In a few hours, the curtains of the ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup will be lifted, which means it is prediction time. And the modern time tells us it is our solemn duty not to miss the chance to make some wild guesses before any big tournament.
How far Bangladesh can go?
Bangladesh fans are daydreaming that their favourite Tigers will go all the way to lift the trophy, with veteran skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza getting the perfect send-off.
The likes of England, Australia and India are almost certain to reach the semi-finals, given their form and team strength.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand and Pakistan will have to fight for the final spot in the last four, with Afghanistan most likely to be the whipping boys in the tournament.
If the Tigers can spring a few surprises, they might make it to the semi-finals, but on pen and paper that looks unlikely, if we are being honest.
I expect the Tigers to finish fifth, marginally losing the fourth place out to West Indies.
So, who are the semi-finalists?
India, England, Australia and West Indies will finish the group stages at the top, in the said order. Australia will fight back, with the humbled Warner and Smith leading the way. It will be the last time Chris Gayle plays an ODI tournament, so he will make it count by staging some stellar performances to take the Caribbean to the last four.
And to win the trophy?
I expect the likes of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah to trump Eoin Morgan’s team in the final. England have been the game’s form team of late no doubt, but they have a habit of losing in the final.
Highest scoring batsman?
The teams that go to the final will play 11 games. I do not see anyone other than Kohli to finish at the top of the scoring charts after that number of games.
The bowler with the highest wickets?
Bumrah. He has quite a big number of haters but he does his job brilliantly. For any captain, he is an asset.
Any wild guesses?
Pakistan might surprise everyone, because that is what they do when everyone expect them to struggle. They were the champions in the last major tournament to have been played in the UK (the Champions Trophy in 2017), so they do like the condition.