ICC World Cup 2019: Team-wise ratings of the league stage

Another exciting edition of the ICC World Cup is on the verge of coming to an end and the four semifinalists will be battling it out for the trophy beginning from the 9th of July. India topped the group stages only for the second time in their entire history of this tournament, followed by the Aussies, the English and the Kiwis.

Australia buckled down to South Africa on the final day of group stages, which saw them settle for the second spot and set up a clash against arch-rivals England. This set up another semifinal clash for the Indians at the Old Trafford, Manchester. Not many can forget their incredible performance against a strong English side back in 1983 in the semifinals.

There is a bit of nostalgia attached to the fixtures, but all that matters is who holds their nerve under pressure in the present. Most teams did a great job in this regard and will be desperate to do it for two more times. Here’s how the teams have fared individually in the group stages.

1. Afghanistan – 2/10

Afghanistan were playing only their second World Cup and hence, there was going to be a lot of pressure on them to perform well. They had a star cast which was good enough to beat some of the top sides, but as it turns out, they lost all their nine games courtesy some poor decision making under pressure.

They came closest to winning against their Asian companions India and Pakistan. Whilst Indians did a great job to avoid an upset, Pakistan got lucky as some poor decision making jolted Afghanistan’s dream. They are not used to playing at this level of pressure and it was clearly visible with their performances. The next World Cup is in India and they would relish playing in the sub-continent.

2. Australia – 8/10

They might’ve lost two games in the group stages, but their performance in the group stages was outstanding. This is the Australia the cricketing world is accustomed to and they dominated most games. Even the games they lost to India and South Africa went all the way down the wire, which was a good sign.

Mitchell Starc, David Warner and Aaron Finch have been wreaking havoc in their respective roles for the team. They might be a little too dependent on this trio and to an extent Pat Cummins, which were the primary causes of their defeats to India and South Africa. Alex Carey has turned up very well for the team and is showing positive signs going ahead.

3. Bangladesh – 4/10

It could’ve been a three, but for Shakib Al Hasan‘s heroics which will be relished for many years to come, they get a four. Gone are those days when Bangladesh were okay taking the games close and winning hearts. This is a serious team with some outstanding talents and they should be disappointed with what they produced.

A couple of very good wins against South Africa and West Indies did put them ahead, but they lacked composure in some other games which cost them many points. If the Tigers were only looking to make their presence felt, then they can be happy with their outcome but it clearly wasn’t the goal and they will be unhappy with what they got.

4. England – 7/10

The hosts have had a topsy-turvy ride, but just when they needed a pickup, some of their players have hit the right chords. Jonny Bairstow‘s knocks in the final two group games gave them a lot of confidence and backed by it is the resurgence of Jason Roy. This English side right now is a force to reckon with and their clash against Australia will be absolutely staggering.

They had a very rough patch in between, losing three games to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia. The English will now be dealing with bigger threats in the coming game or two and not many in this side are used to that level of pressure. It will be interesting to see how they will come out of it.

5. India – 9/10

The table-toppers, not a term you would associate with the Indian team. But Virat Kohli and his troops have been busy breaking all the stereotypes in the last few years and it’d be fair to say they are continuing well in that prospect. Their batting department has been very heavily reliant on a few names, but the Indians have done a tremendous job with the ball.

Jasprit Bumrah has been breathtaking and Mohammed Shami has been picking wickets at regular intervals. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been partnering Bumrah brilliantly in the death overs, a big boost for the team. Rohit Sharma‘s carnage has been beyond the description of words and the likes of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are playing around the vice-captain brilliantly.

6. New Zealand – 6/10

After such a stellar start to the tournament, just when the fans were considering New Zealand are hot-favourites to go all the way, the Kiwis began to buckle under pressure against the big sides. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor are the only two batsmen in their side scoring runs regularly, whilst all-rounders Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme are doing a decent job but not consistent enough.

Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson have picked up crucial wickets but Matt Henry’s debacle has been a concern. Tim Southee has not looked good in the only game he played, which raises more concerns for Kane. They have drawn India as a result of finishing fourth on the points table and they will be entering the contest as the underdogs.

7. Pakistan – 5/10

Pakistan produced some memorable performances against England and New Zealand, but their World Cup campaign was pretty mediocre. A lot of comparisons were being drawn to the 1992 campaign and the group stage results have been staggeringly identical. But back in the day, they had some favours from other teams which they didn’t receive from India and New Zealand this time.

It is perhaps the most inconsistent XIs in World cricket and on a day we just cannot predict which player will come up good. Mohammad Amir has been outstanding with the ball and Babar Azam had a record-breaking campaign with the bat. Shaheen Afridi finished the tournament on a grandiose note and promises a bright future.

8. Sri Lanka – 4/10

Very much like their Asian companions Pakistan, Sri Lanka too have a very inconsistent XI. Having said that, not many were fancying them to finish ahead of South Africa and Bangladesh, but a couple of free points in the form of abandonment of games did play a part in that.

Avishka Fernando is the only positive to take away from this tournament, the 21-year-old youngster who really showed great maturity when a lot of senior players were failing. Their tournament ended with another very poor all-round performance against India, but they had a memorable outing against England which they will remember for a long time.

9. South Africa – 3/10

With South Africa, the expectations are always sky-high. People often expect them to go all the way to the semifinals and from there, they stop turning up. This time though, they got off to a very poor start in the tournament, losing their first three games. They couldn’t hold on to the momentum after a resounding win against Afghanistan and eventually, they could win just three matches.

The likes of Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock failed to live up to the expectations but Rassie van der Dussen was impressive. Kagiso Rabada was touted as one of the “Player of the Tournament” contenders, but he turned out just okay. They bid adieu to their long-serving legends like JP Duminy and Imran Tahir from this format after a win against Australia.

10. Windies – 3/10

Nicholas Pooran against Sri Lanka and Carlos Brathwaite against New Zealand – If these two knocks had gone the Windies’ way, this points table would’ve looked very different especially in the middle section. But with just five points to their name, they only have Afghanistan underneath them in the points table.

The Caribbean are known for their T20 flair but that might’ve cost them a couple of games. They went for some unnecessary big shots against Australia which helped the 5-time champions gain momentum whilst they could’ve won the games against New Zealand and Sri Lanka with a little more composure.