CRICKET WORLD CUP PREVIEW
TEAM-BY-TEAM GUIDE

ENGLAND ICC ODI ranking 1

Coach Trevor Bayliss (since May 2015)

Squad Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Best performance Runners-up 1979, 1987, 1992

Recent ODI form LWWWWWLWWWWWLWLWLWWWWW (win % 77.27)

Hosts and favourites, England expects. This tournament represents the start of a huge summer of cricket which not only features a home World Cup but also a home Ashes series and a chance to regain the urn after the devastating defeat Down Under in 2017-18. But, while the Test team still produces some unconvincing results, the ODI outfit looks primed to reach the summit. The calm captaincy of Dublin-born Eoin Morgan could give another edge to the hosts who will otherwise rely largely on outscoring opponents with a flamboyant batting line-up. At their best, openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow never allow the opposition bowlers to settle while the likes of Morgan and Test skipper Joe Root are adept at controlling an innings. Undoubtedly, though, Jos Buttler is the special gem of the line-up, a player who has the talent to put his own personal stamp on the tournament - and, better still, England have enough ability throughout the squad to bat capably right through their XI. The bowlers have less of a fearsome reputation and the likes of Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett are injury-prone - but the big attention in the build-up has been the selection of 24-year-old Barbados-born Jofra Archer over David Willey. Archer has little experience at international level but he has raw pace which has already given him a mystical reputation. A lot of pressure has landed itself on young shoulders then but, he will be at least be helped out by the likes of Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid, the highest wicket-taker in ODIs since the last World Cup. Instead, the bigger worry is arguably over the batting which produces the occasional horror show, and so much in this respect depends on the timing. Thankfully, a forgiving format means four teams out of 10 qualify and there are only two tense knockout matches. But, if the collapse occurs in a semi final or the Final itself, there will be no way back for the best limited overs England team in history.

Prediction Winners

INDIA ICC ODI ranking 2

Coach Ravi Shastri (since July 2017)

Squad Virat Kohli (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav

Best performance Winners 1983, 2011

Recent ODI form WLLWWWWTWWTLWWLWWWWWLWWWLLL (win % 62.96)

Strong second favourites India boast some phenomenal talent - openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are habitually backed up brilliantly by skipper Virat Kohli who bats imperiously at three. The trio is itself backed up by the world number one ODI bowler Jasprit Bumrah and his handy strike partner Kuldeep Yadav - but, and there is actually a but, the Indians have a soft underbelly. Sharma, Dhawan and Kohli are, in fact, responsible for around half of the team's total runs since the last World Cup - while Kohli himself averaged 59 in Test and 64 in the ODIs on the tour of England last summer but still lost both series. Meanwhile, the more recent 3-2 giveaway in the bilateral series against Australia - having been 2-0 up - did not look too clever either. As such, in conclusion, India are undoubtedly a bloody brilliant side but they can also be beaten, particularly if that flaky middle order becomes exposed.

Prediction Semi finals

SOUTH AFRICA ICC ODI ranking 3

Coach Ottis Gibson (since August 2017)

Squad Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Rassie van der Dussen

Best performance Semi finals 1992, 1999, 2007, 2015

Recent ODI form WWWLLWWWWLWLWWLWWWWWW (win % 76.19)

Just like England, South Africa have never won the World Cup - and, just like England, the South Africans have had their fair share of World Cup calamities. But, while England have tended to specialise in humiliations against Bangladesh, Ireland, and a chicken-farmer from Zimbabwe, the Proteas' specialism is tragicomedy with previous campaigns having ended on catastrophic run-out, a horrible miscalculation, an inconvenient rain delay, and a collective brain-freeze. It is no surprise then that the current South African team feels a pressure effectively caused by its predecessors - and this psychological concern will only be exasperated by injury worries to key bowlers Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada. On a positive note, South Africa enter the tournament in excellent form and will fancy their chances of making the top four at least. But, while Faf du Plessis is one of the canniest captains out there, it would be far easier to back them if the irrepressible and retired AB de Villiers was still out there spanking the ball to all corners of the pitch. 

Prediction Group stage

NEW ZEALAND ICC ODI ranking 4

Coach Gary Stead (since August 2018)

Squad Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

Best performance Runners-up 2015

Recent ODI form WLWWWLLLWLWWW (win % 61.54)

As co-hosts at the last edition of the tournament four years ago, New Zealand smashed through something of a glass ceiling by reaching the Final for the first time following six previous semi final heartbreaks. Unfortunately though, for the Black Caps, Trans-Tasman rivals Australia proved far too strong in the showpiece event, winning easily by seven wickets. Yet, despite the subsequent retirement of big-hitting former skipper Brendan McCullum, the defeat to the Aussies did not dampen Kiwi spirits for long, hence their still highly creditable ranking in the top four now. Indeed, experienced frontline bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult are two players who should find English conditions suit them. Meanwhile, if another experienced player - Ross Taylor - and current captain Kane Williamson are able to provide the runs for those bowlers to defend, it seems extremely likely that the Black Caps will be there or thereabouts once again.

Prediction Semi finals

AUSTRALIA ICC ODI ranking 5

Coach Justin Langer (since May 2018)

Squad Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Best performance Winners 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015

Recent ODI form LLLLLLWLWLLLLWWWWWWWW (win % 47.62)

Describing the last 18 months in Australian cricket as tumultuous surely would be considered a phenomenal understatement. At the start of this period, the Aussies regained the Ashes by thrashing the old enemy England 4-0. But, within weeks of the triumphant scenes in Sydney, the sport was rocked by a ball-tampering scandal when young opener Cameron Bancroft was seen on camera roughing up one side of the ball with sandpaper under the instructions of captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner during the third Test against South Africa. Smith and Warner were banned for a year while Bancroft was given nine months as the form of the team slumped in their absence. Bancroft has yet to be picked again - but, perhaps out of desperation more than anything, Smith and Warner have been restored, and the Baggy Greens' form has recovered considerably. The five-time winners and defending champions will undoubtedly be a threat then - but much will depend on just how well the Aussies cope with the hostile reception which they are bound to receive.

