ICC World Cup 2019, Tournament Contest: Round 7 – Official Classic Fantasy Cricket Tips

The 6th round of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 official fantasy witnessed some tight games which were missing in the first half of the tournament. Sri Lanka stunned England on a slow track which was expected to have a lot of runs in it. The game between India and Afghanistan was dominated by bowlers as expected but not with India scoring only 224. The WI-NZ and PAK-SA matches did have a lot of runs while Australia-Bangladesh witnessed the most runs scored ever in a CWC game.

Here is our fantasy guide for the seventh round of the ICC World Cup 2019 tournament contest:

(Can be played on ICC Cricket website)

Round 7 schedule – The 7th round comprises of the five games (Match 31 to Match 35) of the tournament. All ten teams play one game apiece during this round.

Wicket-Keepers:

Suggestions – Shai Hope, Jos Buttler

Shai Hope will face India in Manchester, the venue that has seen high-scoring games. Hope had good outings against India during the last year’s ODI series. He could be picked if the Super Fours free-hit be used for that game. Jos Buttler is another option as the England-Australia game is possibly another high-scoring game.

Batsmen:

Suggestions – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shimron Hetmyer, KL Rahul

Alternatives – Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, David Warner, Steve Smith

The two games which will be ideal for the Super Fours free-hit option are Windies-India in Manchester and England-Australia at the Lord’s. India game is a slightly better option given the presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma who average over 60 in ODIs against the Caribbean team. One of the square boundaries is short and helps them in clearing the fence with ease if the Windies pacers try short stuff.

Rohit had two 150+ scores in the home ODI series against the Windies last year and could get one more if he escapes Sheldon Cottrell, the only possible threat to him. KL Rahul also had decent scores in his two matches at the Old Trafford – a T20I century and an ODI fifty. David Warner is due a low score and it could well come against England where he has to take on the pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.

All-Rounders:

Suggestions – Shakib Al Hasan, Jimmy Neesham, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib

Alternatives – Mohammad Saifuddin

Jimmy Neesham and Shakib Al Hasan will be ideal pair to be picked from all-rounders category. The reason behind Neesham’s inclusion would be their game against Pakistan in Birmingham which saw excessive swing. Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib will be ideal in the scenario of Bowling Machine Free-Hit. Afghanistan and Bangladesh face off in Southampton where all teams struggled to get going with the bat.

Bowlers:

Suggestions – Mohammad Amir, Lockie Ferguson, Wahab Riaz, Trent Boult

Alternatives – Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan-Miraz (Rubel Hossain), Rashid Khan

Mohammad Amir and Lockie Ferguson have been consistent at taking wickets in the tournament and got good support for their respective teams from Wahab Riaz and Trent Boult. With all the four players, one could make most of the Bowling Machine Free-Hit.

In case of using the same Free-Hit for the Afghanistan-Bangladesh game, the likes of Rashid Khan, Mustafizur Rahman and another bowler from that game have to be picked in addition to three all-rounders. Mehidy seems to have taken a blow on the head on the eve of the game. If he doesn’t feature, Rubel will be perfect as he can get better of the Afghan batsmen with his pace.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Considering the conditions and opposition, Rohit Sharma and Shakib Al Hasan are perfect to be made as captain for using the Star Skipper Free-Hit. Along with these two, Virat Kohli can also be picked as captain or vice-captain.

Free hit options:

Super Fours – ENGvAUS or WIvIND (A minimum of four players from batsmen and keepers)

Bowling machine – NZvPAK or BANvAFG (Minimum five players from all-rounders and bowlers)

Star Skipper – WIvIND (Rohit/Kohli) or BANvAFG (Shakib)

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.