Hosts set to dominate as World Cup bowls off

In all, 49 matches will be played across 14 venues with Australia staging 26 games at grounds in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Co-hosts New Zealand hosts 23 games in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington.
The final match of the tournament will take place in Melbourne. Here’s how the 14 teams might end up, and why…

AUSTRALIA
Nickname: Baggy Greens
Captain: Michael Clarke
Coach: Darren Lehmann
Players to watch: David Warner, Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc
Titles: 4 (1987, 1999, 2003 & 2007)
Prediction: Champions

IDEAL SCENARIO: Even if this isn’t the most dominant Australian team, on-form batsman Steven Smith is a more than capable replacement. Openers David Warner and Aaron Finch should offer them blistering starts with the bat. The bounce of Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc’s swing will trouble most teams inside the first 10 overs.
INDIA
Nickname: Men in Blue
Captain: MS Dhoni
Coach: Duncan Fletcher
Players to watch: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja
Titles won: 2 (1983 & 2011)
Prediction: Quarterfinals

WHAT NEXT AFTER KOHLI? India have been on tour in Australia for three months without winning a game and already look worn out ahead of their title defence.
There are only four survivors from the team that won the 2011 edition at home and questions will emerge whenever Kohli falls.

SRI LANKA
Nickname: The Lions
Captain: Angelo Mathews
Coach: Marvan Attapatu
Players to watch: Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga
Titles won: 1 (1996)
Prediction: Semifinals

FARE THEE WELL: That Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are two of the greatest batsmen to grace the 22 yards is not debatable. Neither is it open to debate that this is their last appearance at the World Cup. Much will rest on them and captain Angelo Mathews who has flourished with responsibility. Lasith Malinga’s ability to ‘york’ batsmen at the death will also be key for them.

SOUTH AFRICA
Nickname: Proteas
Captain: AB de Villiers
Coach: Rusell Domingo
Players to watch: Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn
Best performance: Semifinalists (1992, 1999 & 2007)
Prediction: Losing finalists

BALANCE IS KEY: South Africa’s temperament will be fully tested. They are synonymous with choking. Having never made the final, AB de Villiers sent a loud signal, smashing the fastest century in ODIs, off just 31 balls in a match against the Windies. The Proteas are balanced.

NEW ZEALAND
Nickname: The Black Caps
Captain: Brendon McCullum
Coach: Mike Hesson
Players to watch: Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson
Best performance: Semifinalists (1975, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2011)
Prediction: Semifinals

HOME CONDITIONS: The lead up to the World Cup has been faultless for the co-hosts with the batsmen firing and the bowlers enjoying their run-up besides the niggles. Coach Mike Hesson has even become bullish. This tournament will be about New Zealand exploiting their home conditions and the blades of Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson.
PAKISTAN
Nickname: Men in Green
Captain: Misbah Ul-Haq
Coach: Waqar Younis
Players to watch: Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Mohammed Irfan
World Cup titles: 1 (1992)
Prediction: Quarterfinals

SURPRISE ELEMENT: No one expected Pakistan to win the tournament the last time it was held in Australia back in 1992. They have never lost that surprise element since. You never know what to expect with Pakistan. This is synonymous with the way Shahid ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi bats.

WEST INDIES
Nickname: The Windies
Captain: Jason Holder
Coach: Richie Richardson
Players to watch: Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Andre Russell
World Cup titles: 2 (1975, 1979)
Prediction: Quarterfinals

STORM BEFORE CALM: Former superpowers West Indies thrive in situations where no one gives them a chance like the 2007 Champions Trophy and this is one. Dropping Dwyane Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine’s withdrawal has ‘crisis’ written all their buildup. Come the tournament proper, Windies are always capable of upsetting some odds. Will they surprise? Hope so!

ENGLAND
Nickname: The Poms
Captain: Eoin Morgan
Coach: Peter Moores
Players to watch: Ian Bell, Gary Ballance and James Anderson
Best performances: Losing finalists 3 (1979, 1987 & 1992)
Prediction: Quarterfinals

FROM CRISIS TO WORLD CUP: Just last year, Alistair Cook was an out-of-sorts England captain. Today, he is not even part of the 15 with Irish-born Eoin Morgan now in charge. Morgan plays with a free spirit that most English batsmen don’t have.
Ian Bell with the bat at the top and James Anderson’s ability to swing the new and old ball will decide their success, and failure.

BANGLADESH
Nickname: Tigers
Captain: Mashrafe Mortaza
Coach: Chandika Hathurusingha
Players to watch: Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hassan and Mushfiqur Rahim
Best performance: Seventh in 2007
Prediction: Group stage

WILL SPIN HELP? Bangladesh are a formidable side when their spin-heavy attack creates rings around visiting batsmen in Dhaka. For a team packed with largely medium-pacers, Mortaza will struggle to find any help from the conditions. Following the retirement of Jacques Kallis, Shakib Al Hasan is the best all-rounder in the world now and it could be down to him when Tamim Iqbal falls early.

ZIMBABWE
Captain: Elton Chigumbura
Coach: Dav Whatmore
Players to watch: Brendan Taylor, Hamilton Masakadza and Elton Chigumbura
Best performance: Super Sixes (1999, 2003)
Prediction: Group stage

TOUGH TIMES: Zimbabwean cricket has been in decline and near-isolation for 12 years following the politicisation and racial tensions. There has been mass exodus over the last decade but Brendan Taylor will want to hold the batting together in 31-year-old Hamilton Masakadza’s first World Cup. If they bat well like Andy Flower did in his heyday, then anything happen.

IRELAND
Captain: William Potterfield
Coach: Phil Simmons
Players to watch: Kevin O’Brien, Ed Joyce and George Dockrell
Best performance: Eighth place in 2007
Prediction: Group stage

AFGHANISTAN
Captain: Mohammed Nabi
Coach: Andy Moles
Players to watch: Mohammed Nabi, Usman Ghani, Samiullah Shenwari
Best performance: Debutant
Prediction: Group Stage

SCOTLAND
Captain: Preston Momssen
Coach: Grant Bradburn
Players to watch: Kyle Coetzer, Richie Berrington and Majid Haq
Best performance: 15th in 2007
Prediction: Group Stage

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Captain: Mohammad Tauqir
Coach: Aaqib Javed
Players to watch: Khurram Khan, Swapnil Patil and Shaiman Anwar
Best performance: 11th out of 12 in 1996
Prediction: Group Stage