May the best team win!

The moment we have all been waiting for is here. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 officially kicked off yesterday with England taking on South Africa at The Oval in London. The month-and-a-half-long cricket bonanza is surely going to be an exciting time for millions of lovers of the sport who wait for the tournament with bated breath for four long years.

The competitiveness of the teams and the game itself, the zeal of the players, and passionate fans all combine to give the prestigious World Cup its flavour of excitement and fun. This time England—which has ironically never won the World Cup—entered the competition as favourites and the number one side in the world (let's not forget that it also has home advantage). Another top favourite is of course Australia—the most successful team in World Cup history—which is about to set foot in the ICC event having won consecutive ODI series away from home. Then there is also a formidable India being led by Virat Kohli, the number one batsman in the ODI rankings.

Nonetheless, we remain hopeful about our national team. We hope that Bangladesh will put up a strong front in the World Cup, beginning with their first match against South Africa on June 2 in London. We are confident that the Bangladesh cricket team, fresh off its win in the 2019 Ireland Tri-Nation Series, comprising the Big Five—Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan—will prove its mettle on the pitch once again.

More than anything, however, we hope that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will help break barriers both on and off the field and bring people together from all over the world.