There has been a format change to simplify the competition and keep supporters on the edge of their seats. Rather than the old Super Six grouping, now all ten teams will play each other in a round robin to decide the four best sides that go on to contest the semi-finals.

N̶e̶l̶s̶o̶n̶'̶s̶ ̶C̶o̶l̶u̶m̶n̶
Nelson's Wickets

To mark 💯 days to go until #CWC19, cricket has taken over Trafalgar Square! pic.twitter.com/XsnbiIysvr

— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) February 19, 2019

It will accelerate the tournament and (hopefully) minimise the number of dead rubber matches and, while the newset-up has been criticised for minimising the number of associate nations that get the chance to compete on this global stage, at least the improving Afghanistan will have another opportunity to shine.

Given their home advantage, England will start as favourite – that has been confirmed by the latest Cricket World Cup betting odds from Oddschecker, in which the Lions are priced at 23/10 to win their first ever 50-over world title.

But they can expect fierce competition from the likes of India, South Africa, Pakistan and possibly even defending champions Australia.

According to the ICC’s ODIrankings, England are the finest purveyors of 50-over cricket on the planet.

India might have something to say about that, but in typically British conditions – green wickets and the ball hopping around, you would be hard-pressed to argue with the assertion of the bookies that England are a worthy favourite.

Unlike the test team, which has experienced something of a tonking in the Caribbean this winter, Eoin Morgan’s red-shirted army is a settled team of outstanding performers in limited overs cricket.

The exciting Jason Roy tends to get things off to an explosive start, while Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Morgan himself remain more than capable of magnificence.

Arguably, Joe Root – free from the shackles of the test captaincy – is the jewel in the crown. The Yorkshireman is ranked fourth by the ICC, and his back-to-backcenturies in the series against India last summer proved to be pivotal.

You could argue that the bowling attack is functional, rather than mind-blowin, but, even so, in Adil Rashid the Lions have a proven match winner.

Cheered-on by a passionate home support, it’s hard to see England not reaching the knockout phase at the very least.

There’s no doubt about it: India boast some of the best ODI players in the game.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are ranked first and second in the ICC batting standings, while Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are all ranked in the bowling top-five too.

But do any of these players really thrive in English conditions? Kohli could bat well on the deck of a submarine, but that’s because he’s truly world class. As for the others, Chahal’s devilish spin is smothered by lifeless pitches and Yadav and Bumrah struggle to extract the bounce that makes them so effective elsewhere.

Will Babar Azam be able to play the moving ball? Will Mustafizur Rahman be as effective in Britain as he is on the sub-continent?

Cricket is becoming almost two different sports: one played in swinging conditions like England, New Zealand and South Africa, and one where spin bowling dominated in Asia.

Naturally, in English conditions, it is the hosts who have a supreme advantage.