The ideal finish for an elite tournament is to have the two best teams reach the final. The best result then is to have those two teams embroiled in a stirring finish.

If that occurred in the 2023 men’s 50-over cricket World Cup it would probably entail a great game between India and – despite their spluttering start – England. However, it’s not often we have a breathtaking 2019-style finish to a World Cup. In that tournament, a determined England overcame a gritty New Zealand on a contentious boundary-countback system.

The 2023 World Cup is the fairest format, where the ten competing teams all play each other. That way a winner can’t be accused of not having played one of the formidable teams.

India will start as favourites, with the most versatile squad in the competition, but they also play in home conditions. The second aspect could be either a blessing or a burden as there will be enormous expectation from an excitable fan base. How India cope with that burden will determine their length of stay in the tournament.

Apart from the home team and the defending champions, other sides likely to be contenders for the semi-finals are Australia, a feisty New Zealand, and the unpredictable but dangerous Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The uppermost thought of the groundsmen in this tournament should be that cricket is at its best when the bowlers have a chance of taking a wicket. The pitches will play their part; as the tournament goes on, wear and tear on the playing surfaces will determine the likely influence of talented spinners. It’s to be hoped that the pitches for the semi-final and final avoid any pitfalls and provide a true test of talent for the teams good enough to make it to the knockout stage.

The skilled and brave captains will have a big influence on their team’s fortunes but they must be prepared to make some important decisions.

Though bats have improved and boundaries are shorter, captains need to pick bowlers who are likely wicket-takers. The gap between thinking wickets or just relying on containment is wide, and reliance purely on the latter can hand a big advantage to good batters. Captains must also give attacking bowlers field placings that encourage taking wickets in ways other than bowled or lbw.

Captains must realise talented batters are hard to contain. However, they can’t score runs while sitting in the pavilion after being dismissed. Wickets do matter. Therefore, taking wickets in the middle overs is crucial and good spinners have a huge role to play. If the batting side is reduced to their tail in the final overs, you have a far greater chance of restricting a chase. If, however, the best batters are in and set during the final charge, the fielding side is generally in trouble.

This places an important emphasis on the decision at the toss – is it best to bat or bowl first? Obviously dew concerns play a part in that decision but batting first and posting a large total must be a consideration. Scoreboard pressure can be worth a couple of wickets to the fielding side if they bowl well after posting a sizeable total.

This also emphasises the importance of first-class fielding. The teams that hang on to difficult, important chances and effect tough run outs will give themselves a chance of victory.

Despite all the ramifications and difficult decisions, it’s crucial that teams remember a succinct but effective Richie Benaud philosophy: “The simpler you keep the game, the better off you’ll be.”

Based on form and financial clout, the big three – India, England and Australia – should all make the semi-finals. The team that takes fourth place will probably come from New Zealand, Pakistan or Sri Lanka.

A big concern for bilateral cricket is that finances are directly influencing form on the field. Nevertheless cricket also provides an arena for upsets and New Zealand, playing with their usual spirited determination, provided the first one in the opening fixture.