F1 2015 preview: Advantage Hamilton in dominant Mercedes

FORMULA ONE 2015

MERCEDES + RED BULL + WILLIAMS + FERRARI + MCLAREN + FORCE INDIA + TORO ROSSO + LOTUS + MANOR MARUSSIA + SAUBER

MERCEDES 

	F1 W06 Hybrid	GPs	Pole	Wins
44	Lewis HAMILTON (Gbr)	148	38	33 (2 championships)
6	Nico ROBSERG (Ger)	166	15	8

Dominant Mercedes remain well clear of the field which can only be good news for defending champion Lewis Hamilton. The Briton won his second world title in November, six years after his first, and this season is a wonderful opportunity for him to ensure he does not have to wait quite as long between championships again. 
A third crown for Hamilton would put him level with his idol, the late Ayrton Senna - and, having seen off team-mate Nico Rosberg with a brilliant surge of form in the second of last season, the biggest danger to the Stevenage-born champ might just be himself.
After all, Hamilton's off-season has once again been dominated by stories about his personal life, most notably his split with his management team, Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment, and his latest break-up with pop-star Nicole Scherzinger. The last time Hamilton had the potential to be so distracted by external events, in 2011, he suffered his worst season in F1 - and, while the Englishman insists he is a lot more mature now, the door is open for Rosberg to exert pressure. 
Certainly, it feels as if the German needs a good start this year to heal the wounds of giving up such a strong position in the autumn of last year. Indeed, Rosberg's early-season form will surely determine just how competitive the Drivers' Championship actually is.  

RED BULL-RENAULT

	RB11	GPs	Pole	Wins
3	Daniel RICCIARDO (Aus)	69	0	3
26	Daniil KVYAT (Rus)	19	0	0

Coming just a year after joining the team as Sebastian Vettel's second-in-command, Australian Daniel Ricciardo is now the undoubted number one driver at Red Bull Racing. It is a fully merited position for the way Ricciardo thoroughly out-raced four-time world champion Vettel with the German consequently seeking refuge at Ferrari, one year short of completing his contract.
Joining Ricciardo instead is highly-rated 20-year-old Russian Daniil Kvyat who impressed so much in his rookie season with sister team Toro Rosso that he got the big call from Christian Horner. Now, of course, Ricciardo is the hunted, more experienced driver - but, while Vettel seemed quick to find faults when things were not going his way, the Aussie's laid-back personality should stand him in good stead for another season in which any Grand Prix wins will again come against the odds. For Kvyat, the move might have come a little too early - though you never quite know and his record against Ricciardo will provide a source of early-season fascination. 

WILLIAMS-MERCEDES 

	FW37	GPs	Pole	Wins
19	Felipe MASSA (Brz)	212	16	11
77	Valtteri BOTTAS (Fin)	38	0	0

Williams enjoyed their finest season for many a year in the last campaign, deservedly taking third place in the Constructors' Championship ahead of Ferrari and McLaren. 
The Grove-based team finished on a particular high as Felipe Massa - seventh in the Drivers' standings - and Valtteri Bottas - fourth - gave the team a first double podium since Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber finished second and third at Monaco in 2005. As a result, it was no surprise to see this talented partnership retained for 2015.
But one thing that will irk Bottas in particular, given his six podium finishes last season, was the lack of a Grand Prix victory - and so Williams might even be prepared to accept a greater level of inconsistency if their points total happened to feature a first race win since Pastor Maldonado's rather random success in 2012, and only a second since 2004.

FERRARI 

	SF15-T	GPs	Pole	Wins
5	Sebastian VETTEL (Ger)	139	45	39 (4 championships)
7	Kimi RAIKKONEN (Fin)	213	16	20 (1 championship)

Flailing Ferrari have brought four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel on board in a bid to restore former glories - but, despite his quadruple between 2010 and 2013, the German himself also needs to fix his reputation somewhat. After all, Vettel only joined the Italian giants for the 2015 season having been shocked to find Daniel Ricciardo not to be quite as acquiescent a team-mate as fellow Australian Mark Webber.
At least Vettel should have the beating of his new team-mate Kimi Raikkonen if last year is anything to go by. The Finn's best moments came from his often amusing radio communication with the team as, on the track, he totally failed to live anywhere near up to a reputation mainly built on him being a former Ferrari world champion in his first spell at Maranello.
In fairness to Ferrari, testing has gone better than expected and there has been some much-needed change at the top of the organisation. New president Sergio Marchionne has brought in a new team principal - with Maurizio Arrivabene arriving to replace the sacked Marco Mattiacci. Nevertheless, the team's ambitions are as modest as they ever have been - and the stated target of two race wins hardly inspiring stuff for the Tifosi.

MCLAREN-HONDA 

	MP4-30	GPs	Pole	Wins
14	Fernando ALONSO (Esp)	236	22	32 (2 championships)
22	Jenson BUTTON (Gbr)	268	8	15 (1 championship)
20	Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Den)	19	0	0

Off the pace until at least May, it would be fair to say that last season's woes for McLaren have continued into this year despite (or perhaps because of) a change in engine supplier to Honda. 
Stalwart Jenson Button has even admitted the Woking outfit could be right at the back of the grid for this weekend's season opener in Melbourne if struggling new boys Manor Marussia do not run. Such an outcome would be a shame for the Frome flyer, a well-liked character and the most experienced driver in the paddock, who only just saved his seat in the sport before Christmas after some last ditch negotiating.
Eventually, once McLaren get going, the Briton will be joined by Spaniard Fernando Alonso following his surprise move to reacquaint himself with a team he left under a cloud in 2007. His second debut will not happen just yet, though, as Alonso has been ruled out of the Australian Grand Prix following a high-speed collision in testing. It actually turned into a rather odd incident with conflicting reports over the extent of the injury and, even now, there remain a few unanswered questions.
Genuine mystery also surrounds the reason behind Alonso's return to McLaren, described rather cynically in some quarters as a marriage of convenience. After all, even if the two-time world champion had become frustrated with so regularly outperforming Ferrari, he has effectively swapped one team struggling to live up to its glorious reputation for another currently doing even worse. Alonso and McLaren is definitely a relationship worth watching.

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES 

	VJM08	GPs	Pole	Wins
11	Sergio PEREZ (Mex)	77	0	0
27	Nico HULKENBERG (Ger)	77	1	0

Moored in mid-table since 2008, it is difficult to know what Force India can do to improve their fortunes. They have the strongest engine in Mercedes and a decent driver line-up has been retained - but, while they challenged McLaren for fifth throughout the whole of 2014, two double retirements in Hungary and United States ultimately left the Silverstone-based outfit in sixth place for the third time in four years.
Yet more ups and downs can be expected in the next eight-and-a-half months with the best efforts of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg restricted by an increasingly parlous financial situation. Perez, in particular, is capable of a searing lap which can propel him up the grid, while Hulkenberg was a consistent points scorer throughout the whole of the last campaign, missing out only on four occasions.  

