• CRICKET WORLD CUP •
• 2023 •
INDIA ICC ODI ranking 1 • ODI record since CWC19 W40 L22 NR6 Win% 64.5
Coach Rahul Dravid (since November 2021)
Squad Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav
Best performance Winners 1983, 2011
• Hosts and favourites India have hit top gear in the run-up to the Cricket World Cup, breezing to an eighth Asia Cup triumph by bowling Sri Lanka out for 50 before chasing the target without loss in 37 balls, before defeating Australia 2-1 in a bi-lateral series. Those recent achievements have elevated the Indians to number one in the ODI rankings, making them only the second side after South Africa in 2012 to top the standings in all three formats of the game concurrently - and head coach Rahul Dravid, a legendary player in his own right, has benefited from the strong return to form of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, and the return to fitness of key bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Experienced heads Virat Kohli and Ravi Ashwin, a late selection for the injured Axar Patel, are actually the only two members of the squad who were part of the team which won the trophy when it was last on home soil in 2011 so there remain legitimate questions over whether this current vintage can cope with the almost ridiculous level of pressure exerted by the most vociferous supporters in world cricket. All things being equal, though, India have the talent - and, indeed, the form - to make reality reflect the rankings by winning the World Cup for a third time.
• Prediction Winners
PAKISTAN ICC ODI ranking 2 • ODI record since CWC19 W24 L12 T1 Win% 64.8
Coach Grant Bradburn (since May 2023)
Squad Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim
Best performance Winners 1992
• Pakistan have already overcome their first obstacle at this Cricket World Cup - obtaining visa access to neighbours India, following a predictable stand-off between the two adversaries. Of course, Pakistan did not help matters by delaying the naming of their squad - but, then again, the Indians have not exactly been the most organised of hosts either with the match schedule and venues still being rejigged as late as 9 August. One of the nine amended games was the India v Pakistan match which was moved forward by 24 hours to 14 October to avoid a clash with a religious festival in Ahmedabad - and, in their first encounter on Indian soil since the T20 World Cup in 2016, the visitors will be desperate to improve their horrific ODI World Cup record against their greatest rivals. It currently reads played seven, lost seven - and it has undoubtedly contributed to the Falcons' extremely modest overall record at the tournament in the 21st century, with only one semi final appearance coming in the last five editions. With the ferocious pace of Shaheen Shah Afridi leading the attack, this tournament represents an extremely good chance for Pakistan to make a return to the top table; however, the Falcons' batting will need to improve if they want to double their number of World Cup titles on 19 November.
• Prediction Semi finals
AUSTRALIA ICC ODI ranking 3 • ODI record since CWC19 W25 L20 NR1 Win% 55.5
Coach Andrew McDonald (since April 2022)
Squad Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Best performance Winners 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015
• Five-time champions Australia have endured an uncharacteristically indifferent build-up to the Cricket World Cup, falling to a 3-2 series defeat to South Africa from 2-0 up before a further 2-1 series defeat in India. At one stage in that sequence, the Aussies lost five matches in a row and conceded more than 300 runs in four of the defeats, including a mammoth 416-5 against the Proteas. Notably, in that match, spinner Adam Zampa recorded the joint worst ever figures by a bowler in One Day International cricket to finish on 0-113 - and the most pertinent reason to bring this fact up is that Zampa is the Baggy Greens' only frontline spinner in a strangely imbalanced squad. Instead, the selection from Andrew McDonald is full of bits-and-pieces players - and Australia look set to rely perhaps more heavily than ever upon the batting prowess of Steve Smith, scoring power of Glenn Maxwell and the bowling ferocity of Mitchell Starc. The fast-bowler warmed up nicely for the tournament with a hat-trick against Netherlands in a washed out game - and, while there have been better Australia teams in the past, the Baggy Greens will no doubt remain as doggedly competitive in seeking a record eighth appearance in a World Cup Final.
