Afghanistan (10)
Afghanistan's success in recent years means they have established themselves in the top international tournaments.
Having said that, they only scraped through for the World Cup in qualifying after defeats to Scotland, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong.
Their main threat will be the bowling attack, but questions have been asked of where the runs will come from.
Former Ireland coach Phil Simmons may face some distractions on the day of their opening match against Australia, with his team Tottenham playing in the Champions League final in the evening.
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| Photo from The Telegraph |
At only 20 years old he's already nearing 100 international caps across all formats.
It will be vital that he bowls well if and when the batsmen struggle.
Australia (5)
After a couple of years out of the race, it appears to be coming together for Australia at just the right time.
They thrashed Pakistan 5-0 this year - with Aaron Finch hitting 451 runs in the series - and won an ODI series in India for the first time in 10 years.
Their coach Justin Langer has been known to "think about the meaning of life."
One of his mottos is: “A Vegemite sandwich with family and friends is a million times better than caviar with strangers.”
The martial artist has also warned his side to avoid provoking the Barmy Army, he said "It's the biggest lesson of my sporting career. Don't mess with the Barmy Army, their songs are humiliating."
England's rivalry with Australia is heightened due to the upcoming Ashes as well as the ball-tampering scandal last year.
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| Photo from The Telegraph |
Warner looked sensational in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Smith hit a century against England in a warm-up match.
Bangladesh (7)
Following the last World Cup, Bangladesh have beaten India, South Africa and Pakistan, as well as New Zealand and Australia in the 2017 Champions Trophy, but of late they haven't had the results.
ODI veteran Mashrafe Mortaza is now an MP and remains crucial, with the batting attack heavily reliant on Tamim Iqbal.
Former England international wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes is their coach, and told the press that he and his side are "quietly confident" for the tournament.
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| Photo from Yahoo News |
Despite dominating the middle order for so long, Rhodes has experimented with moving him up to No 3.
An injury scare during a warmup game against Ireland may be a concern.
England (1)
In the past, England have arrived at World Cups in the optimism of learning from their mistakes and catching up with the competitiors - only to find the other nations have moved on as well.
But this time is different, as Eoin Morgan’s team are the trendsetters and ranked No 1 in the world.
Coach Trevor Bayliss' work may be done, this could be the culmination of four years work if his side win.
He is to step down from the role after the summer, but will be keen to avoid returning to the estate agent job he left in 2011.
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| Photo from The Telegraph |
India (2)
The 1983 World Cup winners - when England were the hosts - have Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma who can put on spectacular starts with the bat.
But keeping the scores down from the bowling side might be of concern, particularly in English conditions.
The home ODI series defeat to Australia will have stung, so a secondary aim may be to return the favour when they play on 9 June.
Ravi Shastri was appointed as coach after the acrimonious departure of Anil Kumble in 2017.
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| Photo from dawn.com |
Virat Kohli is Indian cricket’s rock star - he co-owns a football team and a wrestling franchise.
He is one of, if not the best batsman in the world, but has to deal with the added pressudre of 1.3 billion peoples' expectations on his shoulders.
New Zealand (4)
The Blackcaps will be hoping to go better than their three previous World Cups in England - semi-finalists each time.
They lost in the final four years ago, and they were sensational up until that point.
Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson and Tom Latham make for a strong top order, and with the ball they look pretty handy too, but where they may fall down is their performances away from home.
Gary Stead coached the NZ women’s side to the final of the 2009 World Cup.
He has spoke about the hype around the host nation for the tournament, and how he doesn't fully buy into it.
"England have been playing a very aggressive side and they win some matches comfortably, but they also come unstuck sometimes. So, we have to think about ways of doing that to them," he said.
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| Photo from cricketcountry.com |
Despite not much play time with Delhi in the IPL, the left-armer looks to be on form with his new-ball partner Tim Southee.
Pakistan (6)
As ever, we will be left asking which Pakistan will turn up.
The team that scraped the the Champions Trophy group two years ago, or the side that gloriously romped past England and India in the semi-finals and final of the same competition could both turn up in the tournament - maybe even in the same match.
The lack of firepower at the top of the order is the main worry.
The widely respected Mickey Arthur coaches the team, the former South Africa and Australia coach said of England's Jos Buttler "I don't know how you bowl to him," after his Southampton century.
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| Photo from scroll.in |
South Africa (3)
South Africa's team appear to be split in terms of form - Quinton de Kock, Imran Tahir and Kagiso Rabada had excellent IPL campaigns, while Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Dale Steyn have all suffered with injuries in the leadup to the tournament.
The results are with them though, - having won nine of their last 11 ODI series.
Ottis Gibson knows all about the English conditions after two spells coaching England's bowlers.
He needs to produce though, Thabang Moroe of Cricket South Africa has said, "he was hired to win the World Cup," and he'll believe he can.