Prediction Runners-up

PAKISTAN ICC ODI ranking 6

Coach Mickey Arthur (since May 2016)

Squad Sarfaraz Ahmed (c)(wk), Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz

Best performance Winners 1992

Recent ODI form WWWWWWLWLLLWWLLWLLLLLLLLLL (win % 38.46)

Pakistan arrived on this sceptred isle all the way back on 23 April so it would be fair to say the Falcons should have already acclimatised by now. However, the Pakistanis actually enter this World Cup on the back of their worst run of ODI form in decades having lost their last 10 completed matches, including a 4-0 defeat to hosts England - and that result prompted the Pakistani board to make a trio of changes to the provisionally-named squad which originally travelled to these shores. Wahab Riaz, Asif Ali, and controversial paceman Mohammad Amir, who was once banned for spot-fixing on no balls, have arrived with a focus on adding potency to the bowling attack - but they were still not enough to prevent Pakistan from suffering a shock warm-up defeat to Afghanistan. Of course, Pakistan are probably the most unpredictable team at this tournament and the long group phase may yet help them find some form. As it stands, though, it is difficult to see this team doing too well. 

Prediction Group stage

BANGLADESH ICC ODI ranking 7

Coach Steve Rhodes (since June 2018)

Squad Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Abu Jayed, Liton Das (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal

Best performance Quarter finals 2015

Recent ODI form WLWWLLWWLWWWWLWLLLWWWW (win % 63.64)

Bangladesh head into the World Cup on a high after winning their first ever trilateral ODI series on the eve of the tournament. That achievement, though, is tempered by the fact that it came against West Indies, who had to qualify for this tournament, and Ireland, who failed even to do that. Perhaps, instead, a better indication of the Tigers' chances can be derived from their form in bilateral ODI series whereby, at home, they have won seven of their eight but, away, have had far more mixed results, with only one series victory since the last World Cup. No longer quite the whipping boys of world cricket, as they once were, it would still nonetheless be considered a major surprise if Bangladesh took a top four place. 

Prediction Group stage

WEST INDIES ICC ODI ranking 8

Coach Floyd Reifer (since April 2019)

Squad Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas

Best performance Winners 1975, 1979

Recent ODI form LWLLTLLLWLLWLWWLWLL (win % 31.58)

West Indies won the first two World Cups, both also held in England, in 1975 and 1979 - and were then runners-up in the third edition in 1983. It therefore came as a considerable humiliation to the men from the Caribbean that they were forced to qualify for this tournament. In fairness, they dusted themselves down to do just that and have since enjoyed some good recent wins to leapfrog struggling Sri Lanka in the ODI rankings. The main problem now is that there is just no consistency of performance and they are regularly over-reliant on strong batting at the top of the order from the likes of Chris Gayle and Shai Hope to cover the runs lost through distinctly average fielding.

Prediction Group stage

SRI LANKA ICC ODI ranking 9

Coach Chandika Hathurusingha (since December 2017)

Squad Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay

Best performance Winners 1996

Recent ODI form LLLWWLLLLLWLLLLLLLLW (win % 20.00)

For Sri Lanka fans, this is the time for patience, something which is, after all, meant to be a virtue. The Lions enter the tournament with little form and less hope after losing all eight of ODI their matches on tours to New Zealand and South Africa, although they surprisingly beat the latter in the Test series. The general decline, however, should not come as much of a surprise - cricket nations with far more resources would struggle with the retirements over the last few years of Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and, latterly, Rangana Herath. Moreover, the next generation are being stymied by a revolving door policy towards selection - and, in unfamiliar conditions, this could be a tough experience for 15 players who have ended up being chosen.

Prediction Group stage

 

AFGHANISTAN ICC ODI ranking 10

Coach Phil Simmons (since December 2017)

Squad Gulbadin Naib (c), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Best performance Group stage 2015

Recent ODI form WLWWWLLTWLWLWLW (win % 53.33)

Afghanistan made it to back-to-back World Cup tournaments by finishing in the top two of the final qualifying group with wins over West Indies, United Arab Emirates and, most crucially of all, Zimbabwe. The Afghans are not complete patsies then - but this campaign still very much falls into the category of being about them gaining experience at the top level. At least this opportunity - and Test status - has been afforded them in what might still be considered to be the outfit's formative years in contrast to the harsh wait which was endured by Ireland. In particular, except plenty of wickets from leg-spinner Rashid Khan whose ODI tally since the last World Cup is bettered only by that of England's Adil Rashid.

Prediction Group stage

Recent ODI is based on all official matches played since 1 June 2018. All other statistics correct at the time of writing.

The end of May

THERESA MAY choked back the tears as she announced she would step down as Conservative leader on Friday 7 June having failed to get her Brexit deal through Parliament.

In an emotional statement outside of 10 Downing Street, Mrs May said she had done her best to deliver Britain's exit from the European Union, and it was a matter of "deep regret" that she had been unable to achieve this.

Meanwhile, Mrs May said she would continue to serve as Prime Minister while a Tory leadership contest took place with the result of that squabble expected by July.

And, undoubtedly, it will be quite the dogfight. Already, no fewer than nine MPs - Michael Gove, Matt Hancock, Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid, Andrea Leadsom, Esther McVey, Dominic Raab, Rory Stewart, and bookmakers' favourite Boris Johnson - have declared their candidature.

