Tag: Cricket World Cup

West Indies Roster Breakdown

Winners of the 2016 T20 World Cup, can the West Indies find their stride and bring back ODI glory in 2019?

Batters/Fielders: Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer  

Bowlers: Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas

All Rounders: Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder (C)

Don’t Sleep On:

–Oshane Thomas: Take over the IPL in your first season? ✔️ A 5 wicket haul against world number one and World Cup favorites England during his last ODI series? ✔️.  Thomas might be the next elite speed bowler out of the West Indies. Plus, my All Name XI is looking for a pace bowler 🤔

–Shimron Hetmyer: Speaking of an elite name, Shimron is top tier, my god. Unfortunately, an elite name can’t hit a massive six or spray the field with masterful fours. Luckily Hetmyer, coming off a series against England where he hit a century, can hit all the shots in the book. It’s going to be interesting to see where he appears in the lineup with DreRuss back on the squad.

–Carlos Brathwaite: You’re going to hear this a lot in this post, but Brathwaite, amongst other batsmen on this roster, can turn a match on its head rather quickly. The Windies best case scenario is Brathwaite taking a handful of wickets while going off for the occasional quick 40 or 50.  

Needed to Make a Run:

– Chris Gayle: Is it actually an issue that Gayle starts a little slow? His play against England was electric, but while the runs were plenty, he struggled to develop strong partnerships. Gayle is going to give you ones, fours, or sixes and that’s it. Frankly, I respect his refusal to even attempt running back for two. He knows where his goose is cooked and he doesn’t stray from it. A true icon.

–Jason Holder: Captaining a side mixed with experience and youth, Holder’s decisions will make or break this run. Where does DreRuss bat in the lineup? Who’s going to lead the bowling attack? WHY IS THERE NO ROVMAN POWELL ON THE TEAM!?

Key to the Cup

– Andre Russell: I mean, you’ve seen what he’s doing in the IPL, right? His strike rate is out of this world right now, and if that carries over to the World Cup then the Windies are capable of making a deep run. I’m gonna make a bold prediction and say DreRuss is going to hit more than one six this tournament, I’ll bet my life on it.

Why Should You Watch?

Do you like sixes? Do you enjoy players swinging for the fences with little regard for getting bowled? Then this is your team.

How Fun is This Team (8/10)

They’re either going to go off and put up big numbers or fall quickly and there’s really no in between. Frankly, that’s incredibly exciting to me, but I understand many fans appreciate a more well-rounded attack. Aside from Thomas, there’s nothing too overly exciting about this bowling attack. They’re efficient, sure, but not flashy. Tune in and watch them swing away, but follow from your phone while they’re bowling.

Best Case

Gayle leads from the front and keeps his red hot ODI form going. Dre Russ channels his T20 strike rate/form and closes out innings with a flurry. The bowling holds up with young gun Thomas and veteran Roach towards the top of the wicket-taking list. A miracle run to the semis while upsetting either India, Australia or England along the way.

Worst Case

The bats don’t come alive. The bowling attack bleeds runs. The Windies flame out of the world cup with a sub .500 record. Loses against big teams like England, India & Australia won’t be a shock, but falling to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, all teams that are beatable, would be a poor result.

New Zealand Roster Breakdown

ICC ODI Ranking: 3rd.

Small but mighty, the Blackcaps are peaking at the right time.

Batters: Kane Williamson (Capt), Tom Blundell (WK), Martin Guptill, Tom Latham (WK), Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor

Bowlers: Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson  

All Rounders: Colin de Grandhome, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner

Don’t Sleep On:

-Henry Nicholls: Coming off a prolific ODI & Test series against Bangladesh in March, Nicholls secured his place on the roster. Any and all additional runs batters not named Kane Williamson or Ross Taylor can produce will be huge for the Blackcaps.

-Mitchell Santner: Spin is becoming more and more important in this format of the game, so Santner’s play has a chance to be a difference maker. Don’t sleep on Santer’s batting acumen either. As he showed against England, he can tee off out of nowhere.

-Lockie Ferguson: 🔥🔥🔥What Santner brings to the spin, Ferguson brings to the pace. The fireball-throwing rightie won’t be asked to carry the load, but he’ll need to pick up key wickets match in and match out if New Zealand wants to get out of group play.

Needed to Make a Run:

–Trent Boult: I’m not saying Boultee has to lead the World Cup in wickets like in 2015, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt! New Zealand needs Boult to come out firing and lead this team from the front. With limited action in the IPL, Boult should have the energy needed to carry this team.

–Ross Taylor: Is there a more overlooked, elite batter in the world than Ross Taylor? With a score of 69 and 45 amongst his most recent ODI matches, Taylor is more than capable of putting the team on his back if needed. Don’t be shocked if Taylor single-handedly wins a match this tournament.

Key to the Cup:

-Kane Williamson: Was there ever a doubt? Kane is one of the top 4 batters in the world right now. He has the ability to take over a match regardless of the situation. An early wicket at the start? Kane’s going to hold steady and right the ship. If New Zealand wants to make a deep run, then it starts and stops with Kane Williamson’s decision making as captain and ability in the crease.

