[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi ©, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq.

Almost nine years on from their fairytale debut in a major ICC tournament, Afghanistan's record remains as it was in spring 2015: one solitary one-wicket victory over Scotland the fading feather in their cap. There should have been at least one more scalp in 2019, when then-skipper Gulbadeen Naib had Pakistan on the ropes until he bowled himself in the final over of the match - despite other bowlers with better figures being available to him - and threw it away; alas, these are the hard lessons Afghanistan have had to learn on the pitch while chaos and madness have engulfed their country off it.

But with Jonathan Trott at the helm the Afghans do seem to be evolving nicely, blooding talented youth while keeping experienced heads at the heart of the team. The latter category includes the last two veterans from that legendary triumph over Scotland, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi, as well as stalwarts like Rashid Khan and Naveen ul Haq (called up after almost three years absent from ODIs, and apparently intending to be T20-exclusive again in future). For the youngsters, hype can often prove premature: left-handed opener Hazratullah Zazai was the Next Big Thing in 2019, but barely played another ODI beyond that tournament after failing to adjust his T20 style to the longer format; his successors are the settled opening partnership of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, both born in a six-week period when US forces were sweeping into their country in late 2001. Alongside the spin arsenal of Rashid, Mujeeb and Nabi, 23-year-old left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi will also be looking to swing the new ball and nail slow yorkers at the death. The promise of seeing Afghanistan finally unleashed on World Cup surfaces that suit their spinners is tantalising, though events in the Asia Cup suggest there's still a way to go before the upstarts can consistently deliver against their regional neighbours; certainly the pressure is on Rashid Khan, whose career stats against the nine other teams in this tournament are a passable 41 wickets from 30 matches at 28.80, to become the true generational great he has the potential to be.

Lacking the consistency and the strength in depth to make it all the way, Afghanistan should at least be the possessors of another World Cup scalp or two by November, and you can only hope that prospect is a beacon for their countrymen scattered to the four corners of the world, pitching wickets like sacred totems wherever they go.

Highest World Cup total: 288 vs West Indies (Headingley, 2019)
Lowest World Cup total: 111-7 vs England (Sydney, 2015)
Highest World Cup innings: 96, Samiullah Shenwari vs Scotland (Dunedin, 2015)
Best World Cup bowling figures: 4-30, Mohammed Nabi vs Sri Lanka (Cardiff, 2019)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Najibullah Zadran, 353 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Dawlat Zadran, 14 wickets


Tournament Schedule: Bangladesh, India, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Australia, South Africa

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Squad: Shakib Al Hasan ©, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, Mahmudullah.

Like Afghanistan, Bangladesh will be rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of an Asian World Cup, but their goal should be higher than merely a win or two. Having a 70% win rate in ODIs so far this decade, the Tigers must regard 2023 as an opportunity to pounce.

Granted, the tournament hasn't come at the best of times in terms of injury, and the hokey-cokey retirement and near-immediate comeback of Tamim Iqbal demonstrates that Bangladesh have had the same personnel problems as other nations in the run-up to this World Cup. Nevertheless, a batting order of Tamim, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim and talismanic skipper Shakib will acquit themselves well more often than not; an ongoing cultural aversion to wrist-spinners (in a country where bowlers are frequently judged on economy rates) led the BCB to issue a bizarre proclamation four years ago that all Bangladeshi first-class sides must field a leggy in each match, and even extended the demand to the nation's premier T20 competition, but the policy has borne no fruit for the national team as yet, who are obliged to employ an Indian leg-spinner just for batting practice. Instead, the Tigers will be sticking with their tried-and-tested pace attack - veteran left-armer Mustafizur "The Fizz" Rahman makes the squad, but has been playing second fiddle recently to youngster Shoriful Islam, while Taskin Ahmed is the genuine quick in the line-up - and spin duties will be divided between offy Mehidy Hasan, left-arm orthodoxes Nasum Ahmed and Shakib and a battery of part-timers.

They may not be nailed on for the semis, but it would be a disappointment for Bangladesh not to at least be in the hunt for a top four place in the group a month from now.

Highest World Cup total: 333-8 vs Australia (Trent Bridge, 2019)
Lowest World Cup total: 58 vs West Indies (Dhaka, 2011)
Highest World Cup innings: 128*, Mahmudullah vs New Zealand (Hamilton, 2015)
Best World Cup bowling figures: 5-29, Shakib Al Hasan vs Afghanistan (Southampton, 2019)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Shakib Al Hasan, 1,146 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Shakib Al Hasan, 34 wickets


Tournament Schedule: Afghanistan, England, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Netherlands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Squad: Dasun Shanaka ©, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha.