But whoever wins the contest will take charge of a party which is currently on its knees after the successive premierships of David Cameron and Mrs May.

Hard on the back of their worst local election results since 1995, the Conservatives finished down in fifth place on just 8.8% in European elections in which Britain was not even meant to take part.

Originally, of course, Brexit Day was meant to be on 29 March - almost two months ago now.

But, following nearly three years of delays amid continual infighting and general incompetence, the departure date was put back, first by a fortnight, to 12 April.

Then, perhaps appropriately given the complete political horror show which has happened so far, it was delayed until Hallowe'en, no less.

Now, every good horror movie needs a snivelling villain, and so it has been no surprise to see Nigel Farage return to the forefront of matters on the back of his new vanity project, namely the Brexit Party.

Admittedly, with the ballots counted, the Brexit Party did rather well on Thursday, winning a third of the vote and 28 of the 73 seats.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, Remain supporters deserted Labour and elevated the ardently pro-EU Liberal Democrats into second place.

Labour had to settle for third place while the Green Party took fourth ahead of the Conservatives who suffered their worst electoral result since the Great Reform Act in 1832.

Now, there seems little doubt that Mr Farage’s success campaigning in favour of a no-deal Brexit will push the Tory leadership candidates into hardline positions on leaving the EU.

Already, the Foreign Secretary, Mr Hunt has warned that the Conservatives were facing an “existential threat”, while Mr Johnson said it was a “crushing rebuke” to the government’s failure to take the UK out of the EU.

At this point then, it is probably worth reflecting on how exactly we got here...

Well, even if the result of the referendum held on 23 June 2016 is still accepted - which, among large swathes of the population, it is not - the whole thing has been a sorry mess since the outcome was announced.

Mr Cameron - the Prime Minister who instigated the vote and then backed the losing side - resigned immediately, prompting a Conservative leadership election in which prominent Brexiteer Mr Johnson ultimately did not stand.

Instead, Maidenhead MP Mrs May - a Remainer during the referendum campaign - eventually emerged from an unconvincing pack and soon invoked Article 50.

That set a two-year ticking countdown on Britain's departure from the EU - and yet, shortly afterwards, Mrs May called an early General Election.

It was perhaps the worst thing she could have done.

For, although the Conservatives remained the largest party in the House of Commons after the election, they lost their majority and Mrs May was forced into a confidence-and-supply arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

This was far from the "strong and stable" position which Mrs May had envisaged when she called the election.

Regardless of that setback, the formal negotiations with the EU began in earnest - but, in an ominous sign of things to come, the Northern Irish hardline DUP rejected a draft agreement set up in December 2017.

Still, negotiations continued and, on 26 June 2018, the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill received Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament called the European Union (Withdrawal) Act.

On the back of this, Mrs May attempted to shore up support among her more sceptical Cabinet ministers during a weekend at Chequers.

At first, the talks appeared to have gone down reasonably well - but stark divisions soon became apparent and, within days, Brexit Secretary David Davis and Mr Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, had both resigned among others.

Dominic Raab replaced the former - but within months, he had also resigned - and, although Stephen Barclay was named as his replacement, the deal from then on became personalised to Mrs May herself.

In December, the Prime Minister admitted she knew she did not have a majority to get her deal through the Commons and her weak position prompted a vote of confidence in her among Conservative MPs.

Mrs May survived the vote which nominally meant she could not be challenged to another internal confidence vote within 12 months.

However, the pressure on the PM immediately returned in the New Year when she finally put her deal before Parliament.

The size of the defeat - 230 votes - was the biggest ever government reverse in history with the Bill attracting derision from both Leave and Remain supporters.

It was exactly the sort of compromise where everybody would get what nobody wanted - and, as such, it was no surprise to see the deal roundly defeated for a second time when it was put before the Commons again by Mrs May on 12 March.

By then, there were only 17 days left before Britain was due to leave - and the tactical decision by Mrs May to run the clock down in a bid to spook MPs into backing her deal had clearly failed.

Instead, in an unprecedented move, the Commons voted by a majority of 27 to take control of business in Parliament so that they could hold a series of indicative votes as a directive towards breaking the impasse.

But it was never going to be that simple - and, having rejected Mrs May's deal twice, none of the eight alternative options tabled was able to command a Commons majority either.

Of course, even if that had not been the case, it still probably would not have actually provided a solution.

The indicative votes were not in any way legally binding in the same manner that Mrs May's unsatisfactory agreement was - and, for its part, the EU made it clear that it was in no mood to reopen negotiations.

Indeed, the only thing on which the EU appeared willing to budge was the Brexit deadline - and, even on this matter, only slightly.

For, following her second heavy defeat in the Commons, Mrs May had travelled to Brussels requesting an extension to get her deal approved by Parliament until 30 June.

But, instead, the EU merely granted an extension until 22 May, or - more likely - 12 April which was meant to be the effective date if the deal was still not approved.

It was at this point that the already protracted Commons theatrics took on an additional layer of farce as Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow threw an extra spanner in the works.

Mr Bercow cited a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion could not be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.

As it happened, Mrs May managed to present a substantively different proposal by removing the more controversial Political Declaration element which covered the future relationship between the UK and the EU.

But, on the day which Britain was meant to leave the EU, MPs again rejected the Withdrawal Agreement, on that occasion by a majority of 58.

The deal, as it stood, was effectively dead in the water - and the PM had finally been forced to turn to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for talks while the EU granted a further extension.