TORO ROSSO-RENAULT 

	STR10	GPs	Pole	Wins
33	Max VERSTAPPEN (Net)	0	0	0
55	Carlos SAINZ Jr (Esp)	0	0	0

Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso have taken their much-vaunted youth policy to extremes this winter with 17-year-old Dutchman Max Verstappen hitting the headlines after becoming the youngest ever Formula One driver. Undoubtedly talented, Verstappen won six successive races in the Formula Three championship on his way to finishing third in the series overall last season.
But, frankly, Formula One is another level of pressure again - and, as BBC writer Andrew Benson points out, the Red Bull talent stream is a cut-throat business with many decent drivers failing to make the grade. Nevertheless, others - such as Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and, most recently, Daniil Kvyat - have thrived, and Verstappen will be determined to add his name to that still-fledgling list. 
Verstappen's team-mate, Carlos Sainz Jr, was initially overlooked in the Dutchman's favour - and only won a seat when Kvyat was promoted to the main Red Bull team. Such an occurrence was hardly a vote of confidence in the Spaniard who - while being only 20 years old himself - could do with some strong early performances to quieten the hype surrounding his teenage colleague.

LOTUS-MERCEDES 

	E23 Hybrid	GPs	Pole	Wins
8	Romain GROSJEAN (Fra)	64	0	0
13	Pastor MALDONADO (Ven)	77	1	1

Having dropped back from fourth place in the Constructors' Championship in 2012 and 2013 to eighth last year, Lotus should return to a more competitive mid-table placing this time following their switch to Mercedes engines.
It could perhaps be higher than mid-table - but such a result would rely on the most crash-happy pair in F1 cleaning up their act. Actually, that is perhaps not too fair on Romain Grosjean who got much better at keeping his nose out of trouble, especially in the second half of last season. 
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about team-mate Pastor Maldonado who even has a website dedicated to his scrapes. Indeed, in many ways, it was quite refreshing to hear that the Venezuelan had crashed out of the final pre-season test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. Clearly, the start of the new season was not far away.

MANOR MARUSSIA-FERRARI 

	MR03	GPs	Pole	Wins
28	Will STEVENS (Gbr)	1	0	0
98	Roberto MERHI (Esp)	0	0	0

The fact that the Marussia name lives on at all in Formula One is a testament to the efforts of everyone at Manor Motorsport and others who were not prepared to allow the team to die without a fight. Considering they were only cleared to race earlier this week, doubts remain over whether the two cars will actually make it on the grid in Melbourne.
Moreover, when they do finally compete, it would be amazing if they were not anything but dead last - at least, though, they have made it this far. A baptism of fire awaits Essex lad Will Stevens and his Spanish team-mate Roberto Merhi but the rookies will hopefully be able to gain something out of the experience. If nothing else, the pair will have nothing to lose with Merhi also only actually announced as racing for the team earlier this week.

SAUBER-FERRARI   

	C34	GPs	Pole	Wins
9	Marcus ERICSSON (Swe)	16	0	0
12	Felipe NASR (Brz)	0	0	0

It went right to the wire - but, at the 11th hour, former Caterham driver Giedo van der Garde agreed to drop his legal action against Sauber. All the way through the saga, it had looked as if the opposite might be the case especially after judgements this week from the Victoria Supreme Court in Australia and an appeals hearing found the Dutchman had a case when he said he had been promised a seat at Sauber for 2015.
Nevertheless, van der Garde's decision to move on belatedly gives the team he nearly joined a chance to get on with what is an important campaign. Coming off the back of a dreadful 2014, which saw the Swiss outfit finish with nul points for the first time ever, 2015 can surely only be an improvement.
Coincidentally another former Caterham driver, Marcus Ericsson, and rookie Felipe Nasr have been given the task of restoring Sauber to a place of mid-table respectability. But, even without any further distractions from van der Garde, it looks a tough ask.

2015 RACE CALENDAR
Sky will broadcast all 20 races live on its dedicated channel (Sky 407). Where Sky is listed in the column below, the satellite channel has exclusively live coverage and the BBC will only show extended (delayed) highlights. The BBC has live coverage of 10 races where its name is listed below, notably omitting Monaco in May.

Date	TV		Pole position	Fastest lap	Winner
15 March	Sky	Australian Grand Prix
29 March	BBC	Malaysian Grand Prix
12 April	Sky	Chinese Grand Prix
19 April	BBC	Bahrain Grand Prix
10 May	Sky	Spanish Grand Prix
24 May	Sky	Monaco Grand Prix
7 June	BBC	Canadian Grand Prix
21 June	Sky	Austrian Grand Prix
5 July	BBC	British Grand Prix
19 July	Sky	German Grand Prix
26 July	BBC	Hungarian Grand Prix
23 August	BBC	Belgian Grand Prix
6 September	Sky	Italian Grand Prix
20 September	Sky	Singapore Grand Prix
27 September	BBC	Japanese Grand Prix
11 October	BBC	Russian Grand Prix
25 October	Sky	United States Grand Prix
1 November	Sky	Mexican Grand Prix
15 November	BBC	Brazilian Grand Prix
29 November	BBC	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Cricket World Cup: Shambolic England dumped out by Bangladesh

CRICKET WORLD CUP

Group A preview - Group B preview - Results sheet
Group update - England review - Group review - Quarter finals - Semi finals - FINAL

SHAMBOLIC England wrote a new chapter in their long and wretched history of Cricket World Cup lows after being knocked out in the group stage by Bangladesh in Adelaide today. 

The Tigers won by 15 runs to qualify for the quarter finals for the first time ever as England failed to progress out of the groups for a third time in the last five editions.

Yes, in fairness to coach Peter Moores and the current squad, English failure at a World Cup is hardly exactly something new - and the 1999 exit at the start of that run actually came on home soil.

But that is not quite a valid comparison. So much has changed about English cricket in the last 16 years, and all of it has been with the intention of preventing a repeat failure. 

The players are now centrally-contracted to the England Cricket Board - and they have been for some time - while the ECB itself is one of the wealthiest organisations in the sport worldwide.

Thus, as unacceptably cringeworthy as the 1999 debacle remains to look back upon, this latest early departure is just about unthinkable, given the resources now involved. 

England even seemed to have produced a clear plan ahead. A whole Ashes tour was moved forward 12 months - and promptly lost 5-0 - to leave the whole of this winter focused on the 50-over format. 

Meanwhile, Kevin Pietersen - the team's undoubted best player - was sacked after claims he was a disruptive influence to the dressing room.

