World Cup 2019: Rating the performance of all the teams

After 46 days of gruelling cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup came to a close crowning the new World Champions. Depending on your perspective, this World Cup could go down as one of the greatest or worst World Cups ever played. The whole tournament was filled with rain-affected matches, controversial umpiring decisions, stellar individual performances, and a few nail-biting finishes.

Furthermore, the finals between New Zealand and England could go down as one of the greatest cricket matches of all-time.

While a few teams like India and Australia lived up to their fans' expectations, there were a few teams who had a forgetful tournament.

Here are the teams rating.

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#10 Afghanistan

Rating: 2/10

Afghanistan were the dark horses of the tournament

Afghanistan are the youngest cricketing nation to feature in this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup, but they came into the tournament hoping to cause a few upsets.

Against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan played well for most of the match, but poor weather conditions made it difficult for them to bat. Afghanistan also came quite close to pulling off major upsets against India and Pakistan. While they were good in the bowling department, their batting lacked intent and the lack of experience hurt them in crunch situations.

The team was also marred by several in and off field controversies, highlighted by Gulbadin Naib replacing Asghar Afghan as the captain ahead of the tournament. This was a move that shocked the cricket fraternity. This change in captaincy didn’t help Afghanistan. Moreover, a few days into the tournament, Mohammad Shahzad was declared “unfit” to play despite him claiming to be cleared by the doctors. The controversies did not help Afghanistan’s cause as they finished winless after 9 games in the bottom of the tournament.

#9 West Indies

Rating: 2/10

West Indies finished the tournament in 9th place

After a dominant victory against Pakistan, West Indies were considered favourites to enter the semi-finals. However, it all went downhill from there. Poor form, controversial umpiring decisions, and injuries contributed towards West Indies’ early exit from the tournament. Chris Gayle, Shai Hope, and Andre Russell were in tremendous form heading into the tournament, but none of them could deliver when it mattered the most.

Andre Russell struggled throughout the tournament with an injury which impacted his performance with the bat and ball. While their bowling showed glimpses of their rich tradition their batting, particularly their top order, succumbed to the pressure of the big stage.

There were a couple of matches in the tournament they should’ve won, but they failed to hold their nerves together. As a result, they finished the tournament with just two wins out of nine games.

#8 South Africa

Rating: 3/10

South Africa failed to make the semi-finals

Prior to the start of the tournament, many cricket pundits predicted that South Africa would make the top four. However, once the tournament started, fans and cricket experts were left baffled at South Africa’s performance.

Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir were in sublime form heading into the tournament. But once the World Cup started, their form dwindled along with South Africa’s hopes of lifting the World Cup. None of the senior players made any significant contributions with the bat or ball.

The Proteas suffered a major setback in their opening match against England when they lost by 104 runs. They followed it up with another surprising defeat against Bangladesh. SA started winning towards the latter part of the World Cup, but it was too late as they were already knocked.

South Africa ended their World Cup campaign with three wins out of nine games.

#7 Sri Lanka

Rating: 3.5/10

Sri Lanka finished the tournament in 6th place

Looking at the way Sri Lanka started the tournament, no one expected them to finish in sixth place. They performed terribly in their opening match against New Zealand, and they were bowled out for 136. Moreover, they also struggled to beat Afghanistan and did so only because the poor weather conditions made it difficult for the Afghanistan players to bat.

Sri Lanka’s terrible World Cup campaign came down to poor form, an inexperienced middle order, and underperforming senior players.

Sri Lanka only managed three wins from their nine games.

#6 Bangladesh

Rating:4.5/10

Bangladesh have grown leaps and bounds over the years

Bangladesh was a real surprise package in this World Cup. They have improved a lot over the last decade. Players like Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim scored the bulk of Bangladesh’s runs while Mustafizur Rahman was their standout bowler. They started the tournament on a good note after defeating South Africa in their opening game. A few games later, they pulled off an impressive win when they chased down West Indies’ target of 321 runs in just 42 overs.

Shakib Al Hasan had a stellar World Cup as he shattered records to score over 600 runs as an all rounder this year. Bangladesh fought hard and stayed in contention for a semi-final spot until the end of the tournament. They needed to win their last two games to make the top four. However, they failed to deliver when it mattered the most. In the end, Bangladesh finished in 8th place with three wins from their five games.