Mr Corbyn, though, was less than impressed that it had taken this long for him to be consulted on a matter of such national importance and so refused to move on his own red lines.

Talks with Labour duly broke down at the back end of the week before last and Mrs May was now cornered with nowhere else to go for support.

Of course, merely the mention of the Prime Minister talking with the Leader of the Opposition had been enough to condemn her in the eyes of some Conservatives - and, from then on, it became a matter of days before her resignation announcement would come.

"Please do not waste this time!" said Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, after the extension until 31 October had been granted.

But, with a Tory leadership election now set to take place followed by an eight-week summer recess, it is certainly not a message which has been heeded.

The no-deal cliff-edge once again draws ever closer - there are just 157 days to go until Hallowe'en.

⭐2019 EUROPEAN ELECTIONS⭐

⭐ NATIONAL SCOREBOARD

	Vote		Seats
Brexit	31.6%	(+31.6%)	29	(+29)
Liberal Democrats	20.3%	(+13.4%)	16	(+15)
Labour	14.1%	(-11.3%)	10	(-10)
Green	12.1%	(+4.2%)	7	(+4)
Conservatives	9.1%	(-14.8%)	4	(-15)
SNP	3.6%	(+1.1%)	3	(+1)
Change UK	3.4%	(+3.4%)	0	-
UKIP	3.3%	(-24.2%)	0	(-24)
Plaid Cymru	1.0%	(+0.3%)	1	-

Note Northern Ireland has yet to declare

⭐ REGIONS

	NE		NW		Yorks		W Mids		E Mids
Brexit	38.7%	2 (+2)	31.2%	3 (+3)	36.5%	3 (+3)	37.7%	3 (+3)	38.2%	3 (+3)
Lib Dems	16.8%	-	17.2%	2 (+2)	15.5%	1 (+1)	16.3%	1 (+1)	17.2%	1 (+1)
Labour	19.4%	1 (-1)	21.9%	2 (-1)	16.3%	1 (-1)	16.9%	1 (-1)	13.9%	1 (-)
Green	8.1%	-	12.5%	1 (+1)	12.9%	1 (+1)	10.7%	1 (+1)	10.7%	-
Conservatives	6.8%	-	7.6%	- (-2)	7.2%	- (-1)	10.0%	1 (-1)	10.5%	- (-2)
UKIP	6.2%	- (-1)	3.6%	- (-3)	4.4%	- (-3)	4.9%	- (-3)	4.9%	- (-2)

	London		SE		SW		East		Wales
Brexit	17.9%	2 (+2)	36.1%	4 (+4)	36.7%	3 (+3)	37.8%	3 (+3)	31.3%					2 (+2)
Lib Dems	27.2%	3 (+3)	25.8%	3 (+2)	23.1%	2 (+2)	22.6%	2 (+2)	13.2%					-
Labour	23.9%	2 (-2)	7.3%	1 (-)	6.5%	- (-1)	8.7%	- (-1)	14.8%					1 (-)
Green	12.5%	1 (-)	13.5%	1 (-)	18.1%	1 (-)	12.7%	1 (+1)	6.1%					-
Conservatives	7.9%	- (-2)	10.3%	1 (-2)	8.7%	- (-2)	10.3%	1 (-2)	6.3%					-
UKIP	2.1%	- (-1)	2.2%	- (-4)	3.2%	- (-2)	3.4%	- (-3)	3.2%					-
Plaid Cymru									22.4%					1 (-)

	Scotland
Brexit	14.8%	1 (+1)
Lib Dems	13.9%	1 (+1)
Labour	9.3%	- (-2)
Green	8.3%	-
Conservatives	11.6%	1 (-)
UKIP	1.8%	- (-1)
SNP	37.8%	3 (+1)

Note Northern Ireland has yet to declare

⭐BREXIT: A TIMELINE⭐

⭐24 January 2013 Report
Then-Prime Minister David Cameron promised that, if the Conservatives won a majority at the 2015 General Election, the Government would hold a referendum on whether the UK should remain in or leave the European Union (EU) following a series of renegotiations.

⭐30 March 2015
A General Election was called following the dissolution of the Parliament under the provisions of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011.

⭐7 May 2015 Report
The General Election was held. David Cameron defied expectations of a Hung Parliament and led the Conservatives to their first outright majority since 1997.

⭐19 February 2016
David Cameron announced the outcome of the renegotiations. The renegotiated terms were in addition to existing opt-outs in the EU as well as the UK rebate - but critics argued there would be no fundamental change to the EU-UK relationship.

⭐20-21 February 2016 Report
David Cameron effectively fired the starting pistol on an in-out referendum by announcing it would be held on 23 June 2016. On the following morning, his long-time rival - the then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson - confirmed he would be backing the Vote Leave campaign

⭐23-24 June 2016
Britain voted 52-48 in favour of leaving the European Union (Brexit). David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister on the following morning, triggering a Conservative leadership election.

⭐30 June 2016
Then-Justice Secretary Michael Gove confirmed his bid to become party leader, prompting Boris Johnson, the bookmakers' favourite, to announce he would not enter the leadership contest.

⭐13 July 2016 Report
Theresa May formally became Prime Minister having beaten Andrea Leadsom and Michael Gove in the Conservative leadership contest. On the same day, George Osborne was sacked as Chancellor of Exchequer in a reshuffle, and replaced by Philip Hammond.

⭐3 November 2016
The Supreme Court ruled in the favour of Gina Miller who had campaigned for Brexit to be approved through Parliament.

⭐17 January 2017
Theresa May announced that Brexit would be subject to a "meaningful vote" in both Houses of Parliament.

⭐29 March 2017
Article 50 was formally invoked, starting a two-year countdown until Britain severs ties with the EU.