Moores then returned for his second spell as national team coach to set about a rebuilding the side around the captaincy of Alastair Cook. 

But it was at this point that it all started to go very wrong indeed. Cook struggled for form - and, while he recovered his position as Test skipper by the end of last summer, his One-Day record remained dreadfully poor. 

Onto the seven-match autumn tour of Sri Lanka - and, with Cook still unable to make a major contribution, England lost 5-2 and the captain was axed.

Yes, just eight weeks before the start of the World Cup, Irish-born Eoin Morgan was being hastily installed - although, if that had perhaps been the extent of the muddled thinking, it would have been almost forgiveable.

Then, however, the England set-up trumped even its own acclaimed capability for self-destruction. 

Almost throughout the whole build-up, James Taylor had batted at three and Ravi Bopara at six, while Chris Woakes had taken the new ball.

Literally on the eve of the tournament, this all changed. Bopara was replaced by the out-of-practice Gary Ballance and Taylor was moved from three to six to accommodate him. Broad, meanwhile, took the new ball out of Woakes's hands.

Unsurprisingly it did not work - and a clearly unsettled side was roundly thrashed by 111 runs by Australia inside a boisterous and joyous Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

An even bigger defeat came against the other hosts New Zealand in Wellington. There, England were bowled out for 123 and Brendon McCullum's inspired Black Caps knocked the runs required off inside 13 overs. 

It was a spectacularly crushing reverse and left England facing a banana skin of a tie against the auld enemy, Associate nation Scotland.

England did at least win that one - but still found time to collapse unconvincingly from 172-0 after 30 overs to 303-8 - and it was if the 300 mark had become the team's be-all and end-all. 

Certainly, that was the case against Sri Lanka when - having made 309-6 - skipper Morgan defended the total as a "par score" because that is what the data on the laptop read. 

Sadly, England had not realised that this World Cup cannot much be anaylsed on a computer. 

They have not realised the best players in the world - most notably McCullum, AB de Villiers and Kumar Sangakkara - are so intent in putting on such a show that the final score of an innings just cannot be predicted. 

Sangakkara himself and Lahiru Thirimanne proved Morgan so horribly wrong as both made big centuries and the Sri Lankans beat England with the loss of just a single wicket.

It was a third massive loss out of four - and, with Bangladesh benefiting from a washout against the Aussies, left this tie as a must-win for England. 

Why then did Morgan - having won the toss - opt for a nervy chase when a truly big score, ie. more than 300, would have likely batted the Bangladeshis out of the game? 

Perhaps he did not trust or believe England would be able to make that truly big score. There cannot be many other explanations. 

As it happened, the decision to insert Bangladesh did not look a bad one as James Anderson finally got the ball to swing, reducing the Tigers to 8-2. 

At 99-4, England were still well on top - but then Mahmudullah made history, becoming the first Bangladesh player to score a World Cup century, as his side recovered to 275-7. 

Even still, a chase of 276 - though nervy - was highly achievable in Adelaide where one of the boundaries is particularly short.

That certainly looked the case as England reached 97-1 - but Moeen Ali's daft run out belied the jitters which were properly exposed when Ian Bell, Morgan and Taylor all fell in quick succession. 

Joe Root and Jos Buttler tried to rebuild the innings - but, once Root was caught behind with still more than 100 runs required, it was clearly Buttler or bust.

Bust was the outcome - though not before the Somerset-born man made an enterprising 65 from 52 balls. 

His departure, however, truly was the beginning of the end with the unfortunate Chris Jordan adjudged to have been run out two balls later. 

Jordan had actually made his ground with a desperate dive but his bat bounced up as the ball hit the wickets and even Lady Luck had vacated the room. 

Not that England had played well enough to deserve much in the way of favours - even if, amazingly, Woakes and Broad had one last go at an almighty heist. 

Broad, now on the record as fearful of the short ball, hit his first half-tracker for six - and, suddenly, the target was down to 16 off the final two overs. 

England did not score again as Broad and then Anderson had no answer to the pace of Rubel Hossain. 

Finally, it was over. England were out, deservedly out, having recorded one win against Scotland and four losses from their five games. 

Oddly enough, it is a record matched exactly by Afghanistan against whom England face in what is an effective fifth-placed playoff on Friday in Sydney. 

Has there ever been a more ignominious occasion in the history of English cricket?

ENGLAND AT CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

Date	Venue	Result
14 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	AUSTRALIA 342-9 beat ENGLAND 231 41.5 by 111 runs
20 Feb 01:00	Wellington NZ	NEW ZEALAND 125-2 12.2 beat ENGLAND 123 33.2 by 8 wickets
22 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	ENGLAND 303-8 beat SCOTLAND 184 42.2 by 119 runs
28 Feb 22:00	Wellington NZ	SRI LANKA 312-1 47.2 beat ENGLAND 309-6 by nine wickets
09 Mar 03:30	Adelaide Aus	BANGLADESH 275-7 beat ENGLAND 260 48.3 by 15 runs
13 Mar 03:30	Sydney Aus	ENGLAND v AFGHANISTAN

Full results

GROUP A TABLE	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
(Q) NEW ZEALAND	5	0	0	+3.09	10
(Q) AUSTRALIA	3	1	1	+1.60	7
(Q) BANGLADESH	3	1	1	+0.21	7
(Q) SRI LANKA	3	2	0	-0.15	6
ENGLAND	1	4	0	-1.00	2
AFGHANISTAN	1	4	0	-1.88	2
SCOTLAND	0	4	0	-1.42	0

ENGLAND CRICKET WORLD CUP HISTORY

1975 Semi finals

1979 Runners-up

1983 Semi finals

1987 Runners-up

1992 Runners-up

1996 Quarter finals

1999 Group stage

2003 Group stage

2007 Super eights

2011 Quarter finals

2015 Group stage

Team-by-team group stage review to follow next week

First Pegida march pisses off peacefully

THE FIRST Pegida march in Britain, held in the Bigg Market in Newcastle on Saturday, passed off without major incident, according to police sources.

Pegida, a group that stands for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West^, is a German right-wing anti-Islam political organisation, founded in Dresden last October.

In Germany, it has had a fair amount of success with up to 25,000 people participating in an event held over there in January.

However, the group's attempts to spread internationally have not been as successful with little more than a smattering of protesters heading to rallies in Norway and Denmark.

The event in Newcastle was meant to be different, reinvigorating the Pegida cause by making a strong first impression in this country.

Heavily trailed on social media sites, organisers claimed the Tyneside city had been selected as there was apparently already a groundswell of support for the group.

But, ultimately, the reality was rather different. Yes, on the day itself, the Pegida supporters were outnumbered five-to-one by a counter-demonstration organised by Newcastle Unites.

