Where do Sub-continent teams stand in ICC World Cup 2015?

Where do Sub-continent teams stand in ICC World Cup 2015?

As ICC Cricket World Cup is starting from 14^th February with the encounter between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, let us take a look on the possibilities for different teams in the tournament. In this article I will concentrate on the teams from sub-continent.

Teams from sub-continent have always struggled in Australia and New Zealand, however they also had their moments in the region. Most notable of whom is victory of Pakistan in the ’92 world cup which was also held in Australia and New Zealand. But usually Subcontinent teams have been under trouble.

The most competitive teams from sub-continent are undoubtedly Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. Although Bangladesh and Afghanistan can make some upsets possible but expecting one of them to snatch the world cup would be too much. But all the three other teams are really strong and genuine contenders for the ICC World Cup 2015!

Key Players

Pakistan

For Pakistan, the key players in my opinion will be Ahmed Shehzad, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal andMuhammad Irfan. Role of Ahmed Shehzad at the top of the order will be really important because he is the player who can set up a really strong base at the start of the innings. While Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal will be looked upon to provide a consolidating knock in the middle order and also for a boost at the end of the innings. Muhammad Irfan’s height and pace will also prove to be really vital during the bowling innings for Pakistan. Using him along with other supporting bowlers like Yasir Shah and Shahid Afridi efficiently will take Pakistani bowling attack to a new level. Shahid Afridi on the other hand like always will be “the most” important player for the men in Green, as the 35 year old all-rounder always makes fans to bleed with electrifying impulses.

India

Team India who are defending champions will also enter the arena of world cup with a really strong 15 member squad. Indian stars which will prove really vital for the team will be Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Out of all these men MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli will be the two key players to Indian success. MS Dhoni with both his batting and keeping along with the captaincy will surely be the backbone of Indian team. Kohli on other hand will be the anchor in the middle of Indian innings and team India will heavily rely on him to perform considering his performance in India’s recent tour to Australia. Jadeja and Rohit Sharma will also be the center of expectations for Indians. Role of Shami and Bhuvneshwar will also be really important because Indian bowling attack is always considered the underdog but both of these bowlers along with other Indian bowlers can really turn the tables during the game.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka in my opinion is one of the favorites for winning the world cup. They have a really strong team for the competition among which the most dangerous duo of Kumar Sangakara and Mahela Jayawardane will be the most dominating players in the whole tournament. Other than these two giants Sri Lankans also have Angelo Mathews, T Dilshan, D Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, R Herath and Nuwan Kulasekara in their bank. Mathews, Dilshan and Chandimal will give a real hard time to the opponent bowlers and will make sure that Sri Lankan scoreboard is running at an ascending pace. While Malinga’s speed bombs and Kulasekara’s swing will make batsmen trouble, Herath’s left-arm orthodox spin will really pin the batsmen’s head.

World Cup Winner for Sub-continent

In the light of above mentioned key players if we compare all the three teams, Sri Lanka will appear to be the best among them. Sri Lanka has advantage in all three departments batting, bowling and fielding. But both Pakistan and India also have the players who can set the terms of the game by their performance. But Sri Lanka has the most composed and well-arranged squad on paper and surely has better chances of going to win the title.

But India has one of the most dangerous batting attack in the world. There batsmen can make any bowling side tremble. Their aggression is surely capable of overcoming and destroying any bowling attack of the world! The weak point for Indians is their bowling. Although they have a decent bowling attack, but their bowling attack lacks that x-factor which would lead them to the highest glory.

Pakistan on the other hand is the team of uncertainties! They are totally capable of surprising you with an absolute stunner as well as with a really disappointing and humiliating performance. They lack the order, but they can surprise you at any time with their uncertainty.

At the end, if I would select a world cup winner from Subcontinent it will be Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is one of the favorites for the world cup along with New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. All three teams have their chances, but Sri Lankans are the most favorite!