⭐18 April 2017
Theresa May - comfortably ahead in the polls - called a "snap" General Election.

⭐8 June 2017 Report
The General Election was held. The result showed the Conservatives remained the largest party but that they had lost their majority due to a Labour resurgence under Jeremy Corbyn.

⭐9 June 2017
Theresa May vowed to continue as PM and struck a confidence-and-supply deal with the Democratic Unionist Party.

⭐13 July 2017
David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, introduced a bill in the House of Commons which ensured Britain's withdrawal from the EU would be subject to a "meaningful vote".

⭐July 2017-November 2017
Negotiation phase 1: A series of talks in Brussels (17-20 July, 28-31 August, 7 September, 25 September, 9-12 October, 9-10 November) over Britain's withdrawal from the EU were held.

⭐4 December 2017
A draft agreement was expected to be finalised at a meeting between EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Theresa May. However, the meeting was abandoned after the DUP objected to arrangements for the Irish border

⭐December 2017-March 2018
Negotiation phase 2: transitional arrangements included an Irish backstop which was agreed in principle by Theresa May and EU chief negotiator Michael Barnier. The backstop potentially tied Northern Ireland to EU trade laws beyond Brexit.

⭐26 June 2018
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill received Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament called the European Union (Withdrawal) Act.

⭐6 July 2018
Theresa May summoned her Cabinet to Chequers to shore up support for her Brexit agreement.

⭐8-9 July 2018
Brexit Secretary David Davis tendered his resignation, stating the deal - as it stood - was too soft. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also stepped down as he considered the deal had the potential to turn Britain "into a European colony". Dominic Raab was appointed as Brexit Secretary in a reshuffle.

⭐July-November 2018
Negotiation phase 3: Britain continued its negotiations with the EU.

⭐15 November 2018
Dominic Raab resigned as Brexit Secretary, saying he “cannot in good conscience” support the deal agreed by the Cabinet. He was joined by a spate of others including Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey.

⭐16 November 2018
Stephen Barclay became the third Brexit Secretary of the year.

⭐4 December 2018
The Government lost three votes in the Commons and was found in contempt of Parliament. Consequently, the Government was forced to publish its full legal advice on Brexit.

⭐10 December 2018
Theresa May was forced to call off the "meaningful vote" in Parliament, admitting that she knew she had no chance of getting a majority for her deal in the Commons.

⭐12 December 2018 Report
At least 48 Tory MPs' letters were sent into Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers. A vote of no confidence was called in Theresa May which she won with a majority of 83 (200-117).

⭐15 January 2019
MPs rejected Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement with the EU by a record margin of 230 votes (432-202), prompting a motion of no confidence from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

⭐16 January 2019
The Government of Theresa May survived a vote of no confidence with a majority of 19 (325-306) as MPs, for the most part, voted along party lines.

⭐28-29 January 2019
Theresa May returned to Brussels to renegotiate her Brexit deal after MPs voted by 317 to 301 for an amendment which called for scrapping the prior agreement’s Irish backstop in favour of yet-to-be defined “alternative arrangements”. The Brady amendment, tabled by 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, was supported by the Prime Minister herself.

⭐18-20 February 2019
A total of 11 pro-Remain MPs - eight from Labour and three from the Conservatives - splintered from their respective parties in protest at their leaders' approaches to Brexit.

⭐25 February 2019
For the first time, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn made a statement in which he publicly backed holding a second referendum on Britain's membership of the EU if Labour fails to get its own version of a Brexit deal passed.

⭐11-12 March 2019
Theresa May returned from further talks with the EU in Strasbourg. However, the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox advised that the deal, as it stood, still carried a "legal risk" that the UK would have no way out of the Irish backstop without EU agreement. Subsequently, MPs once again rejected Theresa May's deal by a still significant margin of 149 votes (391-242).

⭐13 March 2019
MPs rejected any type of no-deal Brexit at any time by a majority of 43 (321-278). Earlier, MPs had backed an amendment to this main motion by just four votes (312-308) which changed the wording of the main motion from them rejecting the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on 29 March 2019 to them rejecting the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without any type of deal at any time. The votes were not legally binding, however, and therefore no-deal remained the default outcome.

⭐21 March 2019
Theresa May requested a delay of the Brexit deadline until 30 June. However, the EU was only willing to grant an extension until 22 May, or 12 April if Mrs May's deal was not approved by the UK Parliament.

⭐26 March 2019
Theresa May conceded there was still not enough support in Parliament to get her own deal through the Commons. Later, MPs voted by a majority of 27 (329-302) for the Letwin Amendment which allowed them to take control of business in Parliament in order for them to hold a series of indicative votes.

⭐27 March 2019
Indicative votes were held in the House of Commons but none of the eight options was carried with a majority. Meanwhile, Theresa May told a group of Conservative MPs in a meeting of the 1922 Committee that she would resign before the next stage of the Brexit process if she was able to get her deal through Parliament.

⭐29 March 2019
On the day which Britain was meant to leave the EU, MPs again rejected Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement, on that occasion by a majority of 58 (344-286).

⭐3-5 April 2019
Talks between Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn began as the main party leaders attempted to find a solution which would break the Brexit deadlock. In the meantime, Theresa May wrote to EU Council president Donald Tusk "reluctantly" asking for another extension to Article 50.

⭐11 April 2019
European Union leaders granted the UK a six-month extension to Brexit until 31 October, after late-night talks in Brussels. Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn continued to hold discussions.

⭐14 May 2019
Theresa May proposed to bring the Withdrawal Agreement to the House of Commons in the first week on June in order for a fourth vote to be held on it.