Why Should You Watch?

A balanced attack that can win a match in a variety of ways. When on, they can bowl you out with relative ease, or chase down a high total. They’re also prone to risking too much while batting, leading to random run outs, which is both exciting and incredibly frustrating.

How Fun is this Team? (7/10)

The New Zealand way is to remain calm and keep things under control. While that’s an effective and, ultimately, winning formula, it doesn’t exactly make for a spectacle. What the players lack in showing emotion, they more than make up for with explosive play. Don’t forget it’s Martin Guptill who has the highest run total in World Cup history after his 237 against the West Indies in the 2015 edition.

Best Case

The Best case for this team is a Semi-Final run. A trip to the finals is certainly possible depending on the matchup, but it would take a good amount of things falling the right way for New Zealand to take home the World Cup.

Worst Case

Struggling to establish a strong bowling attack, the Blackcaps fail to make it out of group play and get sent home with a sub .500 record. The inability to get key wickets caused New Zealand an early exit in the ICC Champions Cup in 2017, the last major tournament held in England. A similar result isn’t out of the question. 

Prediction

It’s going to come down to how well the Blackcaps play when they’re the underdogs. They’ll need to steal a win from either England, India, South Africa, or Australia to make the deep run they’re capable of.

India Roster Breakdown

ICC Ranking: 2nd

If “stacked” isn’t the first thing on your mind when you see this roster, I have some questions.

Batters: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni (WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK)

Bowlers: Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Yuzendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami

All Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja

Don’t Sleep On:

–Yuzendra Chahal: The spinner is known for surprising bursts of wickets when he’s on. Look for him to thrive in the middle overs and grab an important wicket to break up a dominant partnership.

–KL Rahul: Seemingly back from his uncharacteristically slow start in the IPL, Rahul will look to translate that T20 success to the ODI format, where his experience is relatively limited. Don’t be shocked if he cracks a 50 or two during the tournament.   

–Kuldeep Yadav: The left-handed wrist spinner, still seems weird to say, will likely be a spark plug for India this tournament. Making his first World Cup appearance, Kuldeep has huge potential and can take a game over seemingly out of nowhere, just ask England!

Needed to Make a Run:

–Hardik Pandya: The all-rounder from Gujarat is proving this year in the IPL that the hype and potential surrounding his career is warranted. His quick-strike ability both with the bat and ball are sure to get India out of potential unfavorable situations.

–Jasprit Bumrah: ICC’s number one ranked ODI bowler in the world, Bumrah is coming into the World Cup in elite form. India doesn’t have the tournament of their dreams without Bumrah being one of, if not the top wicket-takers.

Key to the Cup:

-Virat Kohli: The best player in the world on arguably the best team in the world. There will be times this tournament where Kohli has to lead from the front, so don’t be shocked when he wins a match by himself with a classic Kohli chase.

Why Should I Watch?

Do you enjoy a stacked batting lineup? Great, you’ll love this team. Do you enjoy a loaded bowling rotation? This team has that, too! India is the most famous team in cricket and you won’t want to miss them do their thing on the biggest stage.

How Fun is This Team? (9/10)

It’s India. Year after year they’re the best team on paper. With guys like Kohli, Dhoni, and Sharma, the batting power goes seemingly never ends. If you like cricket, and if you’re reading this that’s probably the case, you’re going to enjoy watching this team play.  On top of that, Hardik Pandya brings an extra flair to the scene that will liven up any match.

Best Case:

With India, it’s a trophy or bust in every major tournament they enter. This World Cup is no different. Expectations say it’s time for another World Cup and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that a team with Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Bhuvi Kumar, and Jasprit Bumrah are more than capable of winning one.

Worst Case:

The weight of those expectations hold down this team that’s seemingly stacked at every position. A semi-finals or, even worse, finals loss to Pakistan is the absolute worst case scenario for this tournament. I think a diehard Indian fan would rather not even make the semi-finals than have that outcome.

Prediction:

With a lineup as deep and talented as India, it’s hard to see them slipping up enough this tournament to not earn a trip to the semifinals. Once there, it’s anything goes. That being said, if I could pick any team to win one match, on any given day, it’s very hard to pick against this India side.

Want to see exactly how far I have India progressing? Click here to see my full tournament breakdown!

Australia Roster Breakdown

ICC ODI RANKING: 5th.

Australia hopes to go back-back in World Cups. Is this the team to do it?

Batters/Fielders: Aaron Finch ©, Alex Carey (WK), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Steve Smith, David Warner

Bowlers: Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

All Rounders: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis

Don’t Sleep On

–Adam Zampa: Prone to getting key wickets, Zampa’s ability to sniff out that wicket in the time of need is something Australia needs. With Starc and Cummins expected to do the heavy lifting, Zampa’s ability to hold down the middle overs is key.

