5 Bold cricket predictions for 2019 

#2 Breaking the 500-run barrier in ODI cricket

England's mammoth score last year

'Come on, stop dreaming of it mate!' - The reaction of one of my friends when I told him about my prediction.

But why should I stop dreaming of something that's bound to happen one day? 50 years ago, a 300-score in ODI cricket was thought impossible; a few decades ago, 400 runs by a team in one innings in ODIs seemed improbable; and now, 500 seems far from possible.

But we all witnessed how England almost made this prediction go right in 2018 itself, against their famous rivals Australia. Had Moeen Ali and Joe Root continued the momentum at the death, the amazing feat would have been achieved.

I expect this mark to be breached in 2019. It seems like too tough a task, but when the English batsmen are in form, anything can happen.

Short boundaries, larger bats, T20 approach and flat pitches could contribute to achieving the feat.