With three days in the countdown, we approach towards the most anticipated sporting event in 2011. World Cup Cricket is back to the sub-continent after 15 years. With 14 countries, 49 games and one and half months of cricket, this time its anyone's cup. After more than a decade of Australian dominance, with three consecutive world cup wins, 2011 is expected to reign in a new champion. Gone are the times when games involving Australia were considered one sided. And gone are the days when every team used to play for second place.
The departure of greats like Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Mat Hayden, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Andrew Symonds from the Australian team has created a vacuum in the champion team which is being filled by nascent young blood who still are trying to make a mark and carry forward the Australian legacy forward. Their sole inspiration being their three time world cup champion and two time world cup winning captain Ricky Ponting. But even he seems vulnerable without the support he enjoyed for the last eleven years. After losing both their warm-up games to two competitive teams- India and South Africa, Australia has further illustrated their vulnerability.
“The chokers” South Africa and “The Unpredictable” India- the two teams which defeated the Australians in the warm up games have been pitted as the front runners to win the cup this year. Both team ooze experience, talent, and youth which were the attributes associated with the Australians in the last decade. The one attribute, unlike Australia, which is not generally associated with either of these teams is ‘Aggression’. Between the two who ever exhibits that aggression on the field might stand a good chance of going all the way at the Wankhade stadium. The closely fought one day series in South Africa between these two teams, which the host country won 3-2, showed the level of competitiveness we can expect by them during the tournament. The key to South Africa’s success will be their bowling attack with the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who are backed by some aggressive batting by Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers. What they lack is a quality spin bowler who will play a key role in slow and turning tracks of the sub-continent.
For India, one name stands above all- Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. The ability to overcome his jinx in ICC tournaments will be the biggest factor. Even after more than 20 years in international cricket, Tendulkar possess the same passion and energy as a 16 year old when he first made his debut. Considering that winning a world cup is the only achievement which has eluded him, with this being the last attempt, in this illustrious career, we surely hope to see the little master light up the night skies of India with his bat. Apart from Tendulkar, India has an array of talented batsmen like the Sehwags, the Yuvrajs and the Pathans who on a given day can completely change the balance of the game and win it on their own. A proof being the recent India and New Zealand series where a quick fire century by Yusuf Pathan single handedly won the the game for India. The one concern which India has is, its pace bowling department. An injured Zaheer Khan is the key to India’s success in the initial and death overs. His pace and swing has rattled many opening batsmen and his reverse swings and yorkers have sealed the fate for many tail end batsmen in recent years. His swift recovery before the crucial games against South Africa and England hold the key to India’s success and entry into the final four. The one department which the Indians can be rest assured is with spin bowling. The experience of Harbajan Singh backed with the talent of youngsters like Ashwin and Chawala; along with part time support from Pathan and Yuvraj gives India’s charismatic and inspiring captain, (Mr Cool)M.S Dhoni the options he needs to take control of the game.
This is what the pundits say and I acknowledge that. But one team which I am rooting for and expect a lot from is England. Yes… to the surprise of many I am backing England along with my home team. After years of searching for the right combination and physically fit players, I believe England today has one of the most talented batch of players. Led by an experienced and attaching batsmen like Andrew Strauss, he has to his disposal players who rally around each other to build innings and partnerships. Their biggest assets being the brand name K.P (Kevin Pietersen) who with his power and aggression can change the shape of a cricket ball without running the yards. The top order support of Strauss, Trott and Bell with K.P and Collingwood in the middle order form a competitive batting order. In the bowling department, the pace of Tremlett and Anderson couple with the all round ability of Brensan can fluster and finish the innings of any competitive team in a given day. Their biggest plus in the bowling department, considering the sub-continental conditions would be Graeme Swann- considered as the best spin bowler in contemporary times. Their poor performance down under in ODI’s after winning the Ashes is always in the back of my mind. But considering their previous performance and team composition I would not hesitate to bet my money on them to make the last four. They might not be as strong as India or South Africa but they are no more push overs of the late 90’s and early 2000.
No one in their sane mind would rule out Australia and Sri Lanka from reaching the finish line but there is something in these two teams which says that they will need to play out of their skins to beat the top performers. Unfortunately New Zealand, a team which historically has performed well in ICC tournament , due to their recent performance in Bangladesh, India and even back home against Pakistan, will face trouble to regain the respect it once had in world cricket. I would rank Pakistan under the same category due to their highs and lows (very lows) in recent months, with allegation of spot fixing and infighting within the team. They no longer possess a leader like Imran Khan or Wasim Akram who can rally the team together in good and bad times, keeping the focus on cricket and winning. One team which, if any, can spring up an upset is Bangladesh. And this was made clear in a recent series against New Zealand where they won the series 7-0 against the likes of Vittori, Styris, Oram, McCullam and Taylor. Speaking as a patriot and a cricket lover, I hope this does not repeat against India and England in the tournament. But with no doubt in my mind, it will be a close fight between Bangladesh and West Indies (2 time champions) for the fourth place in Group-B.
Considering it would be premature to zero-in on who would stand on the podium in Mumbai on 2nd April, I can be bold enough to only point out the top four. Call it prediction or wish, I put my vote for India, South Africa, England and a toss off between Australia and Sri Lanka. For now lets sit back and enjoy every ball flying over the ropes and every ball hitting the timber!
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