World Cup 2015 Build Up + Predictions

The oldest current ICC World Competition

The richest current ICC World Competition title

Repeated competition format of 2011 

49 Games

44 Days

14 Teams

14 Venues

2 Countries

210 squad players

The 11th ICC World Cup
The 7th ICC World Cup of 50 overs cricket coloured clothing white ball use
The 8th ICC World Cup of 50 overs cricket 

After 23 years it returns to Australia and New Zealand

Current Holders = India

Most Titles = Australia times 4

Last winners in Australia and New Zealand = Pakistan 

A competition that 5 countries have won

Australia x 4
India x 2
West Indies x 2
Pakistan x 1
Sri Lanka x 1

England, New Zealand and South Africa have never won it

England have played in 3 World Cup finals and lost all

New Zealand and South Africa have never played a final

Australia have played in 6 finals
India have played in 3 finals
Sri Lanka have played in 3 finals
West Indies have played in 3 finals
England have played in 3 finals
Pakistan have played in 2 finals
New Zealand and South Africa have played in 0 finals

Australia won 3 World Cups in a row between 1999-2007

An Asian team has played in the last 6 World Cup finals

A hosting nation has only won one World Cup with India in 2011

Sri Lanka have played in 3 of the last 5 World Cup finals

Afghanistan will be playing their first World Cup

Ricky Ponting and Clive Lloyd have both won the World Cup twice as captain

Javed Miandad and Sachin Tendulkar played in a record 6 World Cups

Pakistan have had a different captain for each World Cup since 1999 as have England

Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Akram consider the World Cup win as the ultimate defining moment of their career 

Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia have played the most World Cup semis with 6/10

England have hosted 4 World Cups which is the most and do again in 2019 

2015 is only the 3rd time the ICC World Cup has a quarter final system in place, 2nd consecutive one

Sri Lanka are the only team to reach the last 4 in the last 3 ICC World Cups this century

Australia played in a record of 4 consecutive World Cup finals between 1996-2007

Glen McGrath holds the record for the most wickets in a World Cup campaign in 2007

Biggest Games

Pakistan vs India 
India vs South Africa
Pakistan vs West Indies
South Africa vs West Indies 

Australia vs Sri Lanka
New Zealand vs England
England vs Australia 
New Zealand vs Australia

Predictions

Group Games First (Big Ones)

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand = Sri Lanka
Australia vs England = England 
Pakistan vs India = India
New Zealand vs England = England 
Pakistan vs West Indies = Pakistan
India vs South Africa = India 
Pakistan vs South Africa = Pakistan 
West Indies vs India = India
England vs Sri Lanka = tie!
West Indies vs South Africa = South Africa
Australia vs New Zealand = New Zealand 
Sri Lanka vs Australia = Sri Lanka 

Afghanistan will beat Bangladesh and qualifier 3
Ireland will beat Zimbabwe and qualifier 4 
India will score 400+ vs Zimbabwe at Auckland 

QFs

England vs West Indies = England 
Sri Lanka vs South Africa = South Africa
Australia vs India = India 
Pakistan vs New Zealand = New Zealand

SFs

England vs New Zealand = England
India vs South Africa = South Africa 

Winners England
Runners Up South Africa
Semis: India and New Zealand 

Most Likely to win

1) England
2) India
3) New Zealand
4) Pakistan

Where I think they will finish

1) England
2) South Africa
3) India
4) New Zealand
5) Pakistan
6) Sri Lanka
7) Australia 
8) West Indies 
9) Ireland
10) Afghanistan
11) Bangladesh
12) Zimbabwe 
13) Scotland
14) UAE 

Biggest potential upset

England vs Bangladesh
West Indies vs Ireland 
Bangladesh vs Afghanistan
Zimbabwe vs Ireland