For, while there were officially only 375 Pegida attendees, approximately 2,000 people marched from Gallowgate to Newgate Street against them at about the same time.

The disparity left the Pegida organisers blaming transport problems for their own paltry turnout. It was, in the end, all a rather pathetic damp squib.

Of course, Newcastle has been here before - even quite recently. In 2010, the English Defence League occupied the same spot as Pegida in a similarly unconvincing display of alleged strength.

And perhaps the reason why Newcastle was targeted again comes down to the fact that the north east region of England has fewer ethnic minorities living in it than any other part of the country.

Presumably the line of thinking goes that a lack of exposure to a multiracial society allows ignorance and fear to fester - and that this makes the area attractive to the likes of Pegida.

But, while that is evidently true in a minority of cases, it seems the far-right regularly misjudge the overall mood of the city of Newcastle itself.

After all, the de facto regional capital is not typical of the area as a whole - with a far lower proportion of those identifying as white British (83.61%) than the overall north east figure of 92.43%.

Even just a five-minute walk out to the west end of the town would confirm Newcastle is a far more diverse place to live than it is often given credit for.

Additionally, Newcastle United Football Club - based at the heart of the city - currently has one of the most ethnically diverse squads in the Premier League.

The Magpies regularly field Muslims in their starting line-up with Papiss Cisse wearing the iconic number nine shirt, and Moussa Sissoko, Cheik Tiote and Mehdi Abeid all featuring in midfield.

For their part, Pegida supporters deny it is racist or fascist but instead is concerned with the supposed "Islamification" of Britain.

But that claim was rather undermined by the fact that EDL and National Front banners could be seen in the Bigg Market.

Of course, recent events - such as the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris and the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - have made the religion of Islam a hot topic of debate once again in Britain.

There are no doubt legitimate concerns about "ordinary Muslims" being radicalised and about organisations like Cage acting as unashamed apologists for the masked lunatic Mohammed Emwazi, better known as "Jihadi John".

But, although those concerns exist quite legitimately, turning to extremists to fight extremism is simply never the answer.

Thankfully, at the weekend, the people of Newcastle agreed with that and so left the Pegida lot looking rather daft.

^ Pegida in German = Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes

Cricket World Cup: England avoid slipping on Scotland banana skin

CRICKET WORLD CUP

Group A preview - Group B preview - Results sheet
Group update - Group review - Quarter finals - Semi finals - FINAL

ENGLAND got their faltering World Cup campaign back on track with a straightforward 119-run win over minnows Scotland in Christchurch. 

Moeen Ali struck 128 off 107 balls as part of a record opening stand of 172 with Ian Bell as Peter Moores' under-pressure side belatedly enjoyed their first success of the tournament.

Earlier, England had been well-beaten by both co-hosts, Australia and New Zealand, as they briefly sank to the bottom of Group A.

The match on the opening night against the Aussies began well enough as England reduced the home side to 70-3. 

But, in front of a packed out Melbourne Cricket Ground, Aaron Finch put the Baggy Greens in the driving seat with a 135 before Mitchell Marsh produced the goods with the ball, taking 5-33. 

Yes, it was not Mitchell Johnson but rather his namesake Marsh who did the most damage with only James Taylor offering significant resistance. 

Indeed, Notts batsman Taylor made an unbeaten 98 and was unfairly denied the chance of a century after last man James Anderson was run out off a dead ball. 

The ball had become dead after Taylor was adjudged to have been trapped lbw before overturning the decision on review. 

It was a bizarre conclusion to a slightly bizarre match in which Steven Finn became the first Englishman to take a World Cup hat-trick to finish with figures of 5-71. 

Finn took three wickets off the final three balls of the Aussie innings, all from miscued shots to catches in the deep, as Darren Lehmann's side - in typical style - looked to pulverise their opponents.

But, ultimately, their score of 342 was more than enough as England were bowled out in 41.5 overs. 

Amazingly, England's next match - against New Zealand - lasted little more than that length of time in its entirety.

Winning the toss again, but this time opting to bat, England crumbled to the swing of Tim Southee as he became the first New Zealander, and only the fourth man ever, to take seven wickets in a World Cup match. 

Southee ended up taking 7-33 as England were 123 all out in just 33.2 overs. Losing their final seven wickets for just 19 runs, it was a lower score even than Scotland had managed in the Black Caps' previous match. 

In that game, Brendon McCullum's men only just got over the line, winning by three wickets in Dunedin - but McCullum himself was to ensure this contest would remain thoroughly one-sided throughout. 

The Kiwi skipper broke his own World Cup record with a half-century in 18 balls beating his previous marker of 20 from 2007. 

And, after scoring four successive sixes off the bowling of Finn (0-49 off two overs), McCullum was eventually out to Chris Woakes for 77 off just 25 deliveries. 

Woakes then made another quick blow to dismiss Martin Guptill - and New Zealand, by then requiring just 12 more runs, were forced by the vagaries of cricket rules to take a scheduled 45-minute break. 

Nevertheless, Woakes's efforts were far too little too late as Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor saw the co-hosts home inside 13 overs. Altogether, Wellington had seen less than half a game. 

It was indeed a crushing defeat, perhaps England's worst, with BBC correspondent Jonathan Agnew being kind in describing it as the "most one-sided international match" he had ever seen. 

Most commentators were far more scathing than that, with former captain Michael Vaughan suggesting on Twitter that the match against Scotland had become an "even money contest". 

Ultimately, it was nothing of the sort as England enjoyed their largest World Cup victory margin by runs since beating East Africa by 196 runs at Birmingham in 1975.

Even still, there were areas for huge improvement. England, having built up that big opening stand of 172, lost eight wickets and managed only 131 runs in the final 20 overs. 

As the Scottish openers took to the crease, memories of Ireland successfully chasing down 327 four years ago threatened to return to haunt England. 

But, once captain Preston Mommsen and Kyle Coetzer departed in successive overs, the Scots were never really in the chase. 

Indeed, the Saltires have now lost every single one of their 10 World Cup games across three tournaments. 

And they now must look to their next game against Afghanistan on Wednesday or perhaps exactly a week later against Bangladesh to break their duck. 

The Bangladeshis, though, could be a tough proposition as they have their tails up without even playing after gaining an unexpected point in their match against Australia in Brisbane. 

Torrential rain from a cyclone off the Queensland coast caused only the second ever complete abandonment of a World Cup match.

Instead, it is looking more and more as if England v Bangladesh on 9 March will effectively become a fourth-place playoff for the final qualifying spot in Group A, behind New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka.

Group B is less straightforward as a result of Ireland yet again proving their World Cup worth after they easily chased down West Indies' total of 304 to win by four wickets in Nelson. 

