CWC 2019: Top 5 teams in the tournament on the basis of batting strength

The ICC World Cup 2019 in England is just 28 days away and every cricket fan in the world is waiting in anticipation for the mega tournament. With the squads of all 10 teams announced, everyone looks set for the world's spectacle in England.

Before going on, here are the squads of all the 10 teams:

1) India

Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik (wk), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja

2) Pakistan

Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik (vc), Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hasnain.

3) England

Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jos Buttler (vc & wk), Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

4) Afghanistan

Gulbadin Naib (c), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan and Mujeeb ur Rahman

5) Australia

Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (vc & wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

6) Bangladesh

Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah Riyad, Shakib Al Hasan (vc), Mohammad Mithun (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed

7) New Zealand

Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (vc), Ross Taylor

8) South Africa

Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock (vc & wk), David Miller, JP Duminy, Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi

9) Sri Lanka

Dimith Karunaratne (c), Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis (wk), Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal

10) West Indies

Jason Holder (c), Evin Lewis, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Nicholas Pooran, Oshane Thomas, Shai Hope (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Fabien Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Ashley Nurse.

With the squads assembled, let's talk about the kind of pitches that will be on show at the World Cup. England have made drastic changes to their pitches as there is movement available and most of the pitches are hard and batting friendly

So, expect some high scoring games. Also, the small grounds make things worse for the bowlers. Keeping all this in mind, one can tell the impact batters will have on every match and in this slideshow, we state the top 5 teams in terms of batting strength.

---

#5 West Indies

Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope

As long as batting power goes, West Indies might have the most intimidating batting order in the tournament. With the addition of Andre Russell, West Indies now look like a side who can cause trouble to any opposition.

Their openers will be Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, both of whom can strike the long ball and the former's form will play a huge role in West Indies' chances this year. Their middle order is also full of firepower with the likes of Darren Bravo, Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer.

Also, they seem to have the two match winning all-rounders in their skipper, Jason Holder and Russell. The weak point of West Indies is their bowling lineup but if that department can step up, West Indies will be real contenders for this year.

#4 New Zealand

Kane Williamson

Last World Cup's finalists, New Zealand have seen the quality of their side drop over the last couple of years but that doesn't make them pushovers. Their opening combination consists Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, both of whom are very experienced at the top level.

Their middle order is where their strength lies with the likes of Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Tom Latham to follow. With the wickets in England expected to be flat, this batting order is capable of doing damage to any bowling attack.

Their lower middle order also has some firepower with the likes of Colin de Granddhome and Jimmy Nesham. The heart of this batting order is in the hands of Guptill, Williamson, and Taylor, a lot will depend on their performances.

---

#3 Australia

Glenn Maxwell

The defending champions Australia come into this tournament on the back of some huge series wins against India and Pakistan. Also, the additions of Steve Smith and David Warner gives this team a brilliant look at the top.

Australian captain, Aaron Finch alongside an in-form Warner form a formidable opening pair. Their middle order also has strength in depth with the likes of Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh to follow.

They also have the necessary firepower required towards the end with Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis. The defending champions are a formidable unit and they would be looking to bounce back from their recent downfall.

#2 India

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

India is the team which starts as favorites alongside England for the ICC World Cup 2019. One big reason for that is India's top three. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are arguably the best opening pair going around in the world and they love batting in ICC tournaments.

Coming to the middle order, India the world's best ODI batsman in their skipper Virat Kohli and that makes up India's fab three. Number 4 is a bit of a problem but the men in blue have enough options at that spot with the likes of KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, and Vijay Shankar.

The lower middle order of this team is absolutely great. The likes of MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya add that decisive firepower to this Indian unit. If India's middle order is up to the task, this batting unit will be hard to stop.

---

#1 England

Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow

Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are the openers of England and both of them are attacking in nature. These two have really stepped up in the last year and a half, and they are vital for England's chances on the grand stage.

The wickets on offer in England have supported batting and both these men have a terrific record in their home country. England have a brilliant middle order with some touch players and powerhitters.

Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler have been a mainstay in the middle order and all of them have the capability to take the game away in the middle overs. Buttler and Morgan are match winners and when they get set, it is difficult to stop them.

England bat very deep with the likes of Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett to complete the lower middle order. All in all, the host nation seems to have the best batting lineup