• Prediction Runners-up
SOUTH AFRICA ICC ODI ranking 4 • ODI record since CWC19 W21 L16 NR5 Win% 56.7
Coach Rob Walter (since February 2023)
Squad Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams
Best performance Semi finals 1992, 1999, 2007, 2015
• South Africa head into this Cricket World Cup looking to make amends for their poor display four years ago in England when their best performances came all too late. By the time the Proteas thumped Sri Lanka by nine wickets and then squeezed past Australia by 10 runs, a low confidence outfit had already been eliminated following three defeats and a washout in their first four games. There is far more confidence in the South African camp for this edition - and Rob Walter's squad warmed up for the tournament with a fine comeback from 2-0 down to win a five-match One Day series against Australia thanks to some stunning contributions with the bat from Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram. In support of that, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi will provide plenty of threat with the ball, but the loss of the excellent Anrich Nortje on the eve of the tournament to a back injury really is a devastating blow - and, indeed, it is a lack of sufficient depth could prove costly for the Proteas in their chase for a place back in the top four.
• Prediction Group stage
ENGLAND ICC ODI ranking 5 • ODI record since CWC19 W23 L16 NR6 Win% 58.9
Coach Matthew Mott (since May 2022)
Squad Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes
Best performance Winners 2019
• Defending champions England have been on quite the journey since winning by the barest of margins on that gloriously sunny July day at Lord's over four years ago. The subsequent drop in the rankings to fifth place has rather laid bare the fact that it has not been exactly the most comfortable of rides - and, certainly, a lot has changed in the intervening period. England have a new specialist white-ball coach, Australian Matthew Mott, while Jos Buttler took over the captaincy reins from Eoin Morgan upon the Dubliner's retirement in June last year. Furthermore, England have been extremely experimental with 28 different players used in 15 matches between February 2021 and February 2022 alone - while, at the same time, the domestic 50-over competition has been reduced to reserve status in favour of The Hundred, a risible format played nowhere else in the world. Then, in July last year, England Test captain Ben Stokes announced bombshell news as he retired from One Day International cricket, citing the congestion in the calendar for his decision. But, although ultimately the honour of defending a World Cup proved too tempting for Stokes who reversed his decision, a niggling knee injury and a far less experienced squad have contributed to the feeling that the 32-year-old may have been more prudent to stick with his original decision.
• Prediction Group stage
NEW ZEALAND ICC ODI ranking 6 • ODI record since CWC19 W26 L16 NR3 Win% 61.9
Coach Gary Stead (since August 2018)
Squad Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
Best performance Runners-up 2015, 2019
• Still hurting, New Zealand arrive in India for the Cricket World Cup determined this time to go one better than four years ago when they lost only on a little-heard, and now discarded, boundary count regulation. It was, in fact, a second successive World Cup Final defeat for the Black Caps following a heavy loss to fellow co-hosts Australia in the 2015 edition - but, understandably, it is the tracing paper-thin margin of the 2019 reverse which remains an open wound for many of this squad. With Gary Stead still at the helm, the Kiwis are the only team to have retained the same coach between the two tournaments - and, led by skipper Kane Williamson and spearheaded by veteran bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee, no fewer than nine of the players have taken part at an ODI World Cup before. New Zealand are chock full of experience then - but, with a country from the Big Three of Australia, England and India awarded hosting rights yet again, Stead's men will need to break something of a glass ceiling to achieve their ultimate ambition.
• Prediction Semi finals
SRI LANKA ICC ODI ranking 7 • ODI record since CWC19 W30 L26 NR2 Win% 53.5
Coach Chris Silverwood (since April 2022)
Squad Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka
Best performance Winners 1996
• Sri Lanka failed to qualify directly for the Cricket World Cup for the first time requiring the fall-back route of the ICC Qualifier. In fairness, the qualification competition contributed to a confidence-boosting record sequence of 13 successive One Day International victories - but little else really could be garnered from winning a group otherwise featuring Scotland, Oman, Ireland and United Arab Emirates. At least the Lions did not suffer the same fate as fellow former winners, the West Indies, who failed to qualify at all. However, far more Sri Lankan hope derives from the performance of the team at home in the Asia Cup where wins over Bangladesh twice, Afghanistan and Pakistan sent Chris Silverwood's side all the way to the Final. There, though, old habits came creeping back as a fired-up India team destroyed the top and middle order - and, at one stage, Sri Lanka were 12-6 before eventually being bowled out for just 50. A subsequent warm-up defeat to Afghanistan has also given little sign of that the 1996 champions are anywhere near consistent enough to threaten a place in the knockout stage - and even matching their sixth-placed finish from four years ago might be a stretch.
