Participating Teams with the Biggest Possibility of Winning the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup

The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will be the 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by England and Wales from 30th May - 14th July, 2019.

The format of this World Cup will see a drastic transformation and will be played in round-robin format in a group of 10 teams due to the limited number of participating nations this time around, which also has gained severe criticism because of the lack of associate teams in the tournament, making things worse all of them failed to make the cut in the 2018 World Cup Qualifier. The upcoming tournament will also be the first one not to feature all the Test-playing nations, with Ireland having gained the status in 2017, unable to conquer the Qualifier and therefore will be missing out for the first time, since their debut World Cup appearance in 2007

The following items will be in strict order, especially the top four items, rest are provisional in my opinion.

Note: The list has already been created, but taking into account that it was created three years ago, some of the items doesn't fit there because they haven't qualified for the tournament (like Ireland, Zimbabwe and rest of the associate nations). Moreover, there will be only ten participating nations in this tournament.
The voting period for this list has ended.
The Top Ten
1 India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. Its capital is New Delhi. Some other major cities are Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahemdabad. The most spoken languages are Hindi and English, but there are 22 official Indian languages.

Just won an ODI series against New Zealand in New Zealand by a scoreline of 4-1 despite not playing their best 11. This team is progressing very fast and will surely prove to be a big thorn in England's way in the upcoming mega-event.
India meeting England in the final at the Mecca of Cricket seems to be a big possibility.

Savage India lost against England only to disqualify their biggest supporters, Pakistan, from the semis. Why? I thought maybe India would like to thrash them again but I guess India is that savage they played dirty just so they don't see Pak again. Sad move

India was best, India is best, India will be best. They are currently 4th and they beat Pakistan by 89 runs. I don't know how they are behind England
but I'm sure that next match, IND will steal 3rd because they have the best batsman and the 2nd best batsman in the world (Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma respectively). IND shall win the cup for the third time.
IND was best. IND is best. IND will be best.

They just thrashed Australia in their own backyard and won both the Test and ODI series. Despite the historical series win in Australia they don't look satisfied even then because they are on the verge of beating New Zealand too.

2 England England, previously the Kingdom of England, is a constituent country of the United Kingdom along with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

England can trace its history as far back as the 10th century, but modern England didn't start till the Norman Invasion of 1066. In 1535, England annexed Wales and in 1603 shared a Monarch with Scotland, which eventually led to the Unification of the two into 'Great Britain', in 1801 Ireland was incorporated forming the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland', in 1922, 6 counties stayed in the UK while the rest of Ireland declared Independence. ...read more.

Anderson, Broad, Root, Stokes, Moeen, these guys are legends Anderson when he's in the groove he can swing the ball like nobody can. Stokes and Root are very Aggressive Pace and Spin bowlers and will hit 6s at any cost.

Just got to know that Stokes ; the guy who led them to victory against New Zealand is from New Zealand..ouch

India will be their toughest competitor.

The co-host of The 2019 tournament with Wales (who are part of the ECB) have a very good team

3 South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost sovereign state in Africa. It is bounded on the south by 2,798 kilometers of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, on the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and on the east by Mozambique and Swaziland, and surrounding the kingdom of Lesotho.

Ah! The Proteas and their curious case in significant tournaments (especially World Cups). It's hard to believe, even after having seen the reality multiple times with the naked eye, that this team hasn't had the success they are competent enough to achieve it. A team which has consistently been laden with top-notch cricketers, exceptional emerging talents, and an all-around world-class team combination nailing in all the three departments of batting, bowling, and fielding, yet hasn't come close to winning the major tournaments, and, therefore the term "Chokers" has been associated with them, which in itself is contributing to their misery. This time around, they'd like to get that monkey off their back.

However, things have gotten a bit complicated this time after the exit of AB De Villiers from all forms of International Cricket. Had he still been with the team, I would've put them slightly higher on the list. His departure has undoubtedly left a void in the middle order. The ...more

History shows eventually their time will eventually come and when the monkeys finally off their backs watch out!

4 New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is situated 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

They were Runners-up in the previous World Cup, and I believe they would've been utterly disappointed after having come so close to tasting the most immense glory for the first time in their cricketing history. They have been among the very few consistent teams in the World Cups in terms of performances and going deep into the final few stages of the tournament, but sadly never won it once.
New Zealand has been a team, which never seemed to pose any serious threat from the superficial view, but come to the big stages, they stepped up their game and upset the balance of the top contenders. A team currently led by the dependable skipper Kane Williamson will be one of the dark horses going into the tournament. The team's most important strategy would be the effective utilisation of their resources, and as always, they seem to do it arguably better than any other team. I haven't got much to speak about their recent ODI performances because of the lack of Cricket they've played ...more

Probably one of the best teams in the gentlemen's game. Led by the classy player Kane Williamson. My favourite player. And runners up of the previous World Cup. One of the best cricket playing nations. There is a probability of New Zealand winning the 2019 World Cup.

Won they Oye Hoye world cup in pakistan for the first time since 1969.

I'm sure they will win.

5 Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi), Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east, and mountain ranges in the south-east.