#5 Pakistan

Rating: 6/10

Pakistan made a comeback in the second half of the World Cup

Much like Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s performances have dwindled over the years. This World Cup was a tale of two halves for Pakistan. They performed badly in the first half of the tournament with embarrassing losses to West Indies, Australia, and India.

However, Pakistan came back stronger in the latter part of the tournament and stayed in the hunt for a semi-final spot until the very end. They eventually finished their World Cup campaign with 11 points along with New Zealand. But since New Zealand had a healthier NRR, they qualified for the semi-finals instead of Pakistan.

In the end, it was the games against West Indies and Sri Lanka that came back to haunt them. Pakistan were bowled out for 105 runs against West Indies while their match against Sri Lanka was washed out.

Ultimately, Pakistan couldn’t replicate their heroics of the 1992 World Cup and had to settle for fifth place.

#4 Australia

Rating: 8/10

Australia has been the most consistent team in World Cup history

There is always something about the Australian team when it comes to the World Cup. They always seem to pull themselves through and deliver great performances and this year was no exception. Furthermore, David Warner and Steve Smith’s return only strengthened a misfiring batting lineup. Australia dominated the league stages and lost just two matches (one against India and the other against South Africa).

David Warner carried over his form from the IPL and finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 647 runs. His opening partner was no slouch either. Warner and Aaron Finch were the most destructive opening pair in the tournament. Steve Smith also chipped in with a few handy runs.

While Warner and Finch dominated with the bat, Mitchel Starc ripped through opponents with the ball. Starc finished as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. Despite dominant performances in the league stages, the Aussies struggled to beat long-time rivals and the hosts England in the semi-final succumbing to their first-ever semi-final defeat in their World Cup history.

#3 India

Rating: 8.5/10

India the most dominant team in this World Cup

Much like Australia, India too dominated the league stages of the World Cup. Overall, India performed like a well-oiled machine. Unlike most teams, India didn’t rely on a few players. Instead, nearly every player contributed in each match. Everyone knew their roles and played their parts to perfection.

Rohit Sharma was the standout performer for India with five centuries. ‘The Hitman’ was heading into the World Cup low on confidence due to his poor form. But once the tournament got underway, Rohit delivered the performance of his life.

India topped the points table with seven wins and one loss out of their nine games.

Unfortunately for India, one poor performance against New Zealand in the semi-finals led to a billion heartbreaks and an emotional exit from the World Cup.

#2 New Zealand

Rating: 9/10

New Zealand made it to their second World Cup finals in a row

At the start of the World Cup, no one predicted that New Zealand would make the top four. But as usual, they punched above their weight. New Zealand had a tremendous start to their World Cup campaign by winning five out of their first six games.

However, they suffered a few setbacks and lost their last three league games which saw them finish in fourth place on the points table. Despite entering the semi-finals on a losing streak, New Zealand showed a lot of grit and determination against India and sealed their place in the finals.

However, the Kiwis failed to lift the trophy after a terrific performance in the finals against England which saw both teams tied up even after the completion of the super over. However, England lifted the trophy due to the ICC’s boundary count rule.

Kane Williamson was New Zealand’s standout player with 578 runs and he was named the Player of the Tournament. Though the Kiwis didn't win the World Cup, they won a lot of hearts for the way they conducted themselves throughout the tournament.

#1 England

Rating: 9/10

England lifted their maiden World Cup trophy after beating New Zealand in the finals

England were the overwhelming favourites heading into the World Cup with several dominant performances over the past year. They were cruising along nicely at the start of the tournament, but a few minor setbacks against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia put them in danger of an embarrassing exit from the tournament.

Luckily, they were able to pull themselves together and win their remaining few games to qualify for the semi-finals. After dominating Australia in the semi-finals, the went on to face New Zealand in their fourth final. Ben Stokes stood out as the star performer in the finals after he pulled England through a tricky situation and his performance was a testimony to the determination that this side possessed.

Their efforts earned them a World Cup trophy and prize money of $4,240,000 – the highest prize money till date in an ICC Cricket World Cup.