It was Ireland's fourth win over a Test-playing nation at World Cups following victories over Pakistan and Bangladesh in 2007, and - as mentioned above - England in 2011.

Moreover, of the five successful World Cup chases in excess of 300, three of them have been by the indefatigable Irish.

Following this most recent success, legendary West Indies bowler Michael Holding rightly called for William Porterfield's men to be given Test status immediately - and so they should, at least on a trial basis.

After all, what exactly have the governing body, the ICC, got to lose by expanding the game, especially in a place where the seeds of success have already been sown?

Back to Group B, and West Indies therefore did remarkably well to bounce back from the Ireland defeat with a convincing 150-run thumping of Pakistan. 

That defeat for Pakistan leaves them rock-bottom of Group B with two defeats out of two after they lost a sixth World Cup match out of six against India on the opening weekend in Adelaide. 

The game against India was the most watched cricket match of all time with an estimated television audience of one billion. 

But, after Virat Kohli's 107 and Mohammed Shami's 4-35, it was the same old story for Pakistan who - like England - must now rely on turning their form around against the minnows. 

By contrast, holders India - who arrived at the tournament in terrible form - now already have one foot in the quarter finals after carrying the momentum from the Pakistan win into their match against South Africa. 

The Proteas - who had won their opening match against Zimbabwe comfortably enough - collapsed from 108-2 to 177 all out to lose by 130 runs after India's Shikhar Dhawan provided scoreboard pressure with a 137.

It leaves the Group B table looking good for India who are clear at the top on four points. Ireland are the only other unbeaten team in the section - but, having played just once, they are one of a clutch of four teams on two points. 

UAE and Pakistan bring up the rear on zero points - with Ireland playing the former in an eminently winnable game on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, England are next in action at 10pm on Saturday night British-time against Sri Lanka.

GROUP A RESULTS

Date	Venue	Result
13 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	NEW ZEALAND 331-6 beat SRI LANKA 233 46.1 by 98 runs
14 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	AUSTRALIA 342-9 beat ENGLAND 231 41.5 by 111 runs
16 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	NEW ZEALAND 146-7 24.5 beat SCOTLAND 142 36.2 by 3 wkts
18 Feb 03:30	Canberra Aus	BANGLADESH 267 beat AFGHANISTAN 162 42.5 by 105 runs
20 Feb 01:00	Wellington NZ	NEW ZEALAND 125-2 12.2 beat ENGLAND 123 33.2 by 8 wickets
21 Feb 03:30	Brisbane Aus	AUSTRALIA N/R BANGLADESH - match abandoned (rain)
21 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	SRI LANKA 236-6 48.2 beat AFGHANISTAN 232 49.4 by 4 wickets
22 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	ENGLAND 303-8 beat SCOTLAND 184 42.2 by 119 runs

Remaining fixtures

GROUP A	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
NEW ZEALAND	3	0	0	+3.59	6
AUSTRALIA	1	0	1	+2.22	3
BANGLADESH	1	0	1	+2.10	3
SRI LANKA	1	1	0	-0.86	2
ENGLAND	1	2	0	-1.42	2
AFGHANISTAN	0	2	0	-1.18	0
SCOTLAND	0	2	0	-2.74	0

GROUP B RESULTS

Date	Venue	Result
15 Feb 01:00	Hamilton NZ	SOUTH AFRICA 339-4 beat ZIMBABWE 277 48.2 by 62 runs
15 Feb 03:30	Adelaide Aus	INDIA 300-7 beat PAKISTAN 224 47 by 76 runs
15 Feb 22:00	Nelson NZ	IRELAND 307-6 45.5 beat WEST INDIES 304-7 by four wickets
18 Feb 22:00	Nelson NZ	ZIMBABWE 286-6 48 beat UAE 285-7 by four wickets
20 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	WEST INDIES 310-6 beat PAKISTAN 160 39 by 150 runs
22 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	INDIA 307-7 beat SOUTH AFRICA 177 40.2 by 130 runs

Remaining fixtures

GROUP B	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
INDIA	2	0	0	+2.06	4
WEST INDIES	1	1	0	+1.27	2
IRELAND	1	0	0	+0.62	2
ZIMBABWE	1	1	0	-0.49	2
SOUTH AFRICA	1	1	0	-0.68	2
UAE	0	1	0	-0.26	0
PAKISTAN	0	2	0	-2.26	0

LIST OF CENTURY MAKERS

138* David Miller (South Africa) off 92 balls v Zimbabwe in Hamilton 

137 Shikhar Dhawan (India) off 146 balls v South Africa in Melbourne 

135 Aaron Finch (Australia) off 128 balls v England in Melbourne

128 Moeen Ali (England) off 107 balls v Scotland in Christchurch

115* JP Duminy (South Africa) off 100 balls v Zimbabwe in Hamilton

107 Virat Kohli (India) off 126 balls v Pakistan in Adelaide

102 Lendl Simmons (West Indies) off 84 balls v Ireland in Nelson

100 Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) off 120 balls v Afghanistan in Dunedin

LIST OF FIVE-FERS

7-33 Tim Southee (New Zealand) v England in Wellington

5-33 Mitchell Marsh (Australia) v England in Melbourne

5-55 Sohail Khan (Pakistan) v India in Adelaide

5-71 Steven Finn (England) v Australia in Melbourne

Cricket World Cup 2015 full results

CRICKET WORLD CUP

Group A preview - Group B preview - Results sheet

ADELAIDE + BRISBANE + CANBERRA + HOBART + MELBOURNE + PERTH + SYDNEY + AUCKLAND + CHRISTCHURCH + DUNEDIN + HAMILTON + NAPIER + NELSON + WELLINGTON

GROUP A FIXTURES
AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND + ENGLAND + SRI LANKA + BANGLADESH + SCOTLAND + AFGHANISTAN

