World Cup 2019: 3 Factors that pre-tournament favourites need to be wary of

The ICC World Cup, the biggest tournament in the sport, kicks off in England on 30th May this year. The format of this World Cup is quite interesting, with every team having to play each of the nine other participating teams, and the best four teams progressing to the semifinals.

There are a few strong squads like England, Australia and India, who are all hot favorites to win the World Cup. Though their World Cup squad on paper looks very balanced, there are a few factors which can knock even the strongest of teams out of the World Cup.

On examining some key matches of the last few World Cups, there are some factors that can knock even the strongest of teams out of the World Cup.

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#1 Format of the tournament

Mushfiqur Rahim celebrates Bangladesh's win over India in the 2007 World Cup

As mentioned above, each team has to play all the other nine teams of the World Cup, and you'd think each team would need to win at least six of their nine games to safely secure a spot in the semis.

A couple of hard-fought defeats against the top sides, and an upset from one of the lower-rated teams and a loss here and there, can easily knock even a top side out of the World Cup.

In the 2007 World Cup, India lost to Bangladesh and a hard-fought defeat against Sri Lanka knocked India out of the tournament. An upset from Ireland caused Pakistan's exit from the same World Cup.

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#2 An outstanding performance from an opposition player

Adam Gilchrist's 149 blew Sri Lanka away in the final of the 2007 World Cup

Sometimes, there is an outstanding display of batting or bowling from an opposition player which can single-handedly knock you out of the game. If this type of performance comes in a do-or-die match like a semifinal or a final, the chances of lifting the trophy becomes very bleak.

Adam Gilchrist's brilliant innings of 149 against Sri Lanka in the 2007 final blew Sri Lanka away, and Australia lifted the crown for the third time in a row.

Similarly, Ricky Ponting's brilliant 140 in the final in 2003 cost India dear, with the Men in Blue losing to Australia by a huge margin of 125 runs.

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#3 Key moments

Grant Elliott's stunning assault propelled New Zealand against South Africa in the 2015 World Cup semifinal

Winning key moments in do-or-die games is really an important factor which determines the fate of the team.

If luck is not on your side, catches can be dropped, bizarre mix-ups and run-outs can cost you a match. The 2015 World Cup semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa was a prime example of such a match where the pendulum swung from one team to another. The Kiwis dropped AB de Villiers, who later propelled the Proteas score, along with Faf du Plessis, to 281 in 43 overs (after the match was shortened due to rain).

After a good start with the bat, the Kiwis collapsed in the middle and were reeling. Grant Elliott was their only hope, whom South Africa dropped a catch off, and missed a couple of run out chances in the closing stages, when Elliott was batting with the tail.

He survived those key moments and when 5 runs were required of the last 2 deliveries, he smashed a full delivery from Dale Steyn into the Eden Park stands, and New Zealand were in the final. The Proteas were left in despair even after playing so well. They lost some seemingly insignificant, but key moments of the match, leading to their exit from the World Cup Down Under.

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