The Cricket World Cup 2019 kicks off tomorrow when England take on South Africa at the Oval. But which teams have impressed the most in their warm-up matches?
May 24: Afghanistan beat Pakistan by three wickets
Afghanistan inflicted the first surprise of the summer by upsetting Pakistan at Bristol. Babar Azam made 112 for Pakistan who were bowled out for 262, while Mohammad Nabi took 3-46. Hashmatullah Shahidi led the run-chase with an unbeaten 74 and helped to push his team over the line with two balls to spare.
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South Africa opening batsman Hashim Amla has continued his fine form in England[/caption]
May 24: South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs
Hashim Amla (65) and Faf du Plessis (88) both impressed as South Africa comfortably defeated Sri Lanka at Sophia Gardens. The Proteas racked up an imposing 338-7 from their 50 overs and proceeded to bowl their opponents out for 251, with Andile Phehlukwayo taking 4-36. Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne made an excellent 87 for his side and Angelo Mathews chipped in with 64.
May 25: Australia beat England by 12 runs
Australia edged past the home favourites in a narrow victory at the Rose Bowl. The returning Steve Smith ignored the jeers from the crowd and struck a wonderful 116 to guide Australia to 297-9. Liam Plunkett was the pick of the England bowlers with 4-69. In reply, England mustered 285 thanks to half centuries from James Vince (64) and Jos Buttler (52). The wickets were shared around the Australian bowlers.
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Seamer Trent Boult has been in the wickets for New Zealand[/caption]
May 25: New Zealand beat India by six wickets
India were convincingly beaten by New Zealand at The Oval. The Black Caps dismissed their counterparts for just 179 as Trent Boult took 4-33. Ravi Jadeja top-scored with 54 for India. New Zealand chased down the indifferent total with 12.5 overs to spare as Ross Taylor (71) and Kane Williamson (67) posted half-centuries.
May 26: South Africa v West Indies – no result
South Africa were off to a flyer when their match with West Indies at Bristol was abandoned. The Proteas scored 95 from the first 12.4 overs without loss, Hashim Amla (51*) posting another fifty.
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Steve Smith was back in the runs for Australia against England with a century[/caption]
May 26: Pakistan v Bangladesh abandoned
The match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Sophia Gardens was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
May 27: Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets
Australia won their second consecutive warm-up match against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl. Sri Lanka posted 239-8 in their innings, aided by various cameos with a well-made 56 from opening batsman Lahiru Thirimanne the highlight. Usman Khawaja anchored the run-chase with 89 as Australia reached their target with 31 balls to spare.
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England’s Jonny Bairstow is one of the favourites to win Player of the Tournament[/caption]
May 27: England beat Afghanistan by 9 wickets
England bounced back from their defeat to Australia with an imperious victory over Afghanistan at the Oval. Afghanistan were dismissed for 160 in just 38.4 overs thanks to excellent spells from Jofra Archer (3-32) and Joe Root (3-22). The hosts wasted no time reaching the small total and were home and dry in just 17.3 overs as Jason Roy smashed an unbeaten 89 from just 46 deliveries.
May 28: India beat Bangladesh by 95 runs
KL Rahul and MS Dhoni found form as India were victorious over Bangladesh in their final warm-up game at Sophia Gardens. Rahul made a classy 108, while Dhoni struck eight sixes in an innings of 113. helping India rack up 369-7 from their 50 overs. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal each took three wickets in the Bangladesh pursuit. Despite 73 from Liton Das and 90 from Mushfiqur Rahim, they fell considerably short and were bowled out for 264.
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West Indies and New Zealand shared a run-fest at Trent Bridge[/caption]
May 28: West Indies beat New Zealand by 91 runs
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Over 700 runs were scored in a frantic final warm-up match at Trent Bridge. Windies piled on the runs in their innings and made 421 in 49.3 overs. That included a masterful 101 from Shai Hope as well as an explosive 54 from Andre Russell. Trent Boult impressed amid the carnage, notching 4-50. New Zealand made a good fist of the reply and passed 300 thanks to 85 from Kane Williamson and 106 from Tom Blundell. Nevertheless, they were all out for 334 as Carlos Brathwaite took 3-75.
Who’s hot?
Hashim Amla: Two solid half-centuries for the South African opener, who continues to shine in England. His runs at the top of the order will be critical for South Africa should they wish to succeed over the coming weeks.
Kane Williamson: New Zealand’s reliable skipper and top-order batsman gave opposition teams a warning of his capabilities. He made two convincing half-centuries in both outings against India and West Indies.
Trent Boult: The Black Caps paceman took eight wickets in his two matches, four of which came when all of his fellow bowlers were being smashed around the park by West Indies batsman.
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Liton Das also impressed with 70 for Bangladesh against India[/caption]
Who’s not?
Aaron Finch: Just 24 runs in two innings for the Australian skipper as he leads his rejuvenated one-day team into the World Cup.
Shikhar Dhawan: He made just a single against New Zealand and followed it up with only two against Bangladesh. The India opener has some work to do if he wants to stake his claim for top run-scorer of the tournament.
Matt Henry: The New Zealand fast bowler may have picked up two wickets but was deposited all around Trent Bridge in a siege from West Indies. He went for 107 runs from his nine overs at an economy rate of 11.89.
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Positive warm-up performances can set the tone for a team heading into the Cricket World Cup, but they mean very little in the grand scheme of things. The wait for the real thing is almost over, as England take on South Africa in the World Cup’s opening fixture at The Oval on Thursday at 10:30am.
