[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

The runaway titans of World Cup cricket, victors four times in the last five tournaments, and so successful overall that they might as well have their name permanently engraved on the trophy, no one gave Australia a prayer twelve months ago. Smith and Warner were banned and disgraced, the Aussies were thumped by England down under and then whitewashed in the UK, and it seemed the perennial champs couldn't buy an ODI win as they sank to sixth in the ICC rankings. But like a staggering old drunk who pulls himself together just as he reaches the bar, Australia have turned it round in 2019 with a whitewash of Pakistan and then a 3-2 turnaround in India. They defended a lowish total successfully against England in Saturday's warm-up, and suddenly they're looking like the team to beat all over again.

Peter Handscomb has missed out this year, and Josh Hazlewood has been passed over due to recovering from a back injury. Shoulder trouble ruled out Jhye Richardson in the preliminaries, so namesake Kane comes in to replace him, but otherwise Australia are as expected. Pat Cummins is on fire in 2019, stepping up to the plate in the absence of Hazlewood to take wickets as a new-ball and death bowler, and I'd expect his vein of form to continue. When it comes to weight of runs, Smith and Warner have got something to prove. The warm-up in Southampton showed exactly the kind of reception they'll be getting up and down the country this summer, but Smith's ensuing century suggested that it's just going to spur them on to greater heights. With Warner finishing top run-scorer in this year's IPL, the sight of the Cape Town Two raising their bats to a thunderous chorus of boos may well become a familiar sight in the coming months.

Highest World Cup total: 417-6 vs Afghanistan (Perth, 2015)
Lowest World Cup total: 129 vs India (Chelmsford, 1983)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Ricky Ponting, 1743 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Glenn McGrath, 71 wickets


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