Defending champions will undoubtedly face a lot of heat in this edition of the World Cup after all the controversy surrounding their two top players, Steven Smith & David Warner, earlier this year charged with ball-tampering. As a result, they were handed a one-year ban from International Cricket. However, it will be lifted right before the commencement of the tournament. The psychological impact that the team will have to bear will just add another obstacle in their quest to the Final stages of the tournament.

I reckon this will probably be their weakest squad going into the tournament, but one cannot discount their will to win in World Cups. However, the current Australian team doesn't have the same firepower studded with stalwarts that they possessed in the early to mid-2000s. But, what they still have is the ability to conjure up magic moments out of nowhere, especially in essential matches where anyone could rise to the occasion and perform when needed, unlike other teams ...more

6 Pakistan Pakistan was established in 1947 and is located in South Asia. Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan. Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar are other major cities of Pakistan. Urdu and English are official languages of Pakistan. World's second highest peak (K-2) and ninth highest peak (Nanga Parbat) are located in Pakistan.

Undeniably the quintessential "Dark Horse" going into the tournament. Pakistan is a team that, on any given day, can either fail miserably or stun any top team with its formidable dominance. A prime example of that in recent times was their outing in the 2017's Champions Trophy in England, wherein they completely outclassed both the favourites in Semi-Final and Final. A team that, although it seems a bit unbalanced and vulnerable, especially in the batting department, could transform their weakness into strength and prove to be an unpredictable force when the big occasion arrives, even if their recent failures are ignored. For some reason, the English playing conditions have produced comparatively favourable outcomes for the team, unlike any other Asian team, which adds to their unpredictability factor.

As always, a huge part of Pakistan's strength lies in their bowling unit, as they've always managed to produce quality pace-attack that can make life miserable for any of the ...more

Pakistan won 12 consecutive T20 series.

7 Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 163 million people in an area of either 148,460 square kilometres (57,320 sq mi) or 147,570 square kilometres (56,980 sq mi), making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast; to the south it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. It is narrowly separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor; and from China by 100 km of the Indian state of Sikkim in the north. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, ...read more.

While their competition is more against teams such as West Indies, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, it'll be interesting to see if they can defy the unanimous predictions, which are not in their favour. If they could somehow manage to break into the knockout stage, the tournament would suddenly become very spicy, and we can expect their rabid fans to overpopulate the English stadiums.

There is no denying that the team has improved by leaps and bounds over the years. The main issue arises when going into a big tournament such as the World Cup, wherein you need your players to be able to work together and contribute in all three departments when the chips are down. Still, the team, on the other hand, relies on specific individuals to deliver good performance. As a result, it only takes one bad performance or an injury to those individuals to bring down the entire team.

Their recent performances have been good, considering that most of the good performances have yielded at either ...more

My parents are from here so I have a bias

8 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia near south-east India.

After the retirements of several established and experienced cricketers on the trot, the team has found itself in a state of disorder, unable to fill the void they left.

Comparing their last World Cup squad with the current one shows a significant difference in the bench strength, experience, and level of consistency. Looking back at their previous three World Cup affairs, they were the finalist twice and had a quarter-final exit in the last edition, which gives the impression that history will repeat itself. However, in my honest opinion, the possibility is quite bleak this time, as their performances throughout the year have been utterly forgettable, so forgettable that they're now on the cusp of being eclipsed by Afghanistan in the ICC ODI Team Rankings. Sprinkling salt into the wound, the change of format for this World Cup shows that teams, to secure their place in the next stage, will have to maintain the consistency of winning matches.

The team has been in the ...more

9 Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. As of 2021, its population is 40.2 million, composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Kabul is the country's largest ...read more.

Making their second World Cup appearance on the back of impressive performances in the World Cup Qualifiers despite early setbacks, they stood shoulders to shoulders with their more internationally experienced opponents. They gave them the run for their money.

The team has progressed rapidly since they stepped into the cricketing scene. Despite the lack of experience, the team's spirit over the last three years has never been paralleled by any emerging teams in the history of cricket (in my opinion). Their resilience has been acknowledged beyond the borders of Cricket too. Gaining the "Test Team" status in such a short period reflects their level of impact. The team has nothing to lose going into the tournament but only to make life a bit difficult for the top contenders.

Expecting them to win the tournament will be too much to ask for. They still need a lot more exposure to be competitive at the highest level of cricket, which they probably should get in the following ...more

10 West Indies

The last time they won a 50-over major tournament was in 2004's Champions Trophy. The team that once boasted greats like Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, etc., took the world by storm, dominating the 70s and 80s and winning the first two editions of the World Cup and almost coming close to winning the third one. Since then, the World Cup campaign for the radically transformed Windies side hasn't been a memorable experience. They never rose above 4th place after the 1983 World Cup. And the way the current team is performing, the stats are likely to aggravate.

Their recent performances don't give any signs of improvement in any aspect. The humiliating defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in the final of the Qualifier, as well as their latest ODI series loss to Bangladesh in their backyard, gives me the impression that a few years from now, the team might cease to exist.

The players' relationship with their Cricketing Board and bad pitches at the first-class ...more