We are one week away from the start of the 2023 World Cup and the 10 competing sides have stepped up their preparations to another level.

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In our second World Cup Power Rankings, we assess how the 10 sides are faring nine days out from the tournament opener between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.

Each side’s previous Power Ranking is shown in brackets.

1. India (1)

Winners by a record-breaking margin in the Asia Cup final and two routine victories over Australia once more reiterated their credentials as tournament favourites. Their selection issues are good ones to have; how does Shreyas Iyer, a man who averages just under 50 in ODI cricket, fit in the side? And will Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel or Washington Sundar be the squad’s third specialist spinner?

2. England (4)

The reigning champions are hitting their stride at the right time, winning their last three home ODIs against New Zealand. There are still concerns over the form of Joe Root while Adil Rashid and Mark Wood are both short on match fitness, but after a stuttering 18 months in ODI cricket they look to be approaching somewhere near their best once more. Ben Stokes’ national record 182 at the Oval from his new position at No. 4 was an ominous warning to England’s rivals.

3. New Zealand (3)

The Black Caps were short of their best towards the back-end of the England series but their attack in particular was at less than full strength while they also still await the return to full fitness of their talismanic captain Kane Williamson. They have acclimatised to Asian conditions well, winning back-to-back games away to Bangladesh and have the flexibility within their squad to adapt to the variety of conditions that a World Cup in India will produce.

4. Australia (2)

The loss of Travis Head – for the first half of the tournament at least – is a major blow and forces Australia into a last-minute reshuffle to the top order. Head’s belligerence up top is almost impossible to replace while his off-spin would have been more than handy on the more spin-friendly surfaces India will undoubtedly serve up. The first choice XI remains formidable but several key players are short on match action, namely the trio of 2015 World Cup winners Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins – their skipper who is almost a complete novice when it comes to white-ball captaincy.

5. South Africa (6)

South Africa overturned a 2-0 deficit to defeat Australia 3-2 at home in their final series before the start of the World Cup. They have a formidable top six and the form of Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram – the two likely all-rounders in their XI – is encouraging, albeit conditions in India will be markedly different to what they encountered on the Highveld back home. The loss of Anrich Nortje is a big blow.

6. Pakistan (5)

Pakistan’s entry into the tournament has become increasingly chaotic as injuries, rumours of late changes to the squad, dressing room disagreements and logistical hurdles in actually getting to India have all disrupted their World Cup preparation to varying degrees. Naseem Shah is a major loss; Pakistan’s three-pronged pace attack was their greatest strength and without Naseem, it will be less potent. The World Cup will be a worse spectacle without the exhilarating speed and skill of the young Pakistan speedster.

7. Sri Lanka (7)

Wanindu Hasaranga was yet another A-lister to be ruled out of at least the first half of the competition. However, Sri Lanka are reasonably well placed to cover his loss. For one, Hasaranga is not quite the threat against the top sides in ODI cricket as he is in T20s. And two, in Dunith Wellalage they have a ready made replacement as an all-rounder who turns the ball away from the right-hander. Without Hasaranga, Sri Lanka were still able to qualify for the Asia Cup final though the less said about Sri Lanka’s performance in that final the better.

8. Bangladesh (8)

It’s been a sub-optimal week for Bangladesh who have recently succumbed to back-to-back home defeats to New Zealand and lost Tamim Iqbal to injury. Their tournament opener against Afghanistan is a huge game. A loss to a side that went winless in 2019 would be a major blow to their outside shot of semi-final qualification.

9. Afghanistan (9)

A quiet week or so for Afghanistan whose eyes will be firmly set on that first encounter against Bangladesh. Semi-final qualification is perhaps too lofty an ambition this time around but with a squad with just four players aged 25 or older, this tournament could provide the foundation for future success.

10. Netherlands (10)

Netherlands suffered a catastrophic defeat to Indian state side Karnataka; a 89-run last wicket stand spared their blushes having earlier collapsed to 36-9. They have since been boosted by the arrival of their cohort of county cricketers who, on paper at least, makes the first choice Netherlands XI look far more likely to cause an upset or two.

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England Series Editorial