Date	Venue	Result
13 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	NEW ZEALAND 331-6 beat SRI LANKA 233 46.1 by 98 runs
14 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	AUSTRALIA 342-9 beat ENGLAND 231 41.5 by 111 runs
16 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	NEW ZEALAND 146-7 24.5 beat SCOTLAND 142 36.2 by 3 wkts
18 Feb 03:30	Canberra Aus	BANGLADESH 267 beat AFGHANISTAN 162 42.5 by 105 runs
20 Feb 01:00	Wellington NZ	NEW ZEALAND 125-2 12.2 beat ENGLAND 123 33.2 by 8 wickets
21 Feb 03:30	Brisbane Aus	AUSTRALIA N/R BANGLADESH - match abandoned (rain)
21 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	SRI LANKA 236-6 48.2 beat AFGHANISTAN 232 49.4 by 4 wickets
22 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	ENGLAND 303-8 beat SCOTLAND 184 42.2 by 119 runs
25 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	AFGHANISTAN 211-9 49.3 beat SCOTLAND 210 by 1 wicket
26 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	SRI LANKA 332-1 beat BANGLADESH 240 47 by 92 runs
28 Feb 01:00	Auckland NZ	NEW ZEALAND 152-9 23.1 bt AUSTRALIA 151 32.2 by 1 wicket
28 Feb 22:00	Wellington NZ	SRI LANKA 312-1 47.2 beat ENGLAND 309-6 by nine wickets
04 Mar 06:30	Perth Aus	AUSTRALIA 417-6 beat AFGHANISTAN 142 37.3 by 275 runs
04 Mar 22:00	Nelson NZ	BANGLADESH 322-4 48.1 beat SCOTLAND 318-8 by six wickets
07 Mar 22:00	Napier NZ	NEW ZEALAND 188-4 36.1 bt AFGHANISTAN 186 47.4 by 6 wkts
08 Mar 03:30	Sydney Aus	AUSTRALIA 376-9 beat SRI LANKA 312 46.2 by 64 runs
09 Mar 03:30	Adelaide Aus	BANGLADESH 275-7 beat ENGLAND 260 48.3 by 15 runs
11 Mar 03:30	Hobart Aus	SRI LANKA 363-9 beat SCOTLAND 215 43.1 by 148 runs
13 Mar 01:00	Hamilton NZ	NEW ZEALAND 290-7 48.5 beat BANGLADESH 288-7 by 3 wkts
13 Mar 03:30	Sydney Aus	ENGLAND 101-1 18.1 bt AFGHANISTAN 111-7 36.2 by 9 wkts D/L
14 Mar 03:30	Hobart Aus	AUSTRALIA 133-3 15.2 beat SCOTLAND 130 25.4 by 7 wickets

GROUP A	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
(Q) NEW ZEALAND	6	0	0	+2.56	12
(Q) AUSTRALIA	4	1	1	+2.26	9
(Q) SRI LANKA	4	2	0	+0.37	8
(Q) BANGLADESH	3	2	1	+0.14	7
ENGLAND	2	4	0	-0.75	4
AFGHANISTAN	1	5	0	-1.85	2
SCOTLAND	0	6	0	-2.22	0

GROUP B FIXTURES
INDIA + SOUTH AFRICA + PAKISTAN + WEST INDIES + ZIMBABWE + IRELAND + UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Date	Venue	Result
15 Feb 01:00	Hamilton NZ	SOUTH AFRICA 339-4 beat ZIMBABWE 277 48.2 by 62 runs
15 Feb 03:30	Adelaide Aus	INDIA 300-7 beat PAKISTAN 224 47 by 76 runs
15 Feb 22:00	Nelson NZ	IRELAND 307-6 45.5 beat WEST INDIES 304-7 by four wickets
18 Feb 22:00	Nelson NZ	ZIMBABWE 286-6 48 beat UAE 285-7 by four wickets
20 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	WEST INDIES 310-6 beat PAKISTAN 160 39 by 150 runs
22 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	INDIA 307-7 beat SOUTH AFRICA 177 40.2 by 130 runs
24 Feb 03:30	Canberra Aus	WEST INDIES 372-2 beat ZIMBABWE 289 44.3 by 73 runs D/L
25 Feb 03:30	Brisbane Aus	IRELAND 279-8 49.2 beat UAE 278-9 by two wickets
27 Feb 03:30	Sydney Aus	SOUTH AFRICA 408-5 beat WEST INDIES 151 33.1 by 257 runs
28 Feb 06:30	Perth Aus	INDIA 104-1 18.5 beat UAE 102 31.3 by nine wickets
01 Mar 03:30	Brisbane Aus	PAKISTAN 235-7 beat ZIMBABWE 215 49.4 by 20 runs
03 Mar 03:30	Canberra Aus	SOUTH AFRICA 411-4 beat IRELAND 210 45 by 201 runs
04 Mar 01:00	Napier NZ	PAKISTAN 339-6 beat UAE 210-8 by 129 runs
06 Mar 06:30	Perth Aus	INDIA 185-6 39.1 beat WEST INDIES 182 44.2 by four wickets
07 Mar 01:00	Auckland NZ	PAKISTAN 222 46.4 beat SOUTH AFRICA 202 33.3 by 29 runs D/L
07 Mar 03:30	Hobart Aus	IRELAND 331-8 beat ZIMBABWE 326 49.3 by five runs
10 Mar 01:00	Hamilton NZ	INDIA 260-2 36.5 beat IRELAND 259 49 by eight wickets
12 Mar 01:00	Wellington NZ	SOUTH AFRICA 341-6 beat UAE 195 47.3 by 146 runs
14 Mar 01:00	Auckland NZ	INDIA 288-4 48.4 beat ZIMBABWE 287 48.5 by six wickets
14 Mar 22:00	Napier NZ	WEST INDIES 176-4 30.3 beat UAE 175 47.4 by six wickets
15 Mar 03:30	Adelaide Aus	PAKISTAN 241-3 46.1 beat IRELAND 237 by seven wickets

GROUP B	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
(Q) INDIA	6	0	0	+1.83	12
(Q) SOUTH AFRICA	4	2	0	+1.71	8
(Q) PAKISTAN	4	2	0	-0.09	8
(Q) WEST INDIES	3	3	0	-0.05	6
IRELAND	3	3	0	-0.93	6
ZIMBABWE	1	5	0	-0.53	2
UAE	0	5	0	-1.96	0

KNOCKOUT PHASE

QUARTER FINALS

Date	Venue	Result
18 Mar 03:30	Sydney Aus	SOUTH AFRICA 134-1 18 beat SRI LANKA 133 37.2 by nine wkts
19 Mar 03:30	Melbourne Aus	INDIA 302-6 beat BANGLADESH 193 45 by 109 runs
20 Mar 03:30	Adelaide Aus	AUSTRALIA 216-4 33.5 beat PAKISTAN 213 49.5 by six wickets
21 Mar 01:00	Wellington NZ	NEW ZEALAND 393-6 beat WEST INDIES 250 30.3 by 143 runs

SEMI FINALS

Date/time	Venue	Result
24 Mar 01:00	Auckland NZ	NEW ZEALAND 299-6 42.5 bt SOUTH AFRICA 281-5 43 by 4 wkts D/L
26 Mar 03:30	Sydney Aus	AUSTRALIA 328-7 beat INDIA 233 46.5 by 95 runs

