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In the run-up to this tournament, it's become all but a cliché for pundits to utter the words "don't write off New Zealand". And to be fair, if their World Cup history has been a tale of nearlys and might-have-beens, there's no doubting their pedigree and ability. Their first ever final in 2015 ended in disappointment, but the Kiwis now have that experience under their belt, and can potentially learn from it this summer.

Astle and Seifert are out, replaced by Tom Blundell and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi. Colin Munro and Martin Guptill are the hard-hitting opening pair that will seek to build a platform each game for Kane Williamson to take deep, and there's no doubting that the captain has the ability to do precisely that. Ross Taylor has remained a consistent run-scorer for over a decade now, and there's no shortage of clout in the middle-order too, with Colin de Grandhomme and Mitchell Santner huge hitters on their day. With the exception of the hosts, no team is more likely to be at home in English conditions than New Zealand, and that will work hugely to their advantage if Trent Boult can get the new ball swinging in to right-handers and away from lefties as he did so dangerously in 2015; alongside him, Tim Southee is searching for the four scalps that will make him the country's leading World Cup wicket-taker of all time.. The only question mark over the Kiwis is their lack of preparation against top-class opposition: of the thirteen ODIs they've played in the last year, they've whitewashed Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in six, but won only two of the remaining seven against heavyweights Pakistan and India. With what looks on paper to be the easiest start to the competition, they could build up early momentum to take them all the way, but a few stumbles under pressure could prove their undoing.

Highest World Cup total: 393-6 vs West Indies (Nelson, 2015)
Lowest World Cup total: 112 vs Australia (Port Elizabeth, 2003)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Stephen Fleming, 1075 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Jacob Oram & Daniel Vettori, 36 wickets


Tournament Schedule: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, Australia, England