Cricket is a game not played by many countries around the globe but greatly followed in some countries. I had written about cricket being viewed as a religion in India and had also mentioned about the World Cup in my earlier articles. This piece aims at assessing the main teams in the Cup and sharing my opinion on the World Cup. The Cricket World Cup starts today, 11th of March 2007 in the West Indies.
This World Cup has already sprung surprises even before it began. There are no clear favorites to win this World Cup although Australia are ranked favorites for bookies. This World Cup is hit with injuries. Australia has lost their No.1 bowler Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds is struggling to get back into the side after a bicep surgery. Other Australians like Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting have niggles which could keep them away from the game on a particular day. Pakistan has their share of injuries with Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif adding to the list. There are talks that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif are being falsely reported as injured to protect them from drug tests. India is lucky to be insured with no injuries to any of their players. New Zealand and England have lost some of their players to injuries as well.
On paper and record, Australians look like the strongest team to participate in this year’s World Cup. They are the most professional side and are the reigning champions for the past two terms. But their recent slump against England and New Zealand has opened the doors for other teams to eye the World Cup at a better certainty. Sri Lanka has great batsmen in its caliber and some bowling greats. Sri Lanka hasn’t performed as a team in the recent past and their inconsistent performance could play spoil sport in their claim for the World Cup. New Zealand and England are the dark horses for this year’s World Cup and they both have the potential to make it big while they lack big stars in the side. West Indies have been looking down the drain for many years now. They look like champions some days and minnows the very next day. They don’t have a side that could win the World Cup. South Africa has a side with some proven batsmen and legendary bowlers. They have a big chance of winning the World Cup. Pakistan is another inconsistent side which can come up with surprises on its day. They can never be counted out even without some of their key players not taking part in the Cup. India has the strongest batting talent on paper. With 3 batsmen having scored an excess of 10,000 runs, it should astoundingly be India’s World Cup if the batsmen come good. They have fairly decent bowling options as well.
My top 4 teams for the semi-finals would be India, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. From this stage, it can be anybody’s World Cup. The team that plays best cricket for two days wins the cup and rightly so will be called Champions.
