In the mid 1970s(1975) to be precise was held the first cricket world cup which was hosted by England and won by West Indies. Back then west indies was considered as the ultimate champion of the game. A lot has changed since then and the current dynamics of cricket will surely have a different story to tell. This is the 12thedition of world cup which is again being held in England and Wales from 30thMay till 14thJune. The hosting rights were given in 2006 when England withdrew its name from hosting the 2015 world cup which was given to Australia. The first match will be played at Oval’s while the final will be played at the Mecca of cricket – Lord’s.
The current favorites of the game include the hosts England, Indian cricket team while Australian team(being full of newbies still has its effects and are always considered as the favorites) along with South Africa(who are always considered as the favorites but have disappointed their fans till now). Also New Zealand is also considered as of the utmost favorite teams. With world cup comes the excitement of India – Pakistan matches(because they don’t play any bilateral series) and since the format of this world cup says that every country has to play against each other country so there will definitely be a contesting match with our neighbors. Also the new likes of cricket playing nations include Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies.
Since every team has to play against each other team so the overall tournament will continue for a longer time span. Following the Pulwama attacks on 14thFebruary, Board Of Control For Cricket In India(BCCI) asked International Cricket Council (ICC) to ban Pakistan from the tournament seeing its involvement in the attacks. But ICC in its press conference in Dubai clearly rejected the request stating that the tournament will continue as per planned.
So the biggest question for the coming summer is – Who’s your favorite? Are you in?