⭐17 May 2019
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn blamed each other as talks between them collapsed with nothing having been decided.

⭐22-23 May 2019
Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom became the 36th minister to resign from Theresa May's Government stating that she no longer believed the Government's approach would deliver Brexit. In the meantime, May shelved plans to publish Withdrawal Agreement bill amid growing Cabinet backlash against it.

⭐24 May 2019
Theresa May announced she would step down as Conservative leader on Friday 7 June though stay on as Prime Minister in a caretaker capacity while her successor is chosen.

⭐26 May 2019
Voters in the 2019 European elections split along Leave and Remain lines as the Conservatives and Labour suffered respectively against surges by the Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats.

Journey into the unknown for Team GB

IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
GROUP A FIXTURES
All matches played at the Steel Aréna, Košice, Slovakia 

Date	Face Off (BST)		Rank	Score	GB Scorers
11-May	(15:15)	GERMANY	8	1-3	Hammond (43:36)
12-May	(19:15)	CANADA	1	0-8
14-May	(15:15)	DENMARK	12	0-9
15-May	(15:15)	UNITED STATES	4	3-6	Hammond (15:08), Perlini (39:54), Davies (56:28)
17-May	(19:15)	FINLAND	5	0-5
18-May	(19:15)	SLOVAKIA	10	1-7	Hammond (17:44)
20-May	(15:15)	FRANCE	13	4-3 OT	Dowd (34:59), Hammond (38:04), Farmer (45:16), Davies (62:03)

GREAT BRITAIN will face the best international ice hockey teams in the world over the next 10 days as they take to the ice in the top tier of the World Championships for the first time since 1994.

Team GB begin their campaign this afternoon at 3.15pm against surprise Olympic silver medallists Germany and then take on number one ranked team Canada tomorrow at 7.15pm.

Pete Russell's men will also play Denmark (14 May at 3.15pm), United States (15 May, 3.15pm), Finland (17 May, 7.15pm), hosts Slovakia (18 May, 7.15pm), before finishing off against France on 20 May at 3.15pm.

That last fixture against the French probably represents Britain's best chance of winning a match at these championships.

For there can be no doubt: Britain are absolutely massive underdogs at this level of hockey - and, through no fault of their own, could be on the wrong side of some bad beatings during this tournament.

After all, Britain will hardly be the first promoted team to find it a struggle to survive at the next level up.

In fact, only one of the last 20 promoted teams over the last decade has avoided an immediate return to the second tier with Austria, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, and Slovenia particularly prominent yo-yo countries.

For Britain, the task of bridging the gap is further exacerbated by the fact that the stunning last gasp Robert Farmer goal to win the gold medal last year in Division I, Group A in Budapest, Hungary was actually the team's second promotion in a row.

Yes, it is indeed just two years ago since Team GB were in the third tier and mixing it up against the likes of Croatia and the Netherlands. So, it would be fair to say this team under Russell has already come a long way.

Better still for British hockey fans, the recent success for the national team has not come in complete isolation.

Teenager Liam Kirk made history last summer when he was drafted in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes, and so became the first player born and trained in England to be drafted into the NHL.

Meanwhile, in terms of live attendances, the Elite League claims hockey is the most watched indoor sport and the third most popular winter sport after football and rugby union.

Certainly, it could be argued then that ice hockey does not receive its fair share of media coverage in the UK, although that has improved somewhat with the Elite League being broadcast on Freesports.

The channel is available on Freeview HD (ch 64), Freesat (ch 252), Sky (ch 422), Virgin Media HD (ch 553), and on the online Premier Player - and it will also be showing all of the Great Britain matches from the Steel Arena in Košice in these championships.

Perhaps, with the respective domestic seasons in football and rugby union winding down for the summer, it will be worth some of those fans tuning into the hockey.

My own knowledge of the sport is admittedly pretty basic having involved watching just a handful of games while house-sharing with a hockey-obsessed mate at university.

Nevertheless, in addition to matches featuring the much-missed Newcastle Vipers, I also found myself cheering on the Czech Republic during the 2015 edition of this tournament, which coincided with a visit of mine to Prague.

For sure then, it going to be extremely difficult for Team GB to avoid relegation - but, with end-to-end action and dozens of shots in every match, it will be just as difficult to feel short-changed.

GREAT BRITAIN ▪️ Team Profile
IIHF ranking 22nd
Head coach Pete Russell
Captain Jonathan Phillips
Roster announced on 22 April 2019
Netminders Ben Bowns (Cardiff Devils), Thomas Murdy (Cardiff Devils), Jackson Whistle (Sheffield Steelers).
Defencemen Tim Billingsley (Nottingham Panthers), Dallas Ehrhardt (Manchester Storm), Steve Lee (Nottingham Panthers), Evan Mosey (Cardiff Devils), Ben O'Connor (Sheffield Steelers), David Phillips (Sheffield Steelers), Mark Richardson (Cardiff Devils), Paul Swindlehurst (Belfast Giants).
Forwards Ollie Betteridge (Nottingham Panthers), Ben Davies (Guildford Flames), Robert Dowd (Sheffield Steelers), Robert Farmer (Nottingham Panthers), Luke Ferrara (Coventry Blaze), Mike Hammond (Manchester Storm), Liam Kirk (Peterborough Petes [CAN]), Robert Lachowicz (Nottingham Panthers), Ben Lake (Coventry Blaze), Joey Lewis (ESV Kaufbeuren [GER]), Matthew Myers (Cardiff Devils), Brett Perlini (Nottingham Panthers), Jonathan Phillips (Sheffield Steelers), Colin Shields (Belfast Giants)

