This was never going to be an easy match. The ICC Cricket World Cup Final featured two teams that didn’t have a World Cup title between them for over four decades in the men’s competition. Following 100 overs, the last few containing as much drama as the previous finals, nothing could separate New Zealand from England. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, a Super Over was needed to determine the outright winner.

The Super Over

Jimmy Neesham was asked to score 16 runs from 6 balls, striking the second legitimate delivery of Jofra Archer into the Mound Stand which made the equation go to 7 terms off four balls. A series of two’s followed before the bumper of Archer took Jimmy off the strike. At the end of a personal trail tournament, Martin Guptill had to score two more runs otherwise England was bound to lift the trophy.

Archer delivered a Yorker, Guptill managed to find deep midwicket, and the throw of Jason Roy managed to find Guptill short. This allowed Joe Buttler to complete the run-out to finally end all the years of hurt and disappointment in an afternoon of agony.

England’s Performance

England only managed to get close to the chase thanks to the partnership between Ben Stokes and Buttler with their phenomenal 110-run stand that lifted the hosts from an awful 86 for 4. Both players walked out again during the super over to score 15 runs which shifted the pressure back to New Zealand once again. The team responded by taking out Neesham, a player that was contemplating retiring from cricket, to face Archer during his 14th ODI. There could only be a single hero.

That being said, there was a handful of heroes on both teams during the final. For the second consecutive time, New Zealand managed to accumulate a score hovering around 240 and managed to defend it with the best of their abilities. However, just when they thought that they claimed victory at Lords, players from Christchurch ripped it away from their hands in a truly unbelievable and extraordinary fashion. Ben Stokes ended the match with 89 runs unbeaten. However, like Guptill, he was also unable to score two runs from the final ball to win the game during regulation time.

New Zealand entered the final already believing that they won the trophy before the game even started. This was probably the biggest mistake in the match as England was ready to give it their all to finally bring the trophy home. There are tons of highlights to look back on during the game, but there’s no denying that Ben Stokes was the critical ingredient for England to win the World Cup finally. It was a truly magnificent performance by both teams, and it will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best cricket matches to date.

The semi-final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is on the horizon, and the four best cricket teams of the competition have managed to make it through. Those that are Pakistan supporters might disagree with this statement as the team managed to end up on the same points when compared to New Zealand and defeated New Zealand in their head-to-head encounter. However, that’s an entirely different discussion altogether.

The first semi-final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is going to take place between New Zealand and India, a team that has managed to finish at the top of the table and only lost one singles match during their entire campaign. New Zealand managed to finish fourth in the competition and was incredibly lucky to make it through to the semi-finals of the tournament due to their net run-rate statistics.

The only match that was washed out during the tournament for both New Zealand and India was against each other. These two teams played against each other during a warm-up game before the start of the competition. New Zealand managed to win the warm-up match, but will they have the required skills to defeat them again in the semi-finals?

India will enter the match filled with confidence, while New Zealand will enter the game after suffering three consecutive defeats. The game will take place at the Emirates Old Trafford ground in Manchester.

India’s Line-up

During our evaluation of the upcoming match between these two incredible teams, we attempted to include as many players as possible that will have a significant role to play during the game. MS Dhoni, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, and Arivinda de Silva all enjoyed some of their best cricket moments towards the end of a World Cup. Our picks were also based on conditions for swing bowlers and an excellent batting line-up.

Wicketkeeper – The Indian wicketkeeper, Rishab Pant, is the number 4 batsman for India and has been performing quite well in the tournament. He is available for 8 points which makes him a fantastic pick, allowing you to select more expensive players.

Batsman: We decided to go with Henry Nicholls, Lokesh Rahul, Ross Taylor, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Rohit Sharma for this upcoming game. Rohit Sharma currently impresses with his skills and performance. However, you should avoid picking him as your captain as this will be an obvious move. The Manchester ground is perfect for batting, and this is where India will lead their attack. Most of the batsmen mentioned above are going to make a sizable contribution to the scoreboard.

Match Prediction

India managed to win the last match against New Zealand with ease in New Zealand. This is the game where two spinners from India dominated the game. We believe India will opt-in for a similar approach to receive the same result. India has better bowlers, batsmen, and fielders when compared to New Zealand.

Bangladesh has managed to destroy South Africa, walked over the West Indies, and looked quite phenomenal even during a defeat. The cricket team still has the opportunity to reach the semi-finals, and they could have had it already if the rain didn’t keep them from finishing their match against Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh vs India in 2019 Cricket World Cup

However, instead of looking back at what could have been, Bangladesh is focusing all their energy on what can be if they managed to claim victory in their remaining two matches. The first match will be against India, a fearsome opponent in many ways but also a team with significant weaknesses, especially in the lower and middle order.

These weaknesses provide Bangladesh with a clear and precise focus, obtain early wickets, and get past Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma if possible. This is much easier said than done, and we haven’t even discussed the superior bowling abilities of India. Still, there’s never been a better time to face India that right now. The team’s vulnerabilities are as clear as daylight when you take a look back at their last three matches. This is a team that is no longer unbeatable, and they are participating in their second match in only three days. On the other hand, most of the batsmen in the Bangladesh cricket team have been incredible in terms of performance, they have a star that is enjoying a fantastic World Cup as an allrounder, and the team’s bowling is more potent on slow pitches. The team will also be well rested before they face India, so everything is looking suitable for Bangladesh.

However, India is considered experts when it comes to shrugging off a few setbacks and providing professional and calm displays against a cricket team that they are expected to destroy. Bangladesh is well aware of this fact too as they’ve managed to push India quite hard in the last three matches. However, whether in Bengaluru, Birmingham, or even Melbourne, India have always found a way to defeat Bangladesh. Will the 2019 Cricket World Cup be the same?

Conditions and Pitch

The same strip in Edgbaston that played host to the India-England match will be utilised once more for this upcoming game. If the pitch is similar to the India-England match, it should be slow and flat as the game progresses, allowing the team that bats first to benefit greatly. The pitch position on the square means that one square boundary is much shorter when compared to the other. Kohli wasn’t pleased about this as the team was unable to match the know-how of England during the match.

However, now that the team is well aware of this fact, they will be much better prepared for the task that lies ahead. Loads of other conditions play a role in this match, but it will all boil down to the better team on the day. It will be a phenomenal match to watch, regardless.