FINAL

29 Mar 04:30

Melbourne Aus

AUSTRALIA 186-3 33.1 beat NEW ZEALAND 183 45 by 7 wickets

OTHER STATS

LIST OF CENTURY MAKERS

237* Martin Guptill (New Zealand) off 163 balls v West Indies in Wellington (QF)
215 Chris Gayle (West Indies) off 147 balls v Zimbabwe in Canberra
178 David Warner (Australia) off 133 balls v Afghanistan in Perth
162* AB de Villiers (South Africa) off 66 balls v West Indies in Sydney
161* Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka) off 146 balls v Bangladesh in Melbourne
159 Hashim Amla (South Africa) off 128 balls v Ireland in Canberra
156 Kyle Coetzer (Scotland) off 134 balls v Bangladesh in Nelson
139* Lahiru Thirimanne (Sri Lanka) off 143 balls v England in Wellington
138* David Miller (South Africa) off 92 balls v Zimbabwe in Hamilton 

138 Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe) off 110 balls v India in Auckland
137 Shikhar Dhawan (India) off 146 balls v South Africa in Melbourne 

137 Rohit Sharma (India) off 126 balls v Bangladesh in Melbourne (QF)
135 Aaron Finch (Australia) off 128 balls v England in Melbourne

133* Marlon Samuels (West Indies) off 146 balls v Zimbabwe in Canberra
128 Moeen Ali (England) off 107 balls v Scotland in Christchurch

128* Mahmudullah (Bangladesh) off 123 balls v New Zealand in Hamilton
124 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) off 95 balls v Scotland in Hobart
121 Joe Root (England) off 108 balls v Sri Lanka in Wellington
121 Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe) off 91 balls v Ireland in Hobart
117* Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) off 86 balls v England in Wellington
115* JP Duminy (South Africa) off 100 balls v Zimbabwe in Hamilton

112 Ed Joyce (Ireland) off 103 balls v Zimbabwe in Hobart
110 Suresh Raina (India) off 104 balls v Zimbabwe in Auckland
109 Faf du Plessis (South Africa) off 109 balls v Ireland in Canberra
107 Virat Kohli (India) off 126 balls v Pakistan in Adelaide
107 William Porterfield (Ireland) off 131 balls v Pakistan in Adelaide
106 Shaiman Anwar (UAE) off 83 balls v Ireland in Brisbane

105* Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) off 76 balls v Bangladesh in Melbourne
105 Martin Guptill (New Zealand) off 100 balls v Bangladesh in Hamilton
105 Steve Smith (Australia) off 93 balls v India in Sydney (SF)
104 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) off 107 balls v Australia in Sydney
104 Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka) off 99 balls v Scotland in Hobart
103 Mahmudullah (Bangladesh) off 138 balls v England in Adelaide
102 Lendl Simmons (West Indies) off 84 balls v Ireland in Nelson
102 Glenn Maxwell (Australia) off 53 balls v Sri Lanka in Sydney
101 Sarfraz Ahmed (Pakistan) off 124 balls v Ireland in Adelaide

100 Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) off 120 balls v Afghanistan in Dunedin

100 Shikhar Dhawan (India) off 85 balls v Ireland in Hamilton

LIST OF FIVE-FERS

7-33 Tim Southee (New Zealand) v England in Wellington
6-28 Mitchell Starc (Australia) v New Zealand in Auckland
5-27 Trent Boult (New Zealand) v Australia in Auckland

5-33 Mitchell Marsh (Australia) v England in Melbourne
5-45 Imran Tahir (South Africa) v West Indies in Sydney

5-55 Sohail Khan (Pakistan) v India in Adelaide

5-71 Steven Finn (England) v Australia in Melbourne

All start times GMT. All matches live on Sky Sports 2 (rebranded Sky Sports World Cup).

Cricket World Cup 2015: Hosts on top Down Under

CRICKET WORLD CUP

GROUP A

AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND + ENGLAND + SRI LANKA + 

BANGLADESH + SCOTLAND + AFGHANISTAN

 
AUSTRALIA
ICC World ranking 1
Coach Darren Lehmann
Captain Michael Clarke
Rest of squad George Bailey (vc), David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty
World Cup best Winners 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007
Recent ODI form WWW|WLWWW|WWWW|WW
Australia returned to the world number one spot in ODI cricket in November - and, on recent form, do not look remotely close to relinquishing it. Indeed, the Baggy Greens head into a first home World Cup for 23 years on the back of nine successive ODI wins as part of a wider run of 13 wins out of 14.
Yes, it now seems an awfully long time ago since August 2013 when Australia's national summer sport had reached its nadir following three successive Ashes series defeats. But, even towards the end of the 3-0 loss to England in 2013, the then-newly-appointed coach Darren Lehmann was sowing the seeds of success by experimenting with his side in search of the right balance. 
The 5-0 whitewash in the return Ashes series of 2013-14, completed by just 11 players, could not have been a more emphatic response - and, while the World Cup lends itself more to the full squad of 15, this is undoubtedly the most well-balanced side in the tournament. Flair with the bat is regularly produced by openers David Warner and Aaron Finch, while the likes of Steven Smith and Brad Haddin can graft a big score in the middle order. Meanwhile, in the bowling attack, Mitchell Johnson's ferocious pace faces fierce competition from his namesake Mitchell Starc.
On the other hand, the spin options - Xavier Doherty and Glenn Maxwell - remain useful but far from legendary and the only other major worry is that skipper Michael Clarke is surely not match-fit following a succession of hamstring and back injuries. That being so, it is still hard to argue with the bookmakers' view that Australia are 2/1 favourites to win a record fifth world title. 
Prediction: Winners

NEW ZEALAND
ICC World ranking 6
Coach Mike Hesson
Captain Brendon McCullum
Rest of squad Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Tom Latham (wk), Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson (vc), Corey Anderson, Tim Southee, Luke Ronchi (wk), Ross Taylor
World Cup best Semi finals 1975, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2011
Recent ODI form LL|LWLWW|WLWWWL|WW|W
Not just Australia arrive as hosts to the Cricket World Cup 2015 in good shape, however. New Zealand have also had a massively impressive 12 months, winning five Tests in a calendar year for the first time in 2014, and taking that form into the shorter formats. 
The Black Caps officially open the tournament against Sri Lanka in Christchurch, just a week short of the four-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake which hit the city and claimed 186 lives. It will be an emotional occasion then - but, in terms of the game itself, Sri Lanka should hold no fear for the home side, the Kiwis having recently won 4-2 in an ODI series against their opponents, even if the tourists back then were shorn of Lasith Malinga. 
Appearances at the semi final stage of the last two World Cups have taken the Black Caps' tally to six overall - but, remarkably, New Zealand have never made it into a single final. Nevertheless, some big hitting from Ross Taylor and skipper Brendon McCullum - backed up by a thrilling seam attack led by Tim Southee and Trent Boult - could soon change that.
Prediction: Semi finals (again)

