batsman Virat Kohli. The Aussies, on the other hand, have peaked just at the right time, alongside being strengthened by the comeback of opener David Warner and former captain Steve Smith, after the infamous sandpaper scandal.
Talking about dark horses, Pakistan is right up that alley, due to its mercurial nature and ability to surprise teams on their day. The Men in Green had a stifling build-up heading into the World Cup, losing 10 out of the 11 ODIs it played before the World Cup. However, given their history, the Pakistanis stay very much in contention — cases in point being the 1992 World Cup and 2017 Champions Trophy victories. Bearing in mind that the Pakistani team has been in England for almost a month now, they have the advantage of being properly acclimatised with the conditions — something which could prove vital over the course of the event.
Be it the triumph of Imran Khan’s ‘cornered tigers’ of 1992 or Herschelle Gibbs’ infamous dropped catch in 1999, this event always tends to give out some great memories and you can rest assured that the 2019 World Cup will follow a similar pattern.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2019.
The host team, England, also happens to rank as the world’s number one ODI team, is one of the top contenders for the title this time around. English cricket has tasted great success and has gone through a radical change following the disappointment of 2015. This year’s World Cup will finally prove whether or not the struggle was worth it.
Besides, India, the Asian powerhouse, and Australia, the defending champions, are also there to prove their mettle at the mega event. The Men in Blue have a favourable team balance, aided by the astute leadership of star batsman Virat Kohli. The Aussies, on the other hand, have peaked just at the right time, alongside being strengthened by the comeback of opener David Warner and former captain Steve Smith, after the infamous sandpaper scandal.
Talking about dark horses, Pakistan is right up that alley, due to its mercurial nature and ability to surprise teams on their day. The Men in Green had a stifling build-up heading into the World Cup, losing 10 out of the 11 ODIs it played before the World Cup. However, given their history, the Pakistanis stay very much in contention — cases in point being the 1992 World Cup and 2017 Champions Trophy victories. Bearing in mind that the Pakistani team has been in England for almost a month now, they have the advantage of being properly acclimatised with the conditions — something which could prove vital over the course of the event.
Be it the triumph of Imran Khan’s ‘cornered tigers’ of 1992 or Herschelle Gibbs’ infamous dropped catch in 1999, this event always tends to give out some great memories and you can rest assured that the 2019 World Cup will follow a similar pattern.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2019.