FAQs: All you need to know about the 2019 World Cup

Most games, including the semi-finals and final, begin at 10:30 UK time (15:00 IST). A few group games will begin at 13:30 UK time (18:00 IST). Most days feature only one game, with a few double-headers sprinkled into the mix. The semi-finals are on July 9 and 10, and the final is on July 14. For a full list of fixtures, click here.

This World Cup follows a round-robin format, which means the ten teams will all play each other once in the league phase. So that's nine games per team and 45 in total. Every win in the group stage gives a team two points. A tie or a no-result due to a match being abandoned fetch one point. The four teams with most points at the end of the league phase go to the semi-finals.

Then, the first thing considered is which team has won more games. So, if, for example, Bangladesh have ten points from four wins and two no-results, and Pakistan have ten points from five wins, Pakistan will go through. If both points and wins are equal, the team with the higher net run-rate qualifies. In the unlikely event that even net run-rates are equal, the winner of the head-to-head between the two teams qualifies.

There are Super Overs only in the semi-finals and final. This is a change from the past two World Cups, when a Super Over was available only for the final.

There are reserve days only for the semi-final and final. If the game is interrupted on the scheduled day, it will continue on the reserve day, and not begin afresh. There are no reserve days for the group games, but extra time has been allotted. A match can go on for 75 minutes past the scheduled close of play and, in some circumstances, the match referee can extend play by a further hour beyond that. Both sides need to have batted for at least 20 overs each to constitute a full game. Otherwise, as per usual ODI rules, the match ends in a no-result.

If this happens in the semis, then the team with the better league position advances. If the final cannot be completed even on the reserve day, both finalists share the trophy.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had been working on expanding the tournament since 1992, when only nine teams were involved, and the participation peaked in the 2007 edition, which featured 16 teams. However, after the last World Cup in 2015, the ICC decided that some of the weaker teams were not competitive enough to be part of the tournament (Television ratings for games between the weaker teams were also low). So, the tournament was made smaller, with the top eight teams according to the official rankings (as of September 30, 2017) qualifying automatically, and West Indies and Afghanistan coming through a qualifying tournament. Many fans are unhappy with this reduction in teams as they feel more nations need to be involved in order for the tournament to qualify as a World Cup.

England. They are No.1 in the ICC's ODI rankings, have not lost a one-day series in more than two years, and are the hosts too. India are ranked No.2 and are considered strong contenders too. Fifth-ranked Australia are the defending champions and have won five World Cups, three more than anyone else. They have also recovered from a lean patch to win their last eight ODIs on the bounce. Pakistan, winners of the last big ODI tournament, the 2017 Champions Trophy, are dark horses along with New Zealand and South Africa.

Afghanistan. They did not even have a team until 1995 and are now in their second World Cup, making the cut this time despite the reduction in the number of teams. They have possibly the best spinner in the world, Rashid Khan, as well as other exciting talents.

Australia-England and India-Pakistan are massive historical rivalries. Another budding rivalry is between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It began because of a celebration called the nagin (snake) dance that both teams have taunted each other with.