The X-Files. Friends. The Spice Girls. Gazza's goal against Scotland. Lager, lager, lager, lager, mega mega white thing. It's only when you start listing the memories that you truly realise how long ago 1996 was, and nothing feels further away than Sri Lanka winning the World Cup. More astounding still, it's only been a dozen years since the Golden Generation were losing finalists in the last Indian World Cup, but the ensuing decline has seen them finish as quarter-finalists in 2015 and group stagers in 2019, then go through the qualifiers for this tournament; they haven't made the knockouts of an ICC white ball event at the last five attempts. Although they waltzed through qualification - the rot hasn't yet reached West Indian proportions - they've since lost their principal spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and principal seamer Dushmantha Chameera to injury, and though they reached the Asia Cup final against India last month, it proved a rank humiliation in which they were bundled out for 50 by Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya in scarcely fifteen overs.

Silver linings? Before getting spanked like a village outfit in the big showdown, they managed a couple of decent wins over Bangladesh and edged out Afghanistan and Pakistan in tight encounters, so there's clearly life in Sri Lanka yet. Despite a two year break from ODIs, Kusal Mendis has been a run-machine at number three, and opener Pathum Nissanka shone over the summer (though found the Asia Cup harder going); whether Nissanka is partnered at the top by Kusal Perera or Dimuth Karunaratne seems like a game-by-game choice, but the middle order of Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya da Silva and captain Dasun Shanaka is settled, even if their consistency leaves something to be desired (the skipper has only made it into double figures twice since the first week of June, both times against Bangladesh). Lasith Malinga and Suranga Lakmal have both called time since 2019, but the off-breaks of Maheesh Theekshana returned 19 wickets in qualification, ably supported by Asalanka, while two twenty-year-olds - Matheesha Pathirana and Dunith Wellalage - were heavily among the wickets at the Asia Cup, the latter particularly exciting with 5-40 against India last month as the left-arm finger-spinner deputised for the absent Hasaranga. Kasun Rajitha completes the pace armoury alongside Pathirana, but it's Wellalage who's captured the imagination of a nation in economic and political turmoil and desperate for a hero. If Sri Lanka are to make an impact in 2023 and beyond, then the young man who counted Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Babar Azam among his September scalps will be the one to watch.

Highest World Cup total: 398-5 vs Kenya (Kandy, 1996)
Lowest World Cup total: 86 vs West Indies (Manchester, 1975)
Highest World Cup innings: 161*, Tillakaratne Dilshan vs Bangladesh (Melbourne, 2015)
Best World Cup bowling figures: 6-25, Chaminda Vaas vs Bangladesh (Pietermaritzburg, 2003)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Kumar Sangakkara, 1,532 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Muttiah Muralitharan, 68 wickets


Tournament Schedule: South Africa, Pakistan, Australia, Netherlands, England, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Squad: Scott Edwards ©, Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikramjit Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.

It would, perhaps, be a tad hypocritical for an England fan like myself to refer to this Netherlands side - the first to grace a World Cup since 2011 - as the Southern Hemisphere Select XI, but with only a third of the squad actually born in the Low Countries (another third hailing from South Africa, while the remainder began their lives in India, New Zealand or Tonga, in the captain's case), it's nevertheless a fact that no World Cup side has ever featured so many "adopted" players before. But whatever their provenance, the men in orange swept aside the opposition in Zimbabwe this summer - including the West Indies, who finally miss their first tournament after barely scraping into the 2019 edition - to become the sole Associate minnow in amongst the Test giants.

And they do deserve the tenth berth, having tied a chase of 375 with the Windies then won the super over thanks to Logan van Beek hitting 4-6-4-6-6-4 and promptly defending that 30 with the ball, before homegrown hero Bas de Leede took five wickets and scored 123 from 92 balls against Scotland to take his country over the line, becoming only the fourth player in ODI history to achieve five-fer and a century in one game. It's De Leede and county stalwart Colin Ackermann who'll carry the top order behind openers Vikram Singh and Max O'Dowd, while wicketkeeping skipper Scott Edwards anchors the middle order. Paul van Meekeren brings pace to an attack that already features the crafty Van Beek and Ryan Klein; spin, however, is liable to be the Dutch Achilles heel, with the Oranjes relying on a pair of 20-year-olds - offy Aryan Dutt and leggy Shariz Ahmed - while recalling Roelof van der Merwe at the age of 38, following a two-year absence from one-dayers, as a left-arm orthodox option.

