3 Possible World Cup final matches next year

The ICC World Cup 2019 will start on May 30th next year with the hosts England taking on South Africa in London. The tournament will end on July 14th with the final taking place at The Lords. This edition, ten teams will slug it out for the trophy over a period of 45 days.

A total of 45 games would take place in the group stage before proceeding to the knockout stages. The top four teams will face each other as a part of the semi-finals. Thus, this World Cup will be a true test of a team's strength and determination.

On that note, based on recent performances and the composition of the squad, we can expect one of these five matches to be played on July 14 at the Lords which will decide the World Cup winners.

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#1 England Vs India

An India-England match looks very likely in the final of the World Cup next year

If India, England, South Africa, and New Zealand finish the group stages in the same order, then an Inda vs England final can be expected at the Lords. India and England start as the clear favorites to lift the trophy and the closing match between them could be a fitting end to the tournament.

In earlier editions, there was very less time for a team to afford to get their team combination right. However, with each team getting nine full matches in the group stages, the stronger and well-balanced teams stand a chance of laying their hands on the trophy. Though there could be upsets throughout the tournament, the teams finishing in the top four will be the well-deserved ones only.

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#2 India Vs South Africa

South Africa has a good chance of reaching the final next year

If England fail to get past the Proteas in the semi-finals, then the South African team could have a good chance of winning their first major ICC Trophy. The Faf Du Plessis led side has been weakened considerably due to the departure of AB De Villiers and that could be a troubling factor for them.

However, they have a good balance in the squad with good all-rounders and fast bowlers which could take them all the way in the tournament. Beating the strong Indian line-up would be difficult as the Indian team would have found their balance by then.

#3 England Vs New Zealand

England-New Zealand final could be a possibility

Chances are very less that both India and England would slip up in the semis. Hence, this match could be a possibility in the final next year. New Zealand has already been there in the previous edition and they will look to repeat the same in the upcoming edition too.

However, considering the lack of games that the New Zealand team have played in recent times could be a stumbling block for them. They can only scrape through to the Top four if they can beat Pakistan and Australia and beating India in the knockout stages will be a monumental task.

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#4 Australia vs South Africa

Australia-South Africa would be an interesting match for the final

Australia and South Africa have been a part of many thrilling encounters in recent times. Both these pace-heavy teams will look to use the England pitches to their advantage.

Although Australia does not look likely to be in the knockout stages, the return of Steven Smith and David Warner before the World Cup could give them the tag of the "dark horse" in the mega event next year.

#5 India vs Pakistan

Every cricket fan would hope for this match in the final

Very few expected an India-Pakistan match in the final of the ICC Champions trophy. Almost no one expected the Pakistan Cricket team to win it. However, both of these eventualities happened and cricket could provide us with such unpredictable events very often.

An India-Pakistan match in the final of the World Cup would do a world of good to the game of cricket. A better opportunity will not be available to promote the game and considering Pakistan's slow rise in the limited-overs format, it could be a possibility.

However, it would be an uphill task for the Pakistan team to reach the top four by defeating other big teams. If they can stabilize their batting order before the World Cup, the Pakistan team can still spring a surprise.

India is one of the clear favorites to lift the trophy and doing so by defeating Pakistan in the final would be the best possible scenario for an Indian fan.