The months and years of waiting is finally over and the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup kicks off tonight with the opening match between Pakistan and the hosts West Indies.
All the preparations of the last few months will now be put to the test as the best in the cricketing world fight for the biggest prize. So let’s start by focusing on the opening match.
Who has the strength? Pakistan gave a good account of themselves in their warm-up match against South Africa and would be riding high on the confidence from that win while at the other end of the spectrum is the West Indies who suffered a humiliating loss at the hands of India. But being the home team, they will have to recover quickly and start afresh.
The West Indian strength is batting and they need to bat first to put on a good score. Defending a total may be easier when they have a large score on the board.
For Pakistan, they need to get some consistency in their ranks. It is imperative for them that captain Inzamam ul-Haq gets into form and quickly. The same applies to Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan, the two senior players in the side.
For both teams, the bowling looks suspect, although Pakistan are slightly better blessed but it will be a battle of the batsmen when vying for the first blood. What both teams also need to remember is that this is their biggest game in the group stages and a win here is almost a guarantee for making it to the next round. The next two matches will be over a period of 15 days and against lesser teams that won’t give them the necessary match-practice before the Super Eight.
On the basis of current form, one would have to give Pakistan the advantage and say they are favourites to win but home advantage can be a funny thing. As can Brian Lara! Let the games (finally) begin!