May 24th, 2019, Deepa Bhatia
In a survey of six countries who would be competing for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, India, Australia, and England stand the greatest chance to win
An international YouGov study of around 6700 people in 6 countries finds that people all over the world believe that one of the teams amongst India, Australia and England will win ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
We asked people which international cricket teams do they think will win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Respondents in the six surveyed countries named their home country as having the best chance of winning this year. However, excepting Pakistan, India is second in the list of teams most likely to win the World Cup amongst all the countries.
Overall, India, Australia and England appear to be the top contenders for the cup this year as said by respondents in all the surveyed countries. At the bottom of the list are Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who are believed to have the least chances of winning.
Patriotically, the biggest support for team India comes from Indians themselves, with three-quarter Indians (75%) saying India will win the cup this year. Other fans include Kiwis (22% of New Zealanders who think India will win) and Australians (16%).
Among Indians, Australia or New Zealand is the next best choice after India, however, only a very small proportion feels so. The five-time record winner- Australia, draws more support from Pakistan (with 14% Pakistanis saying they will win) and England and Wales (12%).
It is also interesting to note that the proportion of Indians saying India will win the cup far exceeds the proportion of respondents in other countries saying the same for their home country. An overwhelming 75% Indians said India is going to win the World Cup, as opposed to 54% Pakistan residents saying so for Pakistan and 46% South Africans saying the same for their country.
Fewer than half respondents in Australia (41%), England & Wales (27%) and New Zealand (24%) believe their own country will win the champions title.
It is no surprise that Indians love cricket, much more than people in other countries. Interest in cricket seems to be the highest among Indians (with 72% saying they are interested in cricket) and the lowest among the English and Welsh (20% saying so). Even South Africans and Pakistanis (67% each) have high levels of interest while Australians and New Zealanders (39% each) have a fairly decent level of interest in the game.
Most cricket fans across the world consider cricket to be a gentleman’s game, played to high standards of sporting ethics. Among the surveyed countries, Twenty20 is the most popular form of cricket in countries like India (with 62% saying this) and Pakistan (65%), test cricket is preferred in England & Wales (43%), and one-day cricket is the most popular in New Zealand (44%).