IIHF History since 1994 ▪️ Tier One Tier Two Tier Three

1994	12th	1999	18th	2004	25th	2009	22nd	2014	26th
1995	19th	2000	19th	2005	24th	2010	23rd	2015	24th
1996	16th	2001	19th	2006	26th	2011	20th	2016	24th
1997	18th	2002	23rd	2007	24th	2012	21st	2017	23rd
1998	22nd	2003	25th	2008	23rd	2013	22nd	2018	17th

Champion Trump triumphs in record-breaking Crucible final

WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
CRUCIBLE THEATRE, SHEFFIELD

(5)

John Higgins

9-18

Judd Trump

(7)

1 4-4 1-66 (51), 45-72 (63), 139-0 (139), 0-105 (105), 70-8 (69), 74-0, 101-0 (101), 4-103 (103)
2 1-8 125-1 (125), 0-66, 4-139 (135), 45-67, 0-118 (114), 30-64, 28-95 (71), 20-70 (58), 19-85 (70)
3 4-4 113-0 (113), 60-35, 0-101 (101), 0-72 (71), 0-126 (126), 92-16 (67), 79-11 (70), 0-104 (104)
4 0-2 0-94 (94), 1-63 (62)

JUDD TRUMP won his maiden World Snooker title after beating four-time champion John Higgins in a record-breaking century-laden classic at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Trump took only two frames and just over half-an-hour yesterday evening to seal victory after one of the most dominant performances ever seen at the famous old venue.

In fairness, in the early stages of the Final, it had not looked anywhere near as clear-cut as it eventually became.

The contest was a re-match of the 2011 Final which Higgins won 18-15 - and the first session on Sunday afternoon was pure quality from both players as they shared the eight frames and made two centuries each.

Trump settled better initially, taking the first two frames before Higgins fought back with a 139 break.

Bristolian Trump immediately bit back with a century of his own to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval but then Higgins produced a run of three frames on the bounce to appear to turn the match in his favour at 4-3.

The seventh frame featured a fine contribution of 101 from the Scotsman - but, for the second time, Trump responded immediately with a century of his own to make it 4-4 after the first session.

It always looked likely, therefore, that the second session was going to be a key phase of the match - and Higgins seemed to take that message on board.

The Wizard from Wishaw produced some magic to knock in a 125 break and take his fourth frame out of five to lead 5-4.

Trump, however, again responded brilliantly. Having run out of position, the Ace came up with the pot of the tournament by rocketing in a red with a deep screw to set himself up for the 10th frame.

In the 11th frame, Trump compiled a 135 break, considered by some to be the best they had ever seen - and, suddenly, he had regained the lead at 6-5.

It was the early in the contest but it was also the decisive point of the match. For, from that point onwards, Trump played not only with the utmost confidence but also with consummate professionalism.

Barely offering even a sniff of a chance to Higgins with perhaps the tightest safety play he has ever produced, Trump was regularly in position to take advantage of any sort of slip-up by his opponent.

By the end of the second session, breaks of 114, 71, 58, and 70 from Trump had helped him win eight consecutive frames and establish a 12-5 overnight lead.

Heading into day two, it felt then as if Higgins's only chance was the fact that Trump had to sleep on his big lead and upon the prospect of becoming a world champion for the first time.

To suggest it started well in the third session for the Wizard would be quite an understatement as he quickly went about his business by potting 14 reds and 14 blacks in an audacious 147 bid.

Unfortunately for Higgins, the final red was glued to the side cushion.

But, amazingly, the chance was not over after the 43-year-old doubled the red into the corner and found himself in a good position on the black. Inevitably, he missed the colour off the spot and the chance had indeed gone.

Trump - to his credit - had not dropped away from his own extraordinary standard either - and, retaining a determined poker face throughout, the 29-year-old never looked like panicking.

Instead, Trump took the next the next three frames to extend his lead to an eight-frame advantage at 15-7 either side of the afternoon mid-session interval.

Further runs of 101 and 126 brought the century count up a total of 10 in a Crucible final, an amount which clearly beat the record of eight set by Stephen Hendry and Peter Ebdon in 2002, and Ronnie O'Sullivan and Barry Hawkins in 2013.

It also made it 99 tons for the tournament as a whole, far in excess of the previous record of 86, set in 2015 and 2016.

Seriously, this was unmissable high quality stuff from both players and breaks of 67 and 70 were enough to keep Higgins just about in with a shout of making an unlikely comeback.

But Trump snuffed out any chance of that by launching a maximum bid of his own in the final frame of the play in the afternoon.

Again, this was not just a minor chance of a 147 - in fact, for a while, it looked on - but, unfortunately for Trump, he broke down on 104 after 13 reds and 13 blacks.

Nevertheless, the 104 became a landmark moment at the Crucible in that it was the 100th century of the tournament - a remarkable ton of tons.

Far more importantly to Trump, though, was the fact that he had retained his overnight lead of seven frames by squaring the session, and so needed just two more for victory.

At this stage, Higgins perhaps was just happy to have actually forced the match into a fourth session - and he later graciously admitted considered himself as "the lucky one" in the arena as he had not had to pay for a ticket.

For sure, it would be fair to suggest Higgins still lived up to his granite reputation and fought tooth and nail throughout as he lost in the Crucible Final for a third year in a row.

And, following defeats to Mark Selby and Mark Williams in the last two years, one more Trump surge was too much to handle.

At 7.32pm last night, the Final was over. Trump had won 18-9 and so deservedly became the 21st man in modern era to become world snooker champion.

It was the biggest margin of victory since Higgins himself had beaten Shaun Murphy by the same scoreline in 2009.

Meanwhile, Trump also became just the 11th man to win the Triple Crown of the World Championship, UK Championship, and the Masters having won the latter this year in January.