In the twenty World Cup games the Dutch have played to date they've managed two victories, against Namibia in 2003 and Scotland in 2007, and that kind of average should theoretically see them pick up a third at this edition, but it'll be a tough ask against such strong opposition. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan would be the likeliest candidates for an upset, but both games take place in the low-scoring, spin-friendly conditions at Lucknow that are almost certain to favour the Asian sides; the pace and power of the men in orange may be better employed at Dharamshala, where they take on South Africa in their third match. A Dutch win in that encounter would certainly be a historic slice of cricketing fratricide, but realistically, the Netherlands should look first and foremost to enjoy the experience on the big stage, relish any scare they might give a big team, and knock off a few personal bests in preparation for 2027.

Highest World Cup total: 314-4 vs Namibia (Bloemfontein, 2003)
Lowest World Cup total: 115 vs West Indies (Delhi, 2011)
Highest World Cup innings: 134*, Klaas-Jan van Noordwijk vs Namibia (Bloemfontein, 2003)
Best World Cup bowling figures: 4-35, Tim de Leede vs India (Paarl, 2003)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Ryan ten Doeschate, 435 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Tim de Leede, 14 wickets


Tournament Schedule: Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, England, India

[themaclad]

England hammered absolutely hammered

[Lord Snooty]

It was like that in the recent series with NZ. We'd hammer them,, then they'd hammer us.

Long way to go yet. At least it's not a straight knock out yet.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Not much to be done except put it to one side and concentrate on Bangladesh and Afghanistan next week. That said, Stokes can't get fit again soon enough, because Moeen batting at 5 is absurd; he hasn't functioned as anything except a finisher for years, the days when he could dig in and build a patient partnership are long gone, so he either blitzkriegs his way to a score or gets out for small change. Granted he's not the only one, there are a couple of other names in the side selected because they've hit a few T20/Hundred sixes, which isn't the skill-set you need when you're on the ropes in a 50-over innings; pack the middle with pinch-hitters and you get what you deserve.

We'll get a better idea of what the seamers can do at Dharamshala on Tuesday, though I worry about Rashid's shoulder when it comes to spin, he seemed out of sorts against the Kiwis.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Encouragement for the Netherlands as they bowled out Pakistan for 286 in Hyderabad with an over to spare, but experience told in the second innings as the Oranjes couldn't quite do it with the bat despite half-centuries for Vikram Singh and Bas de Leede, who also became the fourth Dutchman to take a World Cup four-fer after Feiko Kloppenburg, Azeel Raja and his own father Tim (all of them twenty years ago in Zimbabwe). As expected, the Hyderabad pitch favoured pacers with three wickets for Haris Rauf as well.

Double-header of intriguing encounters tomorrow as Afghanistan face Bangladesh up in the Himalayas, while South Africa take on Sri Lanka in the capital.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Afghanistan started well but fell to pieces in the middle overs with some poor shots against tight, disciplined Bangladeshi bowling; butterfingers in the field then prevented them making any kind of defence of a low total. Total carnage and records tumbling on a flat deck in Delhi meanwhile: a new fastest World Cup century from Aiden Markram, shaving one ball off Kevin O'Brien's 2011 best, in the course of South Africa setting a new highest total (428-5 surpassing Australia's 417-6 in 2015) and a new highest aggregate courtesy of Sri Lanka's spirited but doomed chase led by a swashbuckling Kusal Mendis.

Big one tomorrow as India open their World Cup in Chennai against Australia.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Job done comfortably up north for England, 137-run win over Bangladesh coming courtesy of 140 from Dawid Malan (just 19 runs short of a new best England World Cup innings) and a Reece Topley four-fer. Absolutely the right move to drop Moeen for him.

From a broader perspective, Bangladesh's chase summed up a fatal shortcoming of the fifty-over game: when one team sets a big total and then bulldozes the other team's top order with the new ball, effectively ending the match as a serious contest, forty overs is a long old time to sit and watch them go through the motions to get to the inevitable. It's the same with all white-ball cricket, but at least a one-sided T20 is done within an hour of the chasing team collapsing. No complaints from an England POV, obviously, but with this format on the ropes, you do wonder if something could be introduced - batting & bowling bonus points, maybe? - to give it that extra distinction from the shortest forms and maintain a bit of interest and spice when a beaten side is just stroking it around to protect their net run-rate.