–Usman Khawaja: It’s hard to overlook a guy who put up 98, 62, 88, 100, 91, and 104 in matches against India and Pakistan, yet most of the attention on this Australia team seems to be on Warner and Smith coming back. Khawaja is going to take over a match this tournament, you watch.

Needed to Make a Run

–Steve Smith:  The former Australian captain looks to regain his ODI form after extended time away. He’s going to get his chances, how he capitalizes on them will say a lot about Australia’s run.

–David Warner: Similar to Smith, Warner being back in the squad is a huge boost to the offensive attack. Warner’s the leading run getter in the IPL without even playing the final few matches, which is incredible. He’s peaking at the right time and that’s terrifying for non-Australian fans.

Key to the Cup

–Mitchell Starc: After being the leading wicket-taker at the 2015 World Cup, Starc is certainly not afraid of the big stage. While he may not need to reach that level of dominance again, his leadership and ability to take key & early wickets is vital if Australia wants to repeat as champions.

Why Should I Watch?

They’re the defending World Cup champions, that should be enough, right? Add on to that the drama surrounding Smith and Warner’s return to the lineup and this Australia team, more than others, is a must watch squad.

How Fun is this Team to Watch? (10/10)

Can I trade fun for drama-filled? (Remembers this is my blog and I can do whatever I want) Yes, I can! Make that 10/10 because who the hell knows what’s going on with this team. Smith and Warner should fit back into the squad seamlessly, but that would just be too easy, right?

Best Case

World Cup glory. That’s it, that’s the only reason Australia comes to these events. There is no other scenario where Aussie fans leave happy.

Worst Case:

Oh boy. This is where it gets fun. Smith and Warner’s return causes mayhem in the locker room causing shocking losses and an early exit. Off the field issues arise and force a member of the team to be sent home during the tournament, bringing back the dark cloud over Australian cricket. Unlikely, sure, but this is the absolute worst case scenario, so simply losing to England, India, New Zealand and a shocking upset to Afghanistan, isn’t necessarily out of the question.

Prediction

The team unites and things start to click as the tournament gets going. They don’t win in spectacular fashion, but I think they make a deep run. It’s Australia, it’s what they do.

Want to see exactly how far I have Australia progressing? Click here to see my full tournament breakdown!

Pakistan Roster Breakdown

ICC Ranking: 6th

After winning the ICC Champions Trophy in England, Pakistan will look for similar results this time around.

Batters/Fielders: Sarfaraz Ahmed (CPT WK), Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Imam ul Haq, Shoaib Malik

Bowlers: Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi

All Rounders: Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan

Don’t Sleep On

– Shadab Khan: How will the young spinner handle the big stage? Well, if his T20 performance in the PPL, and recent high draft selection in the CPL, are any indications, we’re in for a breakout performance.

– Haris Sohail: This middle order batsmen will be called upon to hold an innings together this tournament. Whether or not he’s up to the challenge could be the difference in a deep tournament run, or an early trip back home.

– Imam-ul-Haq: He’s playing incredible cricket right now. His recent 151 against England in their World Cup warm up match shows massive potential for what he’s capable of on English soil.

Needed to Make a Run

– Hasan Ali : The key to their bowling attack, Ali can do it all. They’ll be looking at him to lead from the front and take timely wickets. He had a wonderful showing on English pitches in 2017, hopefully that form continues here!

– Sarfaraz Ahmed: The captain! His decision making and strategy is vital to the success of this team. They’ll look for him to put on a good showing with the bat, but ultimately his lineup and fielding adjustments are essential.

Key to the Cup

– Babar Azam: With an average of nearly 50 runs and a strike rate of 85, Azam is set to explode onto the big stage. With him anchoring the attack at the third spot, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq will be free to tee off during their opening partnership.

Why Should I Watch?

They won the most recent major ODI tournament in this very country two years ago and many of that team is back. That 2017 team surprised many, but that won’t be the case again this year, as expectations weigh heavy. This team can beat anyone but also lose to anyone.

How Fun is This Team? (6.5/10)

Pakistan plays a consistent and efficient brand of cricket that wins matches, which is ultimately all that matters. But this question isn’t asking if the team is good or not, it’s asking how fun they are. And that answer is…meh. Look for explosive batting from Azam and ul-Haq, teamed up with young talent in Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi to make this team worth watching if you’re a neutral fan.

Best Case

A repeat of the ICC Champions Trophy! Azam turns into the world-beating batter he’s destined to be and has a historic tournament while leading from the front. Hasan Ali leads the bowling attack to devastating results. They beat India in both group play and in the Finals to hoist the trophy.

Worst Case

The batting lineup completely fails to show up and Ahmed’s in-game decisions fail to make a difference. India proceeds to roll through them in their group match, and losses to Afghanistan and Bangladesh late in the tournament force an early exit.

Prediction

A big win over India in the group stage ultimately isn’t enough to make up for shock losses against either Sri Lanka or Afghanistan, resulting in Pakistan missing out on the semi-finals.