THE COUNTDOWN HAS started. The clock is ticking. Come March 13 and the people will be swayed by cricket. And, in this cricket crazy sub-continent everything will be planned according to the matches between different countries. But who will clinch the World Cup, which this time is posied to be the most open in the history of this prestigious trophy. Let us take a teamwise look.  

 

Without Andrew Symonds, Australia looks an ordinary team. The firepower of Symonds will be severely missed by the Aussies. England proved that without Symonds Australia can be easily tamed. And worst, Bret Lee was ruled out. For the first time, the leadership of Ricky Pointing will come under scrutiny. The old warhorse, McGrath, may fire, but will miss the services of Stuart Clark and Lee. Australia may not  make it to the semi-finals, in my assumption.

 

We cannot rule out Bangladesh for few surprises. They are capable enough to beat big guns but sadly the West Indies pitches will not suit their kind of batting. Bowling is their strength and they may create a sensation. Overall, super eight will be an advantage for them.

 

England is the tournament’s underdog. The victory over their archrivals, Australia, will bolster their confidence. The team has the ideal combination and players to play on the fast Caribbean surfaces. It should spring a few surprises with its potent bowling attack and a formidable batting line-up. The big burly all-rounder, Flintoff, holds the key.

 

Bizarre selection, to say to the least. If Sourav and Sachin are going to open and Sehwag is there as a reserve opener, what is Robin Utthapa going to do? Ideally, Kaif should have been there because his past record in the Caribbean is better. And, omitting Laxman has always remained a mystery. With the kind of players selected, the best India can do is to reach super eight and come home in the next flight. Rahul Dravid may be the first causality.   

 

The Kiwis may do well. If Bond stays fit and Jacob Oram continues his golden run with the bat, there is no way other than being victorious in this World Cup. S Fleming may have to consider Martian Crowe, because the pitches of this World Cup will bring back the memories of 1992 Cup. And, they have few dibble double bowlers who can prove hard to get away. Don’t forget to add their agility in the field. 

 

Predictably, unpredictable. Provided Shoaib, Gul and Asif regain their fitness and with plenty of all-rounders in the team, they may well lift the World Cup. But, they have to beat their inconsistency as well to make it.

 

Although they have a specialist team, they still look up at Graeme Smith to give them impetus in the batting. If smith fails, the rest of the batsmen will flatter to deceive. On West Indies’ pitches they will find it extremely difficult to beat Asian teams. And, it will be South African discipline versus the flamboyance of sub-continent teams. They will also bow out in super eight.

 

It is the best among the lot. This time the Lankan team has everything going to right — the form, the match-winners and the pitches.  If we go by their performance then they should win this world cup but they may face a stiff competition because of the two Asian goliaths.

 

The teams that will reach semi finals are Sri-lanka, England, New Zealand and one of the two from Pakistan and South Africa.

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