ICC World Cup 2019: 3 Teams that can end on top of the points table

2. England

The hot favourites, the hosts, the team which has batsmen who could chase any total down – this is how people have been describing the English contingent in the last few months. They do have a great team which is more than capable of winning the big prize, but they cannot take things for granted and their defeat to Pakistan was a perfect wake-up call early on.

Good teams always find a way through is what any sport teaches us. Going by their on-paper strength and recent form, it will surprise no one if England finish on top of the table. They’re yet to face the likes of India and Australia, who are being touted as the other favourites to win the championship. While there’s no denying they’ll finish in the top four, they would want to finish on a very commanding note in the group stages.

3. India

Just the way we see Asian sides line-up in a World Cup, India too have sent in three spinners alongside three speedsters with a couple of all-rounders. Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya remain the core of this side and bring the little X-Factor that is necessary to win crunch games against big teams. Although they struggled against New Zealand in the warm-up fixtures, they did a fabulous job against Bangladesh.

Their progress will also depend heavily on how the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and the spinners fare. It is a sure thing that they will land in two spinners in pretty much every game, so that will be another crucial determining factor. Their leg-spinners are in good form and Ravindra Jadeja previously won the golden ball in England for the 2013 Champions Trophy, so there’s good enough strength in this squad to finish on top of the pile.