ICC World Cup 2019:5 Conclusions from the warm-up matches

The warm-up matches are done and the teams would now be gearing up for the start of the tournament. While there have been some minor shocks and in some cases, it has been business as usual for teams. Australia beating England was a surprise. The same was the case with New Zealand beating India but all in all the warm-up matches did give a flavour of how the tournament is expected to shape up.

The weather was a bit unruly at times and the teams would have to consider this going forward in the tournament as it could play a major role. With the warmups now done and dusted let's go through the conclusions that we can draw from these matches.

#1 The contenders show their cards

Australia beat England in what was a close finish between the two teams

Australia, England, and India were able to get through their matches pretty well and should be confident when the tournament picks up the pace. Although England suffered a loss against Australia they more than redeemed themselves by a dominant display over Afghanistan.

Australia too made a statement by beating the home team in their warm-up game. India on their part had a stutter against New Zealand as they folded out cheaply but the second match should have brought back the smiles as the weakest links of the team, the No.4 and No.5 both scored dominant hundreds. These three World cup teams still look the most formidable from the rest and should start as front-runners in the tournament.

The batting prowess as well, was under the scanner as it has to be the main weapon for any team in this ICC World Cup.

#2 Pakistan are in serious trouble

Afghanistan was able to score an upset over Pakistan

Pakistan got a wake-up call at the hands of Afghanistan as the Afghans comfortably beat them in their warmup match. The eternally enigmatic team has been on a winless streak that extends to more than 10 matches and they seem to be low on confidence.

The problem has been the team's inability to perform. The batting is still doing a decent job but with Amir out of form, Riaz still not playing at 100% and an inexperienced Shaheen Afridi, the bowling unit is suffering. The team needs to sort themselves out because the World Cup won't provide too many opportunities for the teams to slip up.

#3 West Indies is the wildcard for this tournament

The West Indians smashed a score of 421 against New Zealand

I guess the highlight of the warmups was the total of 421 posted by West Indies against New Zealand. It was widely expected that West Indies would be the dark horses of this World Cup. Everyone accepts that the team is full of power hitters that can take the game away from the opposition at any moment of the game.

But what the West Indians revealed in their match against New Zealand is that they are ready to throw the kitchen sink at the opposition bowling from the start.

It's bewildering that the team scored 421, was all out with balls to spare. It's a great sight for any fan to see the team attacking from the get-go. You can almost bet that whenever this gamble comes off the windies will cause a few upsets and might even make it to the top 4.

#4 Inclement weather could play spoilsport

Rain caused a few disruptions during the warm-up matches

Another takeaway from the warmups has to be the unpredictable nature of the British weather. Some matches were called off and others were interrupted with regularity due to rain throughout. This is going to be an issue for the teams as well as players. If the matches do get interrupted by rain they'll have to refocus every time there is a disruption.

The added factor that could affect the matches is going to be the overcast conditions that could cause the ball to swing around in the air. Although the pitches are expected to be flat one cannot discount the overcast conditions having an impact on how the ball behaves. India, on their part, suffered from it when New Zealand seamers took full advantage of the overcast conditions and bowled them out. Factor in such conditions in a world cup semifinals or a final and you'd see the fate of the tournament changing on its head.

#5 The bowling lineups could decide the fate of the World Cup

Jasprit Bumrah will be the go-to man for Virat Kohli

It's pretty clear that the conditions are going to be favourable for the batsmen throughout the tournament. Scores of 350 plus could be the norm in this tournament but there's no replacement for having a good set of bowlers in your lineup.

In close matches, it's going to be those top-class bowlers that the captain can turn to who will make the difference. While England has Archer in their side, Australia has Cummins and Starc while India has Bumrah and Kuldeep. Which one of these lineups can deliver is what will separate the teams from winning the cup to falling just short.

With an Andre Russell, or a Jos Buttler, or a Hardik Pandya or a Glenn Maxwell going berserk, the bowling captain would be looking at his bowling reserves to see who puts his hand up in this situation. The team that is capable of handling such onslaughts or preventing them could be the ones with a great chance for victory.