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May Mania: My predictions for the 2019 Cricket World Cup

Submitted by rickeyre on May 29, 2019 - 6:17pm

In 2015 I predicted an Australia v New Zealand final, England missing the quarter-finals, and 32 winners in the 42-game group phase (one match abandoned and I somehow overlooked tipping Afghanistan v Australia).

In 2019, can I do better?

May 30: England to beat South Africa
May 31: West Indies to beat Pakistan
Jun 01: New Zealand to beat Sri Lanka
Jun 01: Australia to beat Afghanistan
Jun 02: Bangladesh to beat South Africa
Jun 03: Pakistan to beat England
Jun 04: Afghanistan to beat Sri Lanka
Jun 05: South Africa to beat India
Jun 05: New Zealand to beat Bangladesh
Jun 06: Australia to beat West Indies
Jun 07: Sri Lanka to beat Pakistan
Jun 08: England to beat Bangladesh
Jun 08: New Zealand to beat Afghanistan
Jun 09: India to beat Australia
Jun 10: West Indies to beat South Africa
Jun 11: Bangladesh to beat Sri Lanka
Jun 12: Pakistan to beat Australia
Jun 13: India to beat New Zealand
Jun 14: West Indies to beat England
Jun 15: Australia to beat Sri Lanka
Jun 15: South Africa to beat Afghanistan

Jun 16: India to beat Pakistan
Jun 17: West Indies to beat Bangladesh
Jun 18: England to beat Afghanistan
Jun 19: South Africa to beat New Zealand
Jun 20: Bangladesh to beat Australia
Jun 21: England to beat Sri Lanka
Jun 22: India to beat Afghanistan
Jun 22: West Indies to beat New Zealand
Jun 23: Pakistan to beat South Africa
Jun 24: Bangladesh to beat Afghanistan
Jun 25: Australia to beat England
Jun 26: New Zealand to beat Pakistan
Jun 27: India to beat West Indies
Jun 28: Sri Lanka to beat South Africa
Jun 29: Afghanistan to beat Pakistan
Jun 29: Australia to beat New Zealand
Jun 30: England to beat India

Jul 01: West Indies to beat Sri Lanka
Jul 02: India to beat Bangladesh
Jul 03: England to beat New Zealand
Jul 04: Afghanistan to beat West Indies
Jul 05: Bangladesh to beat Pakistan
Jul 06: India to beat Sri Lanka
Jul 06: Australia to beat South Africa

That leaves the teams at the end of the group phase:
Semi-finalists: India 7 wins, Australia, England and West Indies with 6.
Missing the semis: Bangladesh 5 wins, New Zealand 4, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Africa 3, Sri Lanka 2.
I have arbitrarily determined that Australia will finish second, England third, West Indies fourth.

Therefore, my predictions for the semi-finals:
Jul 09: India to beat West Indies
Jul 11: England to beat Australia.

With the producers of "Cricket World Cup Series Twelve" having successfully delivered an England versus India season finale, all I'm going to say from here is that Cricket will be the winner...
Until The Hundred comes along next year and ruins everything.