World Cup-2007, a prognosis analysis
Srikrishna Chintalapati
Less than 10 days to go and the players and officials of contestant nations have pulled up their socks, geared themselves up for yet another exhilarating experience in the Caribbean Islands, as the world getting entrapped and entangled into this Olympian cricket excitement, here is a thoughtful forecast of how things could perhaps, shape-up in the forthcoming tournament.While, assessing the result in a cricket match is as impractical as foretelling the future, I believe, that one can explicit the prevalences and instances to arrive at what could potentially be the final result. Considering all the test playing nations- my expected teams to reach out to the Semi Final are Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies. It could be any man's game thereon. Bisecting all rants and raves take a quick look at the insightful analysis of each of these teams...
Australia: DOWN but not OUT
All said and done... there has been too much of speculation. Whether they make it or they can’t? Brett lee's absence gonna stuck them? Will Symonds come back? Can Clark perform again? Will McGrath shine again? Some body say's yes, while many of us respond ‘probably not’. What I feel is, inevitably, YES...
I am sure Australian batting attack armored by Ricky, Gilly, Hayden and Hussey is going to be as insurmountable as ever and the bowling department lead by McGrath, Stuart Clark, might catch a couple of slaps initially, but going to turnaround at a right time and at right moment. Fielding is going to as immaculate as ever and no doubt in spite of not having few big-wigs, this is the team that we all should watch out for.
Australia could certainly be one of the final contenders of this world cup, but getting it there again highly depends on how Ricky, Mathew Hayden and rest all bowlers do on D day.
New Zealand: Vibrant, Confident and raring to Go!
Here is a team that never in the history of cricket had a Sachin Tendulkar, a Sourav Ganguly or any other equi-hyped celebrity and neither an expensive and EXPERIMENTAL coach nor a lucrative and alluring yearly contract system. On any given day, those 11 best fit players, who represent this country, perhaps all they know is to play with the team spirit, live up to their best on field, give their last ounce of energy to bring home the victory.
Black caps are well equipped with batting resources handy all-rounders and a knowingly dreadful bowling attack. Stephen Fleming with the bat and Shane Bond with the ball plays a major role if the team need to cruise through the finals. The team's major strength is again going to be their evidently impeccable lower middle order.
Had I wrote this article a month ago, I would never have picked this team to reach the semis. Owing to their current form, I wouldn't be surprised if this team runs away with the trophy.
South Africa: Thwarted by "THE REAL THING"
A bunch of fearsome fighters but cheeky chokers would get yet another opportunity to earn more sympathy than they ever did in all previous world cup tournaments. Again ‘Proteas’ will play an implacable game right through the tournament until they collapse due to a factor that is out of their locus of control (THE REAL THING) on the judgment day.
Mark Boucher, Ashwell prince, AB Devillers and Justin kemp might hold the credits for bating departments, while Pollack would again going to be the kingpin of Proteas with the ball. While rest of the teams busy making strategies to negotiate Ntini and his swingers, it would be interesting to see if Gream Smith survives those good length over pitch deliveries being shot at him or still prefer to make more noise with his fizzy comments. Kallis and Gibbs would bring forth a lot of experience and variety to the batting but at many of the vitals times they prove themselves to be liabilities to the team than of any value.
West Indies: "Unpredictable Underdogs"
I might sound weird, but am sure this is going to be the team that one would like to bet as much price as they do with any other best team.
Lara & co heroics & demonstrated virtual obliteration of Team India, which was, at that time, flying 2 miles above cloud-9 with all their cricket kits full of jubilance resulted out of the eradication of a couple of debased teams, is still not blanked out. The way a set of promising youngsters navigated their team to the finals of ICC Champions Trophy is still hulking at the backburner, the team west Indies is getting ready for yet another encounter at their home at conditions which are more familiar to self than any one else.
Although, the recent match-fixing hullabaloo did create a couple of hiccoughs, it is expected to create no harm to Windies cricket and show no derogatory effect on the overall moral of the team as 1) BCCI won’t probe too much into it, as there is a potential hazard of losing support from Windies board which is essential for them to grab the power at ICC 2) Marlon Samuels is any way a proven heavy duty liability for team west-Indies at time when team needs him to perform.
Their chances of winning are extremely dependant on how Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Lara and Bravo reacts to the challenges thrown at them, how many times will Gayle gets the blessings of almighty on a particular day and how many times does Runako Morton, Samuels and Ramdin justifies their daily share of bread and breakfast. However, it's quite inspiring to watch promising fast bowlers like Jerome Taylor, Powell and Bradshaw, trying hard to re-instate the West Indies glory of generating horrific pace battery overtime.