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| Photo from freetips.com |
Aside from him and Faf du Plessis, the batting lineup doesn't look promising so those two may be carrying the team for posting totals and chasing runs.
Sri Lanka (9)
Sri Lanka come into the tournament with only one win in the last 11 one-day matches.
Their captain Dimuth Karunaratne - their fourth in eighteen months - hadn't played an ODI since 2017 before his appointment to the role in April.
Perhaps the only good news for them before the tournament is that their shirts are made from recycled ocean plastic.
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| Photo from India Today |
Chandika Hathurusingha is coach but Ashantha de Mel is manager and selector-on-tour.
Angelo Mathews was sacked as captain in September but still made the squad.
He can still make the difference with the bat, but doesn't bowl as much as he used to.
West Indies (8)
Despite not winning a one-day series in five years, it's not all doom and gloom for West Indies given the way they tied against England earlier this year.
Shimron Hetmyer emerged as a talent in that series has emerged, while Shai Hope blasted centuries in warmup games in Dublin and Jason Holder's calming presence as leader and captain can't be overestimated.
Floyd Reifer was named interim head coach in April, to replace the previous interim head coach.
Reifer also had a spell in caretaker charge last year - permanence is a rare commodity in West Indies cricket.
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| Photo from Sport24 |
Known as the Universe Boss, Gayle is a brilliant example of a sportsman whose ability matches up to their attitude.
Fixtures
May
30 England v South Africa, The Oval
31 West Indies v Pakistan, Trent Bridge
June
1 New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Cardiff
1 Afghanistan v Australia, Bristol
2 South Africa v Bangladesh, The Oval
3 England v Pakistan, Trent Bridge
4 Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, Cardiff
5 South Africa v India, Southampton
5 Bangladesh v New Zealand, The Oval
6 Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge
7 Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Bristol
8 England v Bangladesh, Cardiff
8 Afghanistan v New Zealand, Taunton
9 India v Australia, The Oval
10 South Africa v West Indies, Southampton
11 Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Bristol
12 Australia v Pakistan, Taunton
13 India v New Zealand, Trent Bridge
14 England v West Indies, Southampton
15 Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval
15 South Africa v Afghanistan, Cardiff
16 India v Pakistan, Old Trafford
17 West Indies v Bangladesh, Taunton
18 England v Afghanistan, Old Trafford
19 New Zealand v South Africa, Edgbaston
20 Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge
21 England v Sri Lanka, Headingley
22 India v Afghanistan, Southampton
22 West Indies v New Zealand, Old Trafford
23 Pakistan v South Africa, Lord's
24 Bangladesh v Afghanistan, Southampton
25 England v Australia, Lord's
26 New Zealand v Pakistan, Edgbaston
27 West Indies v India, Old Trafford
28 Sri Lanka v South Africa, Chester-le-Street
29 Pakistan v Afghanistan, Headingley
29 New Zealand v Australia, Lord's
30 England v India, Edgbaston
July
1 Sri Lanka v West Indies, Chester-le-Street
2 Bangladesh v India, Edgbaston
3 England v New Zealand, Chester-le-Street
4 Afghanistan v West Indies, Headingley
5 Pakistan v Bangladesh, Lord's
6 Sri Lanka v India, Headingley
6 Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford
9 First semi-final: 1st v 4th, Old Trafford
11 Second semi-final: 2nd v 3rd, Edgbaston
14 Final, Lord's
(Semi-finals and final have a reserve day)
Venues
Edgbaston, Birmingham (capacity: 25,000) - Five matches, including second semi-final
County Ground, Bristol (17,500) - Three matches
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (15,643) - Four matches
Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street (17,000) - Three matches
Headingley, Leeds (18,350) - Four matches
Lord's, London (30,000) - Five matches, including the final
The Oval, London (25,500) - Five matches
Old Trafford, Manchester (26,000) - Six matches, including first semi-final
Trent Bridge, Nottingham (17,500) - Five matches
Rose Bowl, Southampton (25,000) - Five matches
County Ground, Taunton (12,500) - Three matches
Previous Winners
Year/Winner, Score/Runner-up, Score - Result
1975/West Indies, 291-8/Australia, 274 - West Indies won by 17 runs
1979/West Indies, 286-9/England, 194 - West Indies won by 92 runs
1983/India, 183/West Indies, 140 - India won by 43 runs
1987/Australia, 253-5/England, 246-8 - Australia won by seven runs
1992/Pakistan, 249-6/England, 227 - Pakistan won by 22 runs
1996/Sri Lanka, 245-3/Australia, 241 - Sri Lanka won by seven wickets
1999/Australia, 133-2/Pakistan, 132 - Australia won by eight wickets
2003/Australia, 359-2/India, 234 - Australia won by 125 runs
2007/Australia, 281-4/Sri Lanka, 215-8 - Australia won by 53 runs
2011/India, 277-4/Sri Lanka, 274-6 - India won by six wickets
2015/Australia, 186-3/New Zealand, 183 - Australia won by seven wickets
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