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I’ll put my neck on the line if you join me Roarers. A week out from the World Cup let’s predict which teams will shine, which will flop, who will dominate with bat and ball and which sides and players will harm their reputation.
If you disagree with one, or all, of my selections then make sure to nominate your own choice. Don’t lob grenades while perched on the fence.
World Cup winners: Australia
Plenty of pundits and fans are tipping South Africa to finally overcome their World Cup hoodoo. Despite uncertainty over leadership and a misfiring middle order, Australia have been a juggernaut this summer.
They have won 11 of their past 12 completed ODIs including a 3-0 rout against the talented Pakistan in the UAE, then a lopsided 4-1 result against South Africa at home, followed by a 4-0 record in the tri-series against strong teams India and England.
They have an intimidating pace battery, an enviable record of making 300-plus scores, an even better record of chasing 250-plus totals and their fielding is back to being on par with any team in the world.
Being hosts will be a help not a hindrance to the Aussies, who will relish familiar conditions rather than wilting under the spotlight.
Final: Australia vs New Zealand
If the co-hosts can avoid a semi-final showdown, what a decider this would be. Despite being traditional cross-Tasman rivals, Australia and New Zealand have been starved of cricket opposed to each other in recent years making it difficult to accurately compare the two sides.
Australia are the world’s in-form side, while over the past 12 months New Zealand cricket has experienced its most purple of patches in more than a decade.
The Kiwis have elite batsmen in Kane Williamson, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, two of the game’s most devastating middle-to-late order hitters in Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi, and admirable depth in their bowling stocks.
Smokies: England
The way in which they ended the tri-series was woeful, capitulating against Australia on a lively WACA deck. England’s poor performance in the final should not, however, distract from the gains they made after the belated but nonetheless brave decision to ditch former skipper Alastair Cook.
Weighed down by conservative and outdated ODI tactics, England’s side never threatened to reach its potential under Cook. When they had three old-school accumulators in their top four in Cook, Ian Bell and Joe Root, England seemed content to make middling scores of between 250 and 280. The game had moved beyond that however with the elite sides consistently setting totals of well above 300 and feeling little pressure in chasing similarly large scores.
With Moeen Ali providing greater dynamism at the top of the order and James Taylor finally getting a deserved crack in coloured clothing, England’s batting looks more powerful. In Australian conditions, they also have the attack to potentially skittle opponents.
Veteran paceman James Anderson is in fine fettle, while hugely promising but regularly disappointing beanpole Steven Finn appears to be locating some confidence. If Stuart Broad builds momentum alongside that pair then England’s attack will be truly fearsome.
Most wickets: Mitchell Starc
Starc’s potency in the tri-series seemed to catch some cricket observers by surprise. The reality is that ever since he first flung the white ball for Australia Starc has looked assured in the ODI format.
Batting has improved in many ways in the modern game yet players still struggle to counter the swinging ball. When the Kookaburra is hooping late at 145 kilometres an hour out of the hand of a 196 centimetre left armer, the challenge is insurmountable for some. Starc’s ability to rip through top orders makes him arguably Australia’s most valuable tool.
Most runs: Aaron Finch
Finch, inexplicably, continues to get criticism from many Australian fans some who even bizarrely suggest he shouldn’t be in Australia’s ODI side. Yet he has been Australia’s most effective batsman since the start of last year.
The Victorian is not an aesthetically-pleasing player in the mold of Hashim Amla or Kane Williamson, both of whom are strong contenders for this title. Finch is highly effective though, and over the past 12 months has matured from a one-paced blaster into a well-rounded opener capable of adapting his innings to the team’s needs. Over his past 23 ODIs, he has made 933 runs at an average of 43, including four centuries and score of 96.
Finch, now often happy to play second fiddle to belligerent opening partner David Warner, looks set for a massive World Cup.
Biggest flop (player): Rohit Sharma
Hand him a pitch which is the identical twin of a Mumbai expressway and Rohit scores double tons for fun. Offer the opposition pace bowlers some assistance and a different tale is told. At home, where the pitches are so friendly to batting it has become ridiculous, Rohit averages 66. In away matches, where bowlers at least occasionally are provided aid by the decks, his average is just 29.
Rohit started the tri-series in wonderful touch with an elegant hundred against Australia. I’m still not sold on him however. With India’s misfiring batting now relying so heavily on he and Virat Kohli, I’m not convinced Rohit can flourish against the robust pace attacks of Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand.
Biggest flop (team): India
Even after they laboured through the four-Test series against Australia in spite of the most favourable pitches possible, India remained among the favourites for the World Cup in many people’s views. When they backed that up by floundering in the tri-series on pitches which actually resembled normal Australian conditions their stocks plummeted.
Rightly so. India are a mess right now. Their attack is weak and ill-suited to Australian decks and their batting, formerly a trump card, has become a shambles. India have no idea what their best top six is and have a slew of batsmen who clearly don’t like the pace and bounce of Australian pitches.