Will injuries take the sheen away from WC?
With the big bash starting in just a few days time, cricket afficianados will watching with bated breath as to who would pocket the prized possession on April 2 but what is astonishing has been the amount of unecessary cricket that has been played over the last few weeks.
Whilst India ended their ODI series against SA, Pakistan was battling the Kiwis and England finally ended their 7-match ODI vs Australia and the WI are in Sri Lanka fortheir ODIs. The unwanted amount of cricket could in all possibility rob the game off some upcoming players who have been injured. While the game’s biggest prize comes once in four years, the shoddy planning of the cricket boards to have players featuring in matches just days before the World Cup starts is appalling to say the least.
The over-a-month long event will still manage to attract a host of fans who will flock to the stadiums to catch stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Ricky Ponting and M.S. Dhoni to name a few in action. As has always been the case with the nine editions before, there will be teams that would be favourites while the ones who are dark horses could still make their presence felt. With India, South Africa, Australia and England may be peaking at the right time, teams such as New Zealand and Pakistan would not take much time to turn the tables around on a given day. India with their much-vaunted batting line-up and experienced bowling line-up will surely be one of the favourites, Australia, the defending champions, are a dangerous side too.
The side from Down Under have just wrapped up a convincing ODI series win against their favourite foes—England, after their mortifying loss of the Ashes for the second time in a row. Pakistan, a side whose image has taken a beating in recent times, will want the coveted Cup more than anyone else. Firstly, the fans will want to know how to battle the odds in a premier tournament, weeks after three of their players—Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned from playing cricket for their role in spot-fixing saga against England in 2010. Secondly, Pakistan has a side that is capable of lifting themselves up in times of adversity, a quality that will stand them in good stead when the first match gets underway in Mirpur on February 19.
Australia, a wounded side whose credibility and fighting capabilities have come under severe criticism in recent times too have a point to prove in the World Cup. England, which won the Twenty20 World Cup at the Carribbean last year are on a high, winning the Ashes and how.
With stars such as Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen looking to make their presence felt, England too have a lot of prove. To say that this World Cup is one of the most open ones ever will be an understatement. While some of the clashes could be grossly one-sided, others present a lot of unpredictability to it that could all the way down to the wire. The 48-day long tournament could severely test the players’ fitness and with so many of them including Sehwag, Tendulkar causing a lot of tense moments for Mahi as the event progresses.
I think and pray to God Almighty that India wins!!
Catch up with my World Cup 2011 overview here – ICC World Cup 2011