With the highly-anticipated 2019 Cricket World Cup just a few days away, the time is right to see the teams that will be battling it out for cricket’s most prestigious trophy.
So, let’s get started!
The Oldest Team – Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s squad is packed with experienced and older players who could play a crucial role in helping them get past the World Cup group stages. They are the oldest competing team with an average age of 29.9 years.
32-year old Suranga Lakmal and 35-year old Lasith Malinga will most likely be the spearheads of the bowling attack. Angelo Matthews (31) is making a comeback following the team’s poor ODI form in the former captain’s absence. Jeevan Mendis (36) has also been called up though he hasn’t played 50-over cricket since 2015.
Hosts England and South Africa are close behind with average ages of 29.5, while five-time winners Australia are slightly younger with 29.4. Undoubtedly, these three nations have more settled squads with the right mix of youth and veterans.
The Youngest Team – Pakistan
Pakistan is the youngest team at this Cricket World Cup, where the average age stands at 27.3. The Afghanistan cricket team is marginally behind with 27.4 and will be depending on their youngsters to deliver as they go into their second World Cup.
Afghanistan’s hopes will be pinned on the spin attack made up of the no-3 ranked ODI bowler Rashid Khan (20) and 18-year old Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is the youngest player at the event. Pakistan, which hasn’t been in the best ODI form as of late, needs their talented 19-year old quicks (Mohammad Hasnain and Shaheen Shah Afridi) to bowl with more consistency if they want to make early inroads.
The Most Capped Team – India
The fourth youngest team in the tournament is that of India, and the most capped too, as they have a combined 1573 appearances among them. They eclipse the second most capped squad Bangladesh who has 1299 appearances, and will be banking on their seniors MS Dhoni (341 caps), the no-1 ranked ODI batsman and captain Virat Kohli (277 caps), and three-time double centurion Rohit Sharma (206 caps).
Bangladesh, on the other hand, would be relying on their experience in an attempt to lift their first World Cup trophy. Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Tamim Iqbal have a total of 790 caps to their name and will be aware that this World Cup is probably their last chance of making history together.
The Team with Most Centuries – India
When it comes to ODI centuries, India is often the first name that comes to mind and not without reason. The team has a total of 90, out of which a staggering 41 of those belong to none other than Virat Kohli. Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan, and Dhoni also have many centuries under their belts, but a lot will depend on how well they perform in England.
England, meanwhile, is the team with most centurions – a good indicator of the depth in their batting lineup! Seven English players have hit centuries in ODIs, as opposed to five each for New Zealand, India, and South Africa.
The Team with Most Wickets – Bangladesh
Picking up wickets on high-scoring pitches can be difficult, but not for those who are skilled at nipping the ball around. English conditions might just give some hope to those bowlers, but whether or not they will be able to handle the pressure, only time will tell.
Bangladesh (829 scalps) and Sri Lanka (815 scalps) have the most ODI wickets among the ten teams. Mortaza will be leading the line for Bangladesh with 259 scalps, whereas Malinga will be the most important member of Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, having a total of 322 scalps to his name.
Australia sits at the bottom with 495 scalps. Mitchell Stark, the left-armed pacer, is responsible for 145 of those wickets, while the rest of the bowling attack consisting of Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson, and Nathon Coulter-Nile still lack experience at the top level. Furthermore, the spinning duties will be shared between Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa.
How to Watch ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Live Online?
The 12th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will be broadcasted on a number of free and premium channels, such as Hotstar, Willow TV, Sky Go, and SonyLIV, among others.
Since these are accessible in limited countries, streaming the matches live could be problematic – unless you’re equipped with a Virtual Private Network (aka VPN).
To watch ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 live online from anywhere, follow these easy steps:
- Subscribe to a robust VPN service like PureVPN, for example.
- Download the app on your chosen streaming device.
- Connect to a server in any country where the channel you want to watch is accessible.
- Visit the channel and enjoy watching 2019 Cricket World Cup!
Wrapping Things Up
That’s how the teams appearing for the 2019 Cricket World Cups stack up against each other. Fans around the world are eager for all the cricketing action to start, and so are we! Which team will you be rooting for this time around?
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