England limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan gave his views on all the 10 participating teams of the 2019 World Cup and also spoke on each and every team specifically. England who will be the hosts for the World Cup is currently the No 1 ranked side in the world. They have played some exceptional cricket in the 50 overs format in the recent past and will start of as one of the prime contenders to lift their maiden World Cup title.
The defending champions Australia will be a rejuvenated unit after the return of star players like David Warner and Steve Smith. Winning the ODI series against India and Pakistan prior to the World Cup will surely give them an added advantage. Meanwhile, India will be a hot favourite to lift their 3rd World Cup title. They have a sensational team to boast of and even Eoin Morgan feels that India will be a strong contender to lift the coveted title.
“Australia always seems to turn up in World Cup year and they’re current champions. I expect them to be strong contenders,” Eoin Morgan said while speaking on the defending champions. Despite their indifferent run of late, Australia will stand a significant chance of lifting the title.
This will be the 2nd time when Afghanistan appears in a 50 overs World Cup. They have some good players who can make an impression for them and cause an upset or two. “Afghanistan are a team that will come in to the tournament and upset a lot of teams. They’re a very talented side and should not be underestimated.’ Meanwhile he stated that India stands a very strong chance in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan feels that Bangladesh is an impressive team and shouldn’t be taken lightly through the course of the tournament. “Bangladesh is an extremely tight group, who should not be underestimated through the tournament.”
Speaking about Pakistan, Eoin Morgan said that Pakistan is one of the most unpredictable side in world cricket. Nonetheless, when it comes to world events, Pakistan always tends to perform well and might put up another inspired performance in the tournament. Pakistan is probably one of the more unpredictable sides around the world. But when it comes to a world event, they perform extremely consistently well,” Eoin Morgan said.
Speaking about themselves, Eoin Mrgan feels that the home team have a very strong chance in the quadrennial event. Sri Lanka will go into the tournament as one of the underdogs but they are a team who cannot be taken lightly. “Sri Lanka are a team that probably won’t go into the tournament as second or third favourites. They will certainly be challenged throughout, but not ones to take lightly.
Meanwhile, South Africa also has a very strong chance as per the views of Eoin Morgan. “South Africa has a strong chance. They’ve gone through a really strong period of cricket where they’ve played well and will not be underestimated.’
Windies will be one of the surprise packages of the tournament. With the return of players like Chris Gayle and Andre Russell who are the peak of their form, Windies might play spoilsport for some other big teams. “West Indies have an outside chance. Extremely competitive, have a lot of matchwinners in their team and will go well.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand will be a strong team in the tournament as well. They qualified for the final of the tournament in 2015 only to lose to Australia in the final. Yet again they will be a force to reckon with in the showpiece event. “New Zealand made it all the way to the final in 2015 and from there they’ve gone from strength to strength. Not to be underestimated,” Eoin Morgan said.