Sri Lanka: "Leading the way to LET-GO"
This side has everything, except the zeal to win. One thing that separates this team from 1996 Sri Lankan team has been their instincts and their fighting spirits. Ranatunga lead (by example) Sri Lankan team had put down extreme spirit of fighting and sweat down enormous energy levels to clinch the title. While Jayawardene lead Lankan side reeks of killer instincts and seemingly not interested in winning as it was made clear from the recent matches.
Sangakkara, Jayasurya, Jayawardene, need to, and ONLY need to do a lot, if they want their team to win. Handy and enthusiastic alrounders Dilshan and Arnold are sure going to do their bit as they did always, which is again not enough to get them there. It's due to watch how players negotiate Murali and Vaas, however for sure that Fernando, Maharoof, Bandara and others going receive a 'rub-a-dub' drum beat.
India: Thank you, Greg! Thank you, Rahul!
While, the team is unduly divided by groupism, favoritism and selfish motives, the differences going to perilously fire right back at the right time.
Let me write down the perceptible reaction of a media bewitched common cricket lover of India, post world cup. ..
Pakistan: Scandals, Beatings and a Bit of Cricket!
If ever, there requires a live example of digging their own grave, one should look at what has happened with Pakistan cricket for the past 3, 4 months and what's going to happen for next couple of months with in Caribbean islands.
Inzy had faded out, Yousaf has been charted out, Younis can not win matches and Kamran can not take catches. One smacks the coach and other wants to bang the spectator. The bowling department had an embezzlement to sustain and fielding had a serious embroilment to refrain. Certainly, this is not the team of Bob Woolmer standards, can't represent a nation that hosts the likes of legend Imran Khan, Wasim Akram either.
They have to do a lot to survive in the tournament, although, if the big guns fire and young folks supports it's not that difficult as it appears either.
England: For a Change! Call it Bad Fate!
A bunch of proven, branded and esthetically embossed underdogs of the tournament. While, no one including English team captain expects them to win the trophy, it's more than uncertain that whether one get to watch them win few games.
The side has few talented players to count on. Collingwood is being one among them, extremely energetic and vibrant young cricketer, unfortunately, made a very wrong choice to host his career here. Flintoff had banged the team standards to extreme abysms, being ably supported by Strauss, overly hyped Kevin Pieterson, Cook and rest...Vaughn had little or nothing to influence or do; bowling department had a series of serious fumbles and nothing great to say in fielding apart from Collingwood again.
It's interesting to see what England does post world cup. It's evident that if they can’t recuperate and re-instate the redolence of cricket in the nation, chances are that they never get there again. They need a severe turnaround and at a very short time. Finding the replacements for players like Tresocothik, Darren Gough is not easy, On the contrary, while you have dozens of county teams playing round the clock cricket, it's doesn’t seems to be that difficult.
Bangladesh: Make more out what you receive!
I am sure they want to and going to give a strong fight before loosing out in the tournament, one should watch out for a couple of match winning performances from the players like Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful, Mohammad Rafique and Mashrafe Mortaza.
I am not surprised, even if they start their worldcup campaign with a win against their enamoring neighbor.
Zimbabwe: Comprehensive Chaos!
Little said is better said about this side, as they themselves need to figure out where collectively the cricket in the country is heading, and how to come-up with an executable strategy to keep the game alive in the country and the team itself, in the beholds of world cricket watch dogs.
“This is Sachn's 5th world-cup; if time permits we could see him bat in the next world cup also. He stood next to making another history, but, pzzz, not really there. Dhoni should have been given much heavier bat, I think Dravid getting too much into his own shell. It's too early to expect Greg Chappell to produce results, we should give him another 4 years and allow him to do more experiments, show all his rest 9 fingers to crowd, command hefty remunerations, get the media coverage everyday and finally get off from everything saying " I can't be true in India" .. I think the serious problem is with Sourav Ganguly, Viru Sehwag, Yuvi and Bhajji, they didn't do well, they come late to field, they faked injuries. they had Devil-May-Care attitude and we have lost. ...”
Rahul Dravid going to come up with a couple of positive take aways as always and Greg Chappell throws out of a couple of statements, sulking over either experience or youth which is purely solicited and subjected to the situation that particular day. And rest. left to Ravi Shastry and Sunny Gavaskar to fill-in the blanks... The Indian cricket wiz kids...
Nevertheless, Mandira bedi's cleavage & Siddhu paji's rampage are all set to create yet another mockery.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
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