Cricket World Cup: Round Three Predictions!

Round Two of the CWC hasn't been going quite as well for me as Round One in either the predictor or the fantasy, though Australia's game with the West Indies is still ongoing. My gamble pick on Afghanistan didn't quite pay off despite them bowling well after the first few overs and I failed to get a Margin Point for the India and NZ wins.

Fair play to Bangladesh who look like a very good side and tested New Zealand far more than I expected. They of course have another very tough game in this upcoming round but look as though they'll give anyone a game.

Here are my thoughts on Round 3 which ends in two games that are very tough to call in my opinion. Let me know how many you agree with in the comments.

Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka ended up beating Afghanistan fairly comfortably but it certainly wasn't a strong performance and they look to have very little batting after their opening pair. The question therefore is how much they improve with some confidence after that much needed win? Pakistan are always going to feel slightly hit and miss but they're a far better side than SL and should win this game. Babar Azam will be their batsman to watch as usual and their experienced bowlers impressed against England. Prediction: Pakistan (easy)

England vs. Bangladesh

I agree with those saying that the timing of England's defeat against Pakistan isn't the worst in order to reduce the heavy favourites tag they've been carrying coming into this tournament, but losing to a team you've just hammered in an ODI series will still sting. They'll be determined to bounce back strongly in this one but Bangladesh have been good as I say and so much is going to depend on the pitch. If it's as green as we've seen in Sri Lanka's games, Bangladesh could put a lot of pressure on the England top order if they get a chance to bowl first (and vice versa of course). I expect England to win but may well change my margin after the toss. Prediction: England (comfortable)

Afghanistan vs. New Zealand

If you aren't familiar with Taunton as a venue, it certainly isn't the biggest, meaning you'd expect high scores but it has been known to be very kind to spinners in recent years. Therefore, New Zealand will certainly have something to think about when up against Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. As usual, most will depend on those two for Afghanistan while New Zealand have some very dangerous batsman in Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor who will be able to clear the rope with ease. I can only see a New Zealand victory and it could be a thrashing if they bat first and score more than 300/320. Let's go with that for now but I'll likely switch to easy if NZ are chasing. Prediction: New Zealand (thrashing)

India vs. Australia

An absolute monster clash. Australia are still playing against the Windies as I write this but they've already shown in the first innings how good they are by recovering from an awful start to still post nearly 300 with the bat. India have a similarly impressive batting lineup and can match Australia's seamers with the ball too. This one's virtually 50/50 in my opinion but for some reason I'm leaning more towards to India. They'll have a lot of support at the Oval and looked very composed against South Africa. I can see the game living up to expectations though and there could well be a tense finish. Prediction: India (narrow)

South Africa vs. West Indies

The Proteas continue to struggle and this is another tough game for them. They look short in all areas to be honest but there must surely come a point where they start winning a couple of games just because expectations have dropped and they can play with more freedom. The trouble is, there's now arguably more pressure on this game than any of the three they've lost so far since it's literally their last chance of keeping any kind of hope alive of progression to the playoffs. They're also playing a very good side. If Pakistan and most of the Australian team couldn't handle the short West Indies bowling than you have to worry for SA's batsmen who have kept getting themselves out with stupid shots. Prediction: West Indies (comfortable)

Best of luck to all!