ICC World Cup 2019: Teams, Batsmen To Watch Out For     

ICC World Cup 2019 kicks off in the capital of world cricket, England, on May 30. India and England are among the hot favourites in contention. Who are among the top bowlers in form? Why is England in the reckoning as a host nation? Who are the batsmen to watch out for? Looking at the 10 World Cup 2019 teams since World Cup 2015, India has won 56/86 games and has lost 23. England has marginally better record with fewer losses (23) and the same number of wins in as many games, 56/86.

Australia surprisingly, have a very ordinary record for their standards, 37/76 with 36 losses. New Zealand 43/76 with 30 losses, and South Africa 47/74 with 26 losses, have fared better in comparison to Australia.

On paper then, West Indies have a poor record from World Cup 2015, with only 19 wins out of 66 matches and a staggering number of losses (41). They stand a notch above Sri Lanka, 23 wins out of 84 with 55 losses, though many see WI as a dark horse.

England's strength lies in its batting. The side has recorded 4 of the 5 totals over 400 in this time and have a phenomenal 36 totals of over 300 in just 86 matches, displaying a high level of consistency. Joss Buttler averaging 51.55, Eoin Morgan (46.29) and Ben Stokes (46.07) have a reliable strike rate, with Buttler turning out to be a batsman to watch out for. His form in IPL 2019 was brilliant, as well.

India's batting average and strike rate has been consistently high with Virat Kohli leading the pack. Kohli has the highest average during this time (78.29) and has scored the most runs (4306). Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are in fine fettle too. Sharma has an average of 61.12, while Shikhar Dhawan averages 45.2. India's overdependence on its top order batsmen, and on Virat Kohli in particular, is a chink in its armour.

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