Top 5 contenders for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The road to the world cup has begun and the preparations are in full flow. The mega event gets underway on May 30th, 2019 with the hosts England, taking on South Africa in a cracking contest at the Kia Oval.

Australia won the 2015 World Cup, beating New Zealand in the finals. So far, they have not shown us that they are ready to defend the title. They are expected to come back hard, no matter what.

The last two World Cups were won by a hosting nation and this time it's in England. Will England win? Or will the Aussies fight for the jewel?

Let's have a look at the possible champions who will be crowned on 14th July 2019.

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5. Australia

Can the Aussies become great once again?

With the squad undergoing a massive transition following the bans imposed on their stalwarts, Steve Smith and David Warner, times haven't been too great for the once great Aussies. Their present run of form is no good news for them but they are known to be a group of tough lads.

They are expected to find their groove sooner or later. Australia has an exciting batch of youngsters coming in and they ought to find a settled, winning combination in the next 2-3 months. With Aaron Finch at the top and an exciting prospect in the name of D'Arcy Short, they have Travis Head coming in at 3.

Tim Paine, the current captain of The Australian team, hasn't found great success and results. His wicketkeeping skills are good but doubts have been raised on his batting. Tim Paine is expected to lose his place, probably to Alex Carey or Peter Handscomb, subject to their performances.

Australia has lost matches which they could have finished and it's clear that they are looking for a finisher. The presence of Glenn Maxwell does a lot of good on paper but his consistency will be the key. Shaun Marsh has been brought into the ODI set-up and his experience will be key.

In their 2015 campaign, the Aussies had a tested and an experienced captain in Micheal Clarke. This time around, they are lacking an experienced captain. Their pace battery which consists of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Billy Stanlake, Andrew Tye and Jhye Richardson, is one of the best pace attacks leading into the competition. With Nathan Lyon, the spin department seems to be in safe hands.

Their squad will be boosted further with the returns of Steven Smith and David Warner right before the world cup. An effective all-rounder in the form of Mitchell Marsh, only makes their batting strong and make no mistake, he can chip in with wickets every now and then.

Should they find a settled combination before the World Cup, they will be the side to beat once the mega event gets underway.

4. New Zealand

Can Kane lead New Zealand to their maiden World Cup title?

With their deadly pace attack, one might even term them as the favourites. The conditions suit their playing style as well. With a calm skipper at the helm in the form of Kane Williamson, their batting will be boosted further as KW is currently enjoying a county stint for Yorkshire which means that he'll be adapted to the conditions by the time the mega event arrives. This is a bad news for the other teams.

Martin Guptill is adapted to playing swing bowling and the start he gives will be crucial. The presence of Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi in the middle-order makes their batting unit a bit stable. They could also try Tom Latham who is a versatile batsman.

Coming to their bowling, no questions need to be raised as they have Trent Boult who is one of the best going around at the moment and a veteran in the form of Tim Southee who's equally destructive with the new ball if not more.

Matt Henry also bowls at an excess of 140kph. They also have a quality spinner in Ish Sodhi and on his day, he can wreak havoc. I won't be surprised if New Zealand gets to chase low scored too often in the tournament. Make no mistake, they are an excellent Fielding side as well.

3. India

Virat Kohli and co. will be chasing their third world cup title.

It's no brainier to involve India in the favourites list as their bowling is one of the best going into the tournament. With the two young spinners in the name of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzevendra Chahal, they have developed this habit of picking up wickets in the middle overs which really dents the opposition's progress.

Their pace battery consists of Bhuvneswar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and a possible, Shardul Thakur. They know how to swing the ball in these conditions and use it effectively. Bumrah and Kumar are excellent at the death too, thereby reducing the run flow.

Their batting, however, seems to be the problem and this may come as a shock to some. Rohit and Dhawan are expected to open the innings as usual and the skipper Virat Kohli coming in at three makes their top-order the best in the tournament.

Their middle order seems to be the problem as they still don't have a fixed no.4 batsman who can build an innings and accelerate when required. With Dhoni's finishing abilities diminishing and Hardik Pandya not playing a long inning frequently, the problem only becomes worse. Moreover, India's problems with the moving ball are well known and the opposition will look to exploit it.

Should they find a settled middle order, they will go all the way in this tournament.

2. England

Can England translate their consistent performances into a world cup title?

This should come as no surprise to anyone. The England ODI squad has been in a tremendous run of form lately and it shouldn't surprise anyone if they come out all guns blazing.

Their batting is sorted with Roy and Hales at the top, Root coming in at 3, Morgan at 4, Stokes at 5, Butler in at 6. The basic idea is that they bat deep.

Coming to their bowling, Mark Wood, Ben Stokes, David Willey and Adil Rashid will be looking to wreak havoc. I won't be surprised if Liam Plunkett chips in with a few wickets at the start. In fact, he's the dark horse of this English set-up.

England are an excellent fielding side and they surely are a team to beat in the World Cup.

1. Pakistan

Can Pakistan

will

not be underdogs this time around.

One can expect to see Pakistan sneak in and win the World Cup. Pakistan has never been so consistent in the past and they already have all their bases covered.

The best part of Pakistan is their pace battery which consists of Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali. These two are enough to dismantle any opposition and out of the two, Amir possesses a great threat with the new ball. He has the ability to determine the course of a match in his opening spell.

Hasan Ali has an excellent wicket-taking ability as well. If the pace battery fails, they have the teen sensation, Shadab Khan who can pick wickets at regular intervals during the middle overs. Pakistan's fielding is covered too.

Their batting has got a boost with Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam scoring runs consistently. Imam-ul-Haq has come to the party too and we all know how dangerous Sarfaraz can be on his day. One might also see the veteran Mohammad Hafeez playing his last World Cup. He will surely look to make it count. Pakistan are a dangerous side and they can do it this time around.

My favourites for the upcoming World Cup is Pakistan. What's yours?