ENGLAND
ICC World ranking 5
Coach Peter Moores
Captain Eoin Morgan
Rest of squad Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes
World Cup best Runners-up 1979, 1987, 1992
Recent ODI form LLWLWLL|LWLWL|WL
England have had a typically bizarre build-up to the World Cup, opting to change captains with just eight weeks to go. The end of Alastair Cook's ODI captaincy made for painful viewing with the Essex man given one last chance in Sri Lanka in autumn. Cook could not take it, finishing the series with a high score of 34, as England crashed to a 5-2 defeat. 
In his place, Irish-born middle order batsman Eoin Morgan has overseen a slight upturn in form - India were beaten twice in the Tri-series and West Indies thrashed in a warm-up. But, against Australia in the Tri-series, England were beaten three times as the pace of Mitchell Johnson once again proved too much. 
Psychological scars from the awful Ashes whitewash last winter have been denied by Morgan - but he was not on that full tour, and they may still be there for some of the others who were. We will not have long to find out - England face Australia again in the opening match before going onto meet the other hosts, New Zealand, inside the first week. 
Of course, last winter's Ashes were moved there away from this winter to ensure England arrived Down Under in a fresh and orderly fashion. But, if anything, the build-up to this tournament has been more disorderly than ever before - and now even replacement captain Morgan has had his place in the side put into the spotlight after a run of poor form. 
In the last World Cup, England produced, more by accident than design, some simply brilliant games: they tied with India, beat South Africa and West Indies but somehow lost to both Ireland and Bangladesh. With still few signs of consistency showing, expect another rollercoaster ride this time.
Prediction: Quarter finals

SRI LANKA
ICC World ranking 4
Coach Marvan Atapattu
Captain Angelo Mathews
Rest of squad Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne (vc), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dimuth Karunaratne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake
World Cup best Winners 1996
Recent ODI form LLLLL|WWLWLWW|LWLLLW|LL
Sri Lanka received a huge boost on the eve of their World Cup opener against hosts New Zealand with unorthodox round-arm fast-bowler Lasith Malinga passed fit to play. The 31-year-old has not featured in an ODI since the end of August and so sat out the Sri Lankans 4-2 series defeat to the New Zealanders immediately before the tournament.
But Malinga, who is the only bowler in the world to have two World Cup hat-tricks, will ensure the Sri Lankans are far more competitive - and, despite ongoing poor results in the run-up to the tournament, another run to the final week of the tournament cannot be ruled out. 
After all, having finished runners-up in the last two World Cups, time is of the essence for this Sri Lanka generation. Murali Muralitharan has, of course, already retired and some of the finest batsmen in the world - Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, and Kumar Sangakkara - will all be over 40 years old by the time that the next World Cup comes around. It really is now or never for Sri Lanka.
Prediction: Quarter finals

BANGLADESH
ICC World ranking 9
Coach Chandika Hathurusingha
Captain Mashrafe Mortaza
Rest of squad Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque (wk), Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (vc), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Taijul Islam
World Cup best Super Eights 2007
Recent ODI form WWWWW|LL
Will the 2015 Cricket World Cup be the tournament in which Bangladesh finally shine? Sadly, an answer in the negative can already probably be given. Really, it was the 2011 tournament, in which they had all their matches at home, that was the Tigers' big chance - and, while they briefly roared by beating England, it all ended in a whimper when they were bowled out for just 78 against South Africa having earlier been bundled out for 58 by West Indies.
This time, hopes are not so high - and, with the exception of Zimbabwe, Bangladesh are more reliant on a flash of individual brilliance than any of the other full ICC members. That may come opener Tamim Iqbal or, more likely, Shakib Al Hasan, currently his country’s leading run scorer in ODIs and second top wicket-taker.
But, far from eyeing up a second big World Cup win over England towards the end of the group stage on 9 March, Bangladesh need to be seriously mindful of being the subject of an upset themselves against Associate members Scotland and Afghanistan. A warm-up defeat to Ireland, in which they were bowled out for 189, suggests they could be vulnerable.
Prediction: Group stage

SCOTLAND
ICC World ranking 13
Coach Grant Bradburn
Captain Preston Mommsen
Rest of squad Kyle Coetzer (vc), Richie Berrington, Frederick Coleman, Matthew Cross (wk), Joshua Davey, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Safyaan Sharif, Robert Taylor, Iain Wardlaw
World Cup best Group stages 1999, 2007
Recent ODI form LLW|WL
Scotland return to the Cricket World Cup scene after missing out in 2011, securing their place this time by reaching the final of the ICC World Cup qualifier in New Zealand. For good measure, the Scots won the Final against the United Arab Emirates by 41 runs with man-of-the-series Preston Mommsen hitting a massive 139 not out. 
South Africa-born Mommsen will skipper a team which can call upon the vast experience of former England captain Paul Collingwood - although the head coach is the former New Zealand international Grant Bradburn. Both will have been impressed by the Scots' recent form which included a warm-up win over Ireland last week by 179 runs. Matt Machan hit the century this time before Alasdair Evans (4-17) and spinner Majid Haq (3-9) did the damage with the ball.
All eyes are already on the clash with England on 23 February - but, while the English famously lost to Ireland four years ago, it would surely still be asking too much of the Scots to repeat the upset. Nevertheless, the Scots will hope there will be some sort of opportunity to make the headlines in the next four weeks - and will hope to keep their nerve better than in 1999 when, in front of a home crowd in Edinburgh, they fell 22 runs short of chasing a highly-achievable 185 against Bangladesh. Revenge of sorts in the repeat of that fixture, on 5 March, is surely a more achievable goal.
Prediction: Group stage

AFGHANISTAN
ICC World ranking 11
Coach Andy Moles
Captain Mohammad Nabi
Rest of squad Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Afsar Zazai (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani
World Cup best Never previously qualified
Recent ODI form LLWL|WLLW|LW
Considering recent history, an Afghani cricket team sounds quite remarkable. Indeed it is - and this squad of 15 players will spend the next four weeks attempting to put their war-ravaged country into a news story which does not also contain the words "bomb" or "cave", "Taliban" or "Al-Qaeda". 
Oddly enough, formal membership of the ICC actually began under Taliban control, cricket being the only sport in Afghanistan to be approved by the authorities - but it is only in the last few years that the really big strides have been made. Despite failing to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, the Afghanis won ODI status in 2009 - and set about making good use of it.
During the 2011–13 ICC World Cricket League Championship, they won nine and lost just four of their 14 matches to finish second behind Ireland and make it to their first World Cup finals. Form since has been patchy - but they have already managed wins over their fellow Associates members Scotland, Ireland and UAE this year - and so fully deserve to join the others at the top table.
Prediction: Group stage