Close race on the cards as battle for World Cup begins

The fight for the biggest prize in cricket begins in the UK on Thursday as England take on South Africa in the inaugural match of the ICC World Cup. The 10-team tournament promises to one of the most even and exciting ones in the history of the competition. The ICC has done well to limit the number of teams and revert to the format used in the 1992 edition. With the teams slated to play each other in the league stage and the top four advancing to the semifinals, one can be rest assured that only the most consistent sides will have a shot at glory.

Defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa appear the most balanced sides on view.

Australia under Aaron Finch are eyeing a record-extending sixth title and they look a different outfit altogether with the return former captain Steve Smith and opener David Warner after a one-year ban following the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal. The Australians have in addition quality batsmen such as Finch, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja in their ranks. The Aussie new-ball pair of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins can unsettle the best of batters, while third seamer Kane Richardson and seam-bowling all-rounder Marcus Stoinis too pull their weight. The experienced Nathan Lyon and leggie Adam Zampa should be handful, especially in the latter part of the tournament.

The team to beat

England will be the team to beat this time around. After a horror run in the 2015 edition, England have revamped their ODI side, and with great success too. The side led by Eoin Morgan looks formidable in all departments. England have a dynamic batting unit with the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Morgan, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali in their arsenal. The English line-up can amass big scores and chase down targets with consummate ease. The inclusion of Jofra Archer has added teeth to the English pace attack. The youngster is a class act and can do the job both up front and at the death.

The big question is whether the hosts can go all the way? They have fallen at the final hurdle thrice and to break that jinx England need to have immense self-belief in the knockout phase. It is easier said than done though.

Black Caps look good

Coming to New Zealand, the Black Caps have invariably raised their game in the World Cup. Kane Williamson's men have a golden chance to go one better than the runner-up finish in 2015. The Kiwis have the quality to clinch their maiden crown. Williamson, Martin Guptill, Colin Munro and old warhorse Ross Taylor are all proven batsmen. All-rounders Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme are tailor-made for English conditions, while Trent Boult and Tim Southee are master exponents of swing bowling if there is any assistance on offer. The Kiwis also have a couple of genuine quick bowlers – Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson – at their disposal in addition to leggie Ish Sodhi. Overall, it's looking rosy for the Black Caps.

Can the Proteas deliver at last?

The South Africans come into the World Cup as outsiders and that should ease the pressure on Faf du Plessis & Co. For all their exploits in white ball cricket, the Proteas have never managed to make it to the title round in seven World Cups. But this time they have a good chance to change that record with the help of an experienced batting line-up and an explosive pace battery. Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla complement each other at the top of the order followed by du Plessis. David Miller and J P Duminy making it a powerful batting unit. The pace bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi are sure to hog the limelight, while the legendary Dale Steyn will be keen to bid bye with a World Cup winner's medal. Imran Tahir is one of the most skillful leg-spinners at present and he should relish the second part of the tournament. However, for all the optimism it must be said that the Proteas will sorely miss the dynamic A B de Villiers. The presence of de Villiers, who retired from international cricket last year, would have given a big boost to South Africa's hopes.

Men in Blue's chances

As always, there are huge expectations on the Men in Blue led by the charismatic Virat Kohli. They are ranked No. 2 in one-day cricket below England and have been a consistent outfit in major ICC events starting with the 2011 World Cup. India's top three – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli – will have a huge role to play in their campaign. The Indian middle order consisting of K L Rahul, veteran M S Dhoni, rookie Vijay Shankar and the street-smart Kedar Jadhav does not inspire much confidence.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has the X-factor and if the Baroda player has a good World Cup chances are that India should be there are at the business end of the competition. Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami as well as spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal too are vital to India's fortunes.

Mercurial outfit

Pakistan are always a mercurial team as they showed in the 2017 Champions Trophy when they came back from the brink of elimination to emerge triumphant in the Old Blighty. A lot will depend how the Pakistan bowling attack fares on tracks which are expected to be batting-friendly. For a change the Pakistan batting is looking solid with Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman and the ever-consistent Babar Azam among the runs ahead of the World Cup. If the pace attack consisting of Mohammad Amir, the recalled Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali and rookie Mohammad Hasnain gets going Pakistan should have a memorable campaign.

Caribbeans pack a punch

The West Indies had to go through the qualifiers to make it to the World Cup. But all that is a distant memory as Jason Holder's men have a good chance of making it to the semifinals. The side boasts of a bunch of quality batsmen such as Shai Hope, the destructive Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, big-hitters Andre Russell and Holder. The Caribbeans also have a portent pace attack comprising Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell in addition to Holder, Russell and offie Ashley Nurse. The side though lacks a quality leg-spinner. But it should be fun to watch the Caribbeans in action and don't count out their chances.

Tigers mean business

Bangladesh are the dark horses for Mashrafe Mortaza leads a bunch of talented players. They have the perfect blend of youth and experience and if their pacers can deliver on the big stage, Tigers can match any side. Their batting unit consisting of Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das and Mahmudullah looks solid. Seamers Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain will have to step up for the Tigers to mount a real challenge.

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan complete the list. Both these sides are capable of pulling off a surprise or two, but they are unlikely to go past the league phase.

The road ahead

It is going to be a long tournament and the fitness levels as well as fielding skills of the players may prove decisive. Six wins or even five out of the nine league games should seal a place in the semifinals and from then on it all boils down to who plays better on the day. The key for all the teams is not to panic even if they get off to a poor start in the competition, but at the same time each win will be precious in the race to the semifinals.

Also it will be interesting to see how the pitches play. The general feeling is that the ICC will settle for batting tracks. But the fickle English weather should keep the pacers interested for there will be something in it for them, especially if it is overcast. Chances of rain interruptions are also high and quite a few matches are likely to be settled by the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Irrespective of the result, cricket fans should be in for a treat in the next one-and-a-half months. Kapil Dev's India stunned the cricket world in the 1983 edition. Will there be any such fairy tale campaign this time around?