MyCricketWorld@AryanJoshi

The core group of experienced players will have to fire if Bangladesh has any chance of reaching the semi-finals. Quarter-Finals in the 2015 World Cup and Semi-Finals in the 2017 Champions Trophy . Bangladesh just like Afghanistan seems to be improving year by year. Both of the quarter-final and semi-final was lost to India and even the recently concluded warm-up games did no good for them. Despite not allowing any of the top 3 of the Indian side to score a 50, they were simply no match for India. Kl Rahul and MS Dhoni hit their bowlers to all parts of the ground. In the batting, some spark was seen with Mushfiqur Rahim scoring a brilliant 90 and Liton Das stroking a fine 73. Their partnership was the only positive Bangladesh could get out of the warm-up games. The other warm-up against Pakistan was washed out with the match being abandoned without a single ball being bowled.  Bangladesh has a very good record at home, winning 72% of the matches they play there. In contras...

If Sri Lanka manage to win more than 3 matches in the World Cup, even the die-hard fans should be satisfied considering how weak their team is this year. 28.24 is a number no Sri-Lankan fan would enjoy to hear. It is the win percentage of SriLanka in the ODI format post the 2015 World Cup. It is a very discouraging number for any Sri Lankan fan but that's the brand of cricket they have been playing.  When we talk of Sri Lanka, we talk of the Kumar Sangakarra’s and the Mahela Jayawardene’s. Apart from Angelo Mathews, there seems to be no standout player in the current squad and out of the 28.24% of matches Sri Lanka have won Angelo Mathews has contributed in almost each and every one of them. Post the 2015 World Cup SriLanka have tried 8 captains, Dimuth Karunratne being the 8th. Dimuth had only played 1 ODI between the 2015 and 2019 World Cup and just weeks before the World Cup started he gets a call up to be the captain of the side. It shows that they are completely out o...

Pakistan would look to replicate their performance in the Champions Trophy 2017 and lift their 2nd World Cup World T20 win in 2009 and the Champions Trophy win in 2017 , both happened in England. Pakistan seems to have a love affair for ICC tournaments when they play in England. The upcoming 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is hosted by England and Pakistan would love to continue their dominance in England when they play ICC tournaments. Two years ago when they beat India in the finals of the Champions Trophy it was a Fakhar Zaman century and a brutal Mohammed Amir spell that brought them the trophy. They had reached the finals because of an extraordinary bowling display throughout the tournament. Their batting was not the greatest but, it was good enough to win them the Champions Trophy. However, the situation is different now. It is their pace bowling attack which is struggling and their not so impressive batting clicking right before the World Cup.  Their top 3 batsmen - I...

West Indies would want to replicate what they did way back in 1975 and 1979 and are seeking to win their 3rd title Champions in 1975, and 1979 and finalists in 1983. Since the loss to India in the 1983 World Cup finals, it seems as if West Indies has fallen off a cliff. Their ODI cricket has just completely been degraded and they even had to play the World Cup qualifiers to play at the World Cup. In a match between the West Indies and Scotland, rain interfered and snuck West Indies into the World Cup. It was a spot that Scotland had deserved but luck was on the West Indies side. With such performances, not many would expect anything from the West Indies,  till the series between West Indies and England was played in the Caribbean. Chris Gayle woke up from his sleep and absolutely slaughtered the English bowlers to all parts of the ground. In those 5 matches, he played the hit 44 sixes setting a new record.  Then the IPL came and Andre Russell came to life. He too was ...

New Zealand will look to play the good cricket they have been playing and will be seeking to clinch their maiden World Cup title  A highly underrated team and referred to as the “Dark Horses,” New Zealand is a team which always exceeds everyone’s expectations and always manages to reach the Semi-Finals of the World Cup. They have never been regarded as favourites in any of the World Cups, but still, have managed to play 6 Semi-Finals and 1 final. They have never been champions but as the year's progress, the New Zealand team gets better and better inching close towards the prestigious World Cup title. This time around they are not favourites to lift the trophy but they possess a team that can easily outplay any team on any day. We saw that in the warm-up games when they trumped India to win by 6 wickets comfortably. Their squad is a formidable one and what this team has is experience among the players. Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Tim Southe...

The South African Team are still in the hunt to win their maiden World Cup trophy. This team is often referred with the tag of “Chokers.” From the loss in the semi-finals in 1992 due to the unfair rain rule to a heartbreaking loss in 2015 in the semi-finals against New Zealand, World Cup’s and South Africa have never been a loving couple. Every World Cup they head into, they are tagged as one of the favourites to lift the coveted trophy, but this time around they have been completely overshadowed by England, India and Australia. They head into this World Cup as underdogs, a phrase not so common to them. Will it help in the change of fortunes? Only time will tell. But, a massive blow they got 8 months before the World Cup was scheduled to begin was the retirement of AB de Villiers . He was regarded as one of the legends of the game by many fans and even players. He had the potential to win matches out of impossible situations with the bat. He was a live wire in the field an...

Afghanistan would love to continue their dream in the World Cup and show the world what they are capable of.  The Afghanistan Cricket team seems like they are perpetually plonked in the middle of a fairy tale. Their story starts back in 2008 when they were placed in Division 5 of the world cricket league,  the lowest position recognised by the ICC. Now, they are one of the top 10 cricketing nations. They have certain superstars who would perfectly fit into this fairy tale. Rashid Khan, the leader of the attack is the number 1 ranked T20i bowler, number 3 ranked ODI bowler and number 2 ranked ODI all-rounder . Their elder statesman, Mohammed Nabi has seen Afghanistan grow to such heights. He himself is the number 3 ranked ODI all-rounder and holds key to Afghanistan performing well at the World Cup. Rashid Khan has already set the goal and desire of the team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. They certainly have the team to do it but will they d...

  Defending champions Australia all set to win their 6th Championship and continue their dominance in the World Cups . World Cup Champions in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015 . Australia undoubtedly is the most successful side in Cricket World Cup history. Always one of the favourites to lift the cup, this time around they are also one of the favourites to lift the coveted trophy. Had somebody asked me the question a year ago if Australia are favourites to lift the cup I would definitely be laughing and surely say that Australia wouldn’t even reach the semi-finals. But, the form they are shown in the last couple of months is extraordinary. They whitewashed Pakistan 5-0 in UAE and beat India 3-2 in India after being down 2-0. With the returns of David Warner and Steve Smith, their side looks even more promising now. Mitchel Starc too is back from injury and the Australian’s will be itching to go out on the field and show the brand of cricket they possess. Australia’s top o...

  The Englishmen are all set to win their maiden World Cup trophy. With just days left for the cricket World Cup to start, the excitement is creeping in as the hosts, England will start as overwhelming favourites . They have redefined themselves in the ODI format post the 2015 World Cup. England was predominantly known for its classy stroke makers with the likes of Kevin Pieterson, Andrew Strauss, Joe Root and Alastair Cook. But the huge upset in the 2015 World Cup, when the Bangladesh Tigers had beaten the English Lions in the group stages to knock them out of the tournament,  was a real game-changing moment. The commentator on air had described it as one of the lowest points in the English Cricket history and one of the greatest moments in Bangladesh Cricket History. England definitely has the strongest batting lineup going into this World Cup, but the main advantage they have over other teams is that they bat deep till number 10 or sometimes even 11. It gives t...