It is this glorious performance more than any other which has really made those in the know forecast even more success for Trump in the coming years.

Seven-time champion Hendry - who dominated the sport in the 1990s - has suggested that the snooker world may have to get used to a new "era of dominance from one player".

Elsewhere, five-time winner O'Sullivan - who exited this year's tournament in a shock first round defeat to amateur James Cahill - said Trump's performance had taken the sport "to another level".

That comment is a far cry from the Rocket's stinging criticism of Trump's game in his 2014 autobiography Running.

Back then, O'Sullivan wrote: "Sometimes I think [Trump] lacks the killer instinct.

"He seems as if he's just happy to be there - he's got a bit of money, enjoys the lifestyle, wins a few matches and the odd tournament, but what he really should be doing is trying to write his way into the history books.

In fairness to O'Sullivan, though, that assessment was pretty reasonable at the time - and Trump is now the first to admit his game needed a lot of work after he burst onto the scene.

"The concentration that hasn’t been there in the past was there,” Trump said last night. “From a young age, people have been touting me as a future world champion and it’s nice to get that out of the way.”

Never again will Trump be asked if he is ever going to achieve his dream. Instead, it is now just a question of quite how much he can achieve.

For now, though, Trump deserves to bask in the glory of his status as a first-time world champion following his efforts of the past two weeks.

And, of course, there is also the not insignificant matter of £500,000 in prize money.

“Not yet,” Trump replied when asked if he had already decided what he was going to spend his winnings on. “But when it hits my bank account, I think I’ll go a bit wild.”

WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019
THE FULL RESULTS

FIRST ROUND   Best of 19 frames

	(1)	Mark Williams	10-7	Martin Gould
	(16)	David Gilbert	10-7	Joe Perry
	(9)	Barry Hawkins	10-1	Li Hang
	(8)	Kyren Wilson	10-4	Scott Donaldson
	(5)	John Higgins	10-7	Mark Davis
	(12)	Stuart Bingham	10-9	Graeme Dott
	(13)	Shaun Murphy	10-0	Luo Honghao
	(4)	Neil Robertson	10-1	Michael Georgiou
	(3)	Mark Selby	10-7	Zhao Xintong
	(14)	Luca Brecel	9-10	Gary Wilson
	(11)	Jack Lisowski	6-10	Ali Carter
	(6)	Mark Allen	7-10	Zhou Yuelong
	(7)	Judd Trump	10-9	Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
	(10)	Ding Junhui	10-7	Anthony McGill
	(15)	Stephen Maguire	10-9	Tian Pengfei
	(2)	Ronnie O'Sullivan	8-10	James Cahill (a)

SECOND ROUND   Best of 25 frames

	(1)	Mark Williams	9-13	David Gilbert	(16)
	(9)	Barry Hawkins	11-13	Kyren Wilson	(8)
	(5)	John Higgins	13-11	Stuart Bingham	(12)
	(13)	Shaun Murphy	6-13	Neil Robertson	(4)
	(3)	Mark Selby	10-13	Gary Wilson
		Ali Carter	13-9	Zhou Yuelong
	(7)	Judd Trump	13-9	Ding Junhui	(10)
	(15)	Stephen Maguire	13-12	James Cahill (a)

QUARTER FINALS   Best of 25 frames

	(16)	David Gilbert	13-8	Kyren Wilson	(8)
	(5)	John Higgins	13-10	Neil Robertson	(4)
		Gary Wilson	13-9	Ali Carter
	(7)	Judd Trump	13-6	Stephen Maguire	(15)

SEMI FINALS   Best of 33 frames

	(16)	David Gilbert	16-17	John Higgins	(5)
		Gary Wilson	11-17	Judd Trump	(7)

CENTURY BREAKS 100
143 John Higgins
141 Judd Trump
140 Gary Wilson
139 David Gilbert, John Higgins (2)
138 Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson
137 Barry Hawkins
136 Joe Perry, Barry Hawkins
135 John Higgins, Ali Carter, Judd Trump
134 Ding Junhui, Gary Wilson (2)
132 John Higgins (2), Kyren Wilson
131 Luca Brecel, Stephen Maguire, Mark Selby (2), Mark Allen, Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump
130 Barry Hawkins, John Higgins
129 Mark Williams, Ding Junhui
128 Ali Carter
127 Neil Robertson
126 Judd Trump
125 Stephen Maguire, Kyren Wilson, David Gilbert, John Higgins
124 Jack Lisowski
123 Shaun Murphy, Judd Trump
122 Stephen Maguire
121 Stephen Maguire
120 Neil Robertson (2), Mark Selby
117 Gary Wilson
115 Gary Wilson
114 Graeme Dott, Neil Robertson, Judd Trump
113 David Gilbert, John Higgins
112 Shaun Murphy, Stuart Bingham
111 Kyren Wilson
110 Stephen Maguire
109 Shaun Murphy, David Gilbert, Gary Wilson
107 Stuart Bingham
106 Gary Wilson, Ding Junhui, Neil Robertson, Stuart Bingham, Zhou Yuelong, Judd Trump
105 Stephen Maguire, Mark Williams, Zhou Yuelong, Barry Hawkins, David Gilbert, Judd Trump
104 Tian Pengfei, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump
103 Stephen Maguire, Judd Trump (2)
102 Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, David Gilbert, Ali Carter
101 Shaun Murphy, Zhou Yuelong, Jack Lisowski, Mark Williams, James Cahill, Judd Trump (2), John Higgins (2)
100 Neil Robertson, Tian Pengfei, John Higgins, Kyren Wilson, Gary Wilson, David Gilbert