Cricket World Cup 2019: Five Players to Watch

England and South Africa will usher in the start of the 2019 World Cup when they lock horns at The Oval on May 30. Fans can then look forward to six weeks of excitement, drama and intrigue before a champion is crowned on July 14th. All the world’s finest white ball stars will descend upon England and Wales to battle it out for glory and it promises to be a fascinating, ferociously competitive tournament. Here are five key reasons why the 2019 World Cup will be the global sporting highlight of the year:

Superstars Assemble

The overall level of quality in the ODI format has never been higher, as huge contracts and high-profile tournaments have attracted the world’s most talented players to white ball cricket. The globe’s top 10 teams – England, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – have qualified for this tournament and competition for places in the line-ups will be intense. Yet some players are assured of a place at the World Cup due to their sheer brilliance. It is nigh on impossible to select a top five, but Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle and Rashid Khan will be huge draws.

Kohli is the biggest star in cricket, but Root will benefit from tremendous home support and the England Test captain appears to play with great freedom and flair for Eoin Morgan’s ODI side. Australia have a number of dangerous stars, not least Shaun Marsh and the returning duo of Steve Smith and David Warner, but Starc was devastating at the last World Cup and his all-round prowess will make him very dangerous indeed. Gayle, The Universe Boss, pulls huge crowds thanks to his flair and power with the bat, while Khan can mix it with Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult as one of the world’s best bowlers, while his batting potential is also vast.

Image credit: Getty Images. Cricket World Cup 2019: Five Players to Watch – Mitchell Starc was superb in the 2015 World Cup.

The Fiercest Rivalry in World Sport

You can expect a billion viewers to be glued to their TV screens when India and Pakistan tangle at this tournament. That will make it the most popular sporting event of the year, absolutely dwarfing the Champions League final and the Super Bowl in audience numbers. This is the fiercest rivalry in world sport, as both countries share a common cricketing heritage but also a complicated and often hostile historical relationship.

There have been all manner of wars, territorial disputes and other conflicts, and when they meet on the cricket pitch the passion on show can be positively electrifying. India won by 76 runs when they met at the 2015 World Cup, and Pakistan will be desperate for revenge this time around after toppling Kohli and co in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy Final. They will do battle at Old Trafford on June 16th and we can expect plenty of fireworks in that one.

Image credit: AP. Cricket World Cup 2019: Five Players to Watch – It was a memorable day for Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final.

England’s Shot at Glory

England have been to the World Cup final three times, but they have always left empty handed. They lost out to the Windies in 1979, suffered a heart-breaking seven-run defeat to Australia in 1987 and lost to Pakistan in 1992. They have not been back to the World Cup final since then, but they now have a great opportunity to seize glory in 2019, and they are the favourites in the Cricket World Cup markets. Do you agree with the odds?

They have been perched atop the world rankings for several months now and they are in sensational form, particularly on home soil. England won the 1966 football World Cup when they hosted it and the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and it could be time for Morgan’s men to join that pantheon of great English teams. They have all the necessary weapons to thrive this summer – an impressive cast of varied and potentially dangerous bowlers, a devastating array of world class batsmen, heaps of experience, enviable strength in depth and an ice-cool captain in Morgan – and it will be thrilling to see if they can finally triumph.

Image credit: Getty Images. Cricket World Cup 2019: Five Players to Watch – Can England go all the way in 2019?

A Wealth of Tasty Ties

The action will come in thick and fast this summer and there are a number of exciting matches to look forward to. All the teams play each other once in a round-robin format, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals when all is said and done. This means a total of 45 matches will be played in the group stage, and intense rivalries will be resumed throughout the tournament. Pakistan v India, England v Australia, West Indies v England, Australia v New Zealand, India v Bangladesh and Australia v South Africa are just some of the huge matches that fans can look forward to.

Frenetic Actio n

Limited-overs cricket continues to soar in popularity and even the upcoming Ashes series has been overshadowed by the World Cup in England this year. Many traditionalists will always prefer Test cricket, but it is hard to deny that ODIs provide plenty of fast-paced, exciting action. Boldness and conviction are rewarded in this format and risk-taking is vital, often resulting in aggressive batting, daring bowling and nail-biting finales. It promises to be a brilliant tournament and fans will eagerly count down the days until it gets underway.

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