ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Ranking the Middle Orders of the 10 Teams

2019 is upon us and this year will host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 which is the most awaited cricketing tournament. The tournament is to be held in a round-robin format where each team plays the other nine teams once and the top four teams will make it to the semi-finals while the rest will be eliminated. The challenging format of the tournament asks a lot from teams. Consistency and fitness will be key for all the teams in both batting and bowling.

The middle order of teams is of key importance in a tournament like the World Cup as this provides something for the top order batsmen to lean on.

In this segment, we will rank the middle order of all the 10 teams.

Note: Players who bat from positions No.4,5,6 & 7 have been considered as middle order.

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#10- Afghanistan

Expected Middle Order: Hasmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran

Afghanistan is clearly the batting weaklings of the tournament with most of their hope resting on their twin spinners in Rashid and Mujeeb. They might throw a surprise or two but their middle-order is clearly the weakest.

Hasmatullah Shahidi is expected to be the anchor of their batting lineup taking up No.4 Position. Skipper Asghar Afghan is expected to come in next followed by Nabi and Zadran.

Though these batsmen have scored runs in the Asia Cup and against teams like Ireland, they must know that the World Cup is on a totally different level. Sure, they can shine against all the odds and prove everyone wrong. However, based on stats, Afghanistan's middle order looks the weakest on paper.

#9- West Indies

Windies team will look to build their middle-order around Shimron Hetmyer

Expected Middle Order: Marlon Samuels, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder

West Indies had a torrid time in 2018 and their poor batting and bowling performances are the proof. They have discovered many young talents like Hetmyer, Hope and Thomas yet their middle-order doesn't give us enough hope.

Marlon Samuels, the most experienced batsman in their side hasn't had a great time and has to seriously up his game if the team wants results. Hetmyer is an exciting prospect but his lack of experience and match practice on England tracks might prove a problem for him.

Shai Hope can adapt but he should play in the top three. The Windies need to do something extraordinary if they want to invoke hope in their fans that their middle-order will fire.

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#8- Sri Lanka

Expected Middle Order: Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Asela Gunaratne and Thisara Perera

One will not want such a talented Sri Lankan middle-order to end up so low in the ranking. However, they haven't delivered too many performances worth appreciation. Dinesh Chandimal has been good but his form against the top ODI teams poses some problems. He managed just 153 runs in five matches against England in Sri Lanka and is struggling for runs in New Zealand.

Kusal Mendis has looked aggressive with his batting but hasn't looked too convincing as to whether he can stand the pressure of batting in a World Cup.

Thisara Perera just smashed a 100 against New Zealand reminding the cricketing fraternity that he was still there. It remains a doubt if they will be able to reboot before the World Cup gets underway.

#7- Bangladesh

Bangladesh will look to bring is some inspiring World Cup performances

Expected Middle Order: Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah

Bangladesh has done a good job in rebuilding their batting order, especially their middle order, before the World Cup. However, despite possessing talented players, the team seems to be a tad weak when we compare them to the World Cup standards.

Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan are undoubtedly the world-class players. However, whether Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar can withstand the pressure in case of a top-order failure is a cause for concern.

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#6- Australia

Expected Middle Order: Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell

Australia's batting has been through a turbulent time as most players looks unsettled. With Steve Smith and David Warner set to make a return, the situation surely will become better and if Warner, Finch, and Khawaja play up top, then Smith can provide the anchoring role for players like Stoinis and Maxwell to finish. Their slot for a wicketkeeper has been hanging and it will most likely go to Alex Carey.

He has been tried out in different positions but the one at the top of the order seems to suit him better but he has to shift for the team's good.

Smith and Warner haven't played International cricket and their entry will upset the balance of the team. It will lead to dropping players like Shaun Marsh who is good form the Australian ODI side.

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#5- India

Expected Middle Order: Ambati Rayudu, Kedhar Jadhav, M.S. Dhoni, Hardik Pandya

India has had a turbulent time with their middle-order and getting it right seems to be a really tough job. With many options coming in and going out, the only constant In India's middle-order is MS Dhoni and even his form is on the dip.

Ambati Rayudu seems to have secured the No.4 spot but with time remaining before the World Cup, someone might come out of the blue and grab his spot.

It is a toss-up between Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik and it remains to be seen if Rishabh Pant will make forays into the team. With Hardik Pandya in trouble, the Indian middle-order is in a lot of confusion and need to get thing sorted before the World Cup.

#4- Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the favorites to win the quadrennial tournament

Expected Middle Order: Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim

Pakistan has had a decent outing in ODIs in the past few years as their middle-order has set into a decent shape. Shoaib Malik and Mohammed Hafeez's presence has given the batting order a focal-points to revolve around as they have played with good intent.

Captain Sarfraz Ahmed's lack of form is a matter of concern for the side. Imad Wasim, the bowling all-rounder is most likely to occupy the No.7 spot while Asif Ali can give some competition.

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#3- New Zealand

Expected Middle Order: Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Jimmy Neesham, T.Seifert

New Zealand has had a rebooted time in their middle-order as Ross Taylor seems to have turned up and their batting order looks settled. Kane Williamson has been in fine nick and with Taylor following him, it is a very tough job to break through their batting order.

Henry Nicholls has slowly started converting his form in Tests into ODIs and has settled into this team as Jimmy Neesham has returned to the team with a bang. It remains to be seen if Tim Seifert will play in the World Cup.

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#2- South Africa

Expected Middle Order: Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwayne Pretorius

South Africa, despite the exit of AB de Villiers, has a very settled and strong middle-order. Faf Du Plessis has been in splendid form and so has David Miller who has scored runs at will. Heinrich Klaasen has had an on and off run of games but there is a lot of potential in him.

The Proteas have all-rounder options like Chris Morris, Dwayne Pretorius, and Phehlukwayo. Despite a few uncertainties, the Proteas' middle-order has a looks formidable.

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#1- England

Expected Middle Order: Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali

The No.1 ODI side, England, undoubtedly have the best middle order and are well settled. Skipper Eoin Morgan has been in fine nick and can build the innings or can carry the momentum started by their blazing top order. Ever-reliable Ben Stokes take the No.5 spot. He is certainly a great batsman and fits perfectly at No. 5.

Jos Buttler has been their best middle order batter and has played few fine knocks and has finished off many games. Moeen Ali can bowl and is no slouch with the bat as well, he has a couple of hundreds to his name and good stats. Their middle order is well settled and certainly, the best and they will be favorites to win the World Cup at home.