Published: May 29, 2019, 09:14 PM (IST)
Edited: May 29, 2019, 09:14 PM (IST)
ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 kick starts on May 30 (Thursday) with hosts and favouritesEngland taking on heavyweights South Africa at the Oval, London. Boasting a plethora of big-hitting white-ball specialists, England are the top-ranked team in the 50-over game and with their recent marauding form South Africa will have a tough time in the opener.
England are even threatening to smash the 500-run barrier for the first time in an ODI innings, having set a new record total of 481 for six against Australia in Nottingham last year. And their attack now has an extra threat in recently qualified Barbados-born fast bowler Jofra Archer. So embarrassing was England’s first-round exit at the 2015 edition in Australia and New Zealand it prompted a major rethink of their attitude to the white-ball game.
The transformation has been remarkable, with Eoin Morgan‘s men climbing to the top of the one-day international rankings and twice setting a new record for the highest one-day international total, which now stands at 481 for six.
