World Cup 2019: 5 things that the fans are excited to see at the mega event this year

The biggest Cricket party of the world is back for another edition after four years!

For Indian fans, the last four World Cups have been nothing less than roller-coaster rides. From the disappointment in 2003 to the humiliation in 2007, and from the triumph in 2011 to the regrettable miss in 2015, it has been a hell of a ride.

Aside from our individual leanings as supporters of particular teams based on geographical boundaries, there are still many things that fans are looking forward to objectively. Here is a list of 5 things that we are all excited to see during the course of World Cup 2019.

1. Pace Machines on display

Jasprit Bumrah is considered the best fast bowler at this time.

From the four horsemen of the West Indies in the 70s to Mitchell Starc last time around, pace bowlers have always been at the forefront of title-winning teams. While the fast bowling prowess of teams used to be different in each World Cup, this time, there is at least one fast bowler in each team (with exception of Afghanistan), who can turn the tournament on its head.

Jasprit Bumrah is considered the best bowler across all three formats by many experts but Kagiso Rabada might take offense to that. And if Pat Cummins can manage to remain injury free, he would be spearheading the Australian attack with Starc. England and New Zealand have worked well as a bowling unit too, and you can never discount Pakistan's bowlers on a given day.

With many teams loaded with promising pacers, this should be the most exciting World Cup in that respect. I will not be surprised if the post-tournament analysis would be about how good the fast bowlers were throughout the World Cup.

2. Who will come out on top in the battle of the 'Fab Four'?

Joe Root will try to win the World Cup at home

Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson are fighting to be called the best batsman of this generation.

Root will be playing in front of his home crowd, which will come with its own pressure. Kohli had an English summer to remember last year when he scored 593 runs in the Test series and some more in ODIs and T20s.

Smith was the highest scorer in the last Ashes series in England in 2015 and is looking hungry after returning to the national team. And Williamson has played enough seasons in county cricket and has even won the Championship in 2014.

With each of them being perfectly aware of the conditions, there can be no excuses this time around. Moreover, they will be facing the exact same teams and will have the exact same number of matches to settle the debate once and for all.

3. Will wrist spinners continue their domination?

Imran Tahir is among the best spinners in the world right now

There are 4 wrist spinners among the top 10 wicket takers since World Cup 2015. If you consider the top 10 wicket-taking spinners since 2015, only two finger spinners appear in the list - Mohammad Nabi and Mitchell Santner. The other eight are wrist spinners.

There are some obvious reasons for this domination, like the use of two different balls from either end and less helpful wickets. And there are no signs that these factors are going to change any time soon.

But with the increase in the use of analytics, you would expect that batsmen would come up with a plan to counter their threat. The team which will lose the fewest wickets to wrist spinners in the middle overs will probably have the best chance of reaching the semifinals.

4. Can Afghanistan do any damage?

Afghanistan Cricket Team

Afghanistan have beaten West Indies during the World Cup Qualifiers and have dispatched Bangladesh regularly in T20s. They even tied against India in the Asia Cup last year, and have now defeated Pakistan in the warm-up match.

In the last edition of the World Cup, Afghanistan were in the category of teams that would roll over in front of the bigger teams. But this year will likely be different.

I am not expecting them to qualify for the semifinals, but they will definitely make things difficult for other teams. Their spinners, in particular, will pose a major threat to the teams like South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies, who have been vulnerable to spinners in recent years.

Mohammad Shahzad can destroy any bowling attack on his day and they now have two solid middle order batsmen in Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi.

If they are able to play well as a team, the chances are they can at least win 2 or 3 matches this year.

5. Will audience interest be retained throughout the long tournament?

Fans during India v New Zealand – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm Up

While most of the veterans and commentators have praised it, I am not a fan of this format. 46 days and 48 match tournament is too long for me, especially since 45 of those matches will take place in the group stage over 39 days.

In contrast, the football World Cup has 48 matches in the group stage in 3 weeks before moving on to the knockout phase.

The question has to be asked: will the tournament be able to hold the interest of the audience without many do-or-die matches? Almost all the group stage matches are sold out. But the TV ratings might dip during the course of the event.