• Prediction Group stage
BANGLADESH ICC ODI ranking 8 • ODI record since CWC19 W30 L21 NR3 Win% 58.8
Coach Chandika Hathurusingha (since January 2023)
Squad Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehedi Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, Mahmudullah
Best performance Quarter finals 2015
• The build-up to this Cricket World Cup for Bangladesh has been dominated by an escalating war of words between the two most notable cricketing figures in the country with skipper Shakib Al Hasan and his omitted predecessor Tamim Iqbal trading barbs. Officially, Tamim had been left out of the squad because of doubts over fitness after his well-publicised struggles with a back injury. However, Shakib has since accused opener Tamim of being "childish" and not a team player after he is said to have refused to bat in the middle order. At this point, the whole thing is a rather unseemly mess ahead of a tournament in which the Tigers should be looking to take advantage of relatively familiar conditions. Instead, recent form at the Asia Cup in August and September was nothing special - and, beyond all-rounder Shakib repeating his 2019 feat of scoring more than 600 runs and taking a five-for at the same tournament, there is precious little else to suggest Bangladesh make it into the top four. After all, even four years ago, Shakib's stunning contributions were only good enough for an eighth-placed finish.
• Prediction Group stage
AFGHANISTAN ICC ODI ranking 9 • ODI record since CWC19 W15 L14 NR2 Win% 51.7
Coach Jonathan Trott (since July 2022)
Squad Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq
Best performance Group stage 2015, 2019
• Played nine, lost nine - Afghanistan certainly found life tough four years ago at the Cricket World Cup in England. This edition in India at least should provide conditions slightly more to the liking of the Afghans - and, while they should expect to win anyway on 3 November against the lower-ranked Netherlands, there is enough talent in this squad to cause much more of a stir. Spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman and all-rounder Mohammad Nabi are standout figures - but, as a whole, this Afghanistan outfit remains rough around the edges and suffers from a lack of regular match practice. That, in itself, should not really come as much of a surprise - opponents are understandably unwilling to tour the landlocked central Asian nation, especially since the Taliban regained control in August 2021, so matches are difficult to organise. Consequently, the team has been effectively consigned to perennial minnow status - despite the best efforts of former England batter Jonathan Trott, who currently finds himself in the rather unexpected position of Afghanistan head coach.
• Prediction Group stage
NETHERLANDS ICC ODI ranking 14 • ODI record since CWC19 W8 L24 T1 NR3 Win% 24.2
Coach Ryan Cook (since May 2022)
Squad Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht
Best performance Group stage 1996, 2003, 2007, 2011
• Netherlands belied the lowly 14th-placed ranking to make it into this 10-team Cricket World Cup - but Scotland will still be kicking themselves now that it is not them instead. Defending 277 in a winner-takes-all match, the Scots looked on course to make a fourth finals appearance when the Dutch were reduced to 163-5. But Durham all-rounder Bas de Leede had other ideas - and, having taken 5-52 with the ball, he finished on 123 not out with the bat as the Flying Dutchmen smashed 22 off the 41st over and 20 off the 42nd to win in pretty comfortable style in the end. Certainly, the Dutch fully deserve another shot at taking on the world cricketing elite having earlier held their nerve to beat two-time former winners West Indies in a Super Over with the men from Caribbean missing out altogether for the first time. Nevertheless, de Leede's audacious semi finals target looks especially fanciful, considering the Dutch lost 17 international matches in a row while taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League against the same elite opponents as they will face over the next five weeks.
• Prediction Group stage
