Sporting An Opinion

There will be many reasons Indian fans will come up with after India’s exit about how it’s a good thing after all. They can now enjoy the other key matches like today’s Australia versus South Africa and the second round of matches that will feature Ireland and Bangladesh. An upset each would really spice things up.

After the first round of matches, Sri Lanka has risen up the favourites list and now sits alongside South Africa and Australia with New Zealand a distant fourth. England and West Indies should be the other two teams in the Super Eight but they really don’t have much chance on current form.

Today’s match (AUS v SA), though, promises to be a needle match since these two teams won’t play each other until the knock out stage of the semi-final or the big final. And there are more than just two points at stake. There’s confidence, momentum and the upper hand to be gained.

Sri Lanka’s win was impressive for more reasons than one. They had already qualified and although Bangladesh’s win over India upset their calculations briefly, they came back and won against India to ensure nothing went wrong for them. India, for their part, had a quick Caribbean visit and will perhaps now start preparing for their tour of England in June or so.

What will happen to Greg Chappell? Is this the end of the road for Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly? Will we see them again in four years? Is there a successor for Dravid? Two bad losses in seven days have thrown the team into turmoil.

No such problems for some of the other teams, though. Although the tournament was designed to ensure that the big eight got through with some good practice games, it has seen two of the biggest teams in India and Pakistan exit. The television viewership (a large chunk of which is from the subcontinent) will certainly take a beating and this won’t be good news for sponsors or the tournament organisers.

But India’s performance has gone to prove that they were mentally under-prepared and the thumping win over the West Indies in the warm-up match only provided false hope. In the end, it is the West Indies that’s going through with a 100 per cent record and India is on their way home. There really is no point pinning too much hope on Bermuda beating Bangladesh and it’s best to accept that India is coming home.

If you really love cricket, it’s best if you told yourself that the cricket would still be good. Only India won’t be a part.

It’s the end of the road for Pakistan and cricket fans will certainly rue the fact that this enormously talented team could not stick around for the next stage of the tournament. For the moment, though, all attention is on the events surrounding the death of their coach Bob Woolmer. Latest reports suggest that there was evidence of foul play and strangulation and/or poisoning have been cited as one of the methods. The events, whatever they may turn out to be have once again brought to the fore the underbelly of cricket.

If we though the cricketing world had risen above the events of the match fixing imbroglio, Woolmer’s death may once again point to the strong connection between betting and international cricket. And rumours that it may have been the betting underworld that could have killed Woolmer makes this even more murkier.

Once again, off-field events have highlighted that no amount of measures are enough to keep all unwanted elements away from the game. And if Woolmer was killed because he was reportedly going to expose the betting syndicate involved, things start to look even more grim. For now, they even have access to the players and officials at such close quarters.

While off-field events may well be dominating the World Cup related headlines at the moment, the on-field action is heating up as well. Pakistan’s going home and as are most of the minnows. Ireland, though, will be around for another month battling it out with the big boys and another upset may not be entirely out of question. Bangladesh is the other minnow who is giving sleepless nights to the big boys, especially India and while this augurs well for the game, it’s something to think about for the broadcasters and other sponsors of the World Cup.

If India gets knocked out, there is more than just pride that is lost. Big monies are riding on the Indian team and everyone from the TV channels to the various sponsors of the team and the tournament stand to lose a lot. For the moment, though, India needs to focus on beating Sri Lanka and not worry about all the external factors.

Groups A and D are already decided with South Africa, Australia, West Indies and Ireland going through. Group B is in turmoil that is well documented! But it’s Group C that no one seems to be talking about. There is a possibility here that England may be knocked out and Kenya goes through. Sure England are a better team but they are currently in flux and unsure of their combination. Kenya has nothing to lose and an all-out performance by them could well see the English gasping to catch up. It’s an outside chance, but it’s possible! The two play on March 24 and it will definitely be interesting to watch how that pans out!

 
The 2007 Cricket World Cup has taken a rather sad and somewhat bizarre turn with off-field events. While some are related to Pakistan’s loss to Ireland, others have more to do with indiscipline. All the same, the focus has shifted away from the cricket and all talk (almost all!) is currently hovering around Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer’s mysterious death, Inzamam ul-Haq’s resignation and the drunkenness of Andrew Flintoff.
 
Woolmer was obviously under tremendous pressure following Pakistan’s exit from the World Cup. That he was diabetic and suffered from other health problems was not known to the rest of the world. Woolmer’s death will be a huge loss to the cricketing world and more so to Pakistan. He was known as a visionary coach and his work the South African team helped them to become one of cricket’s superpowers. Woolmer had slightly strained relations with some players in the Pakistan team, especially with Shoaib Akhtar, but everyone is mourning his loss.
 
For the Pakistan team, things could not have become any worse. With no real heir-apparent in sight to succeed Inzamam ul-Haq, the PCB would have preferred he continue as captain for a little longer at least. But now, they need to make a quick decision. The obvious choices are Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan.
 
England may have lost their first match to New Zealand but that apparently wasn’t any reason to stop partying or drinking. Andrew Flintoff, Jon Lewis, James Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Ian Bell and Paul Nixon were seen partying away into the wee hours of the morning following the team’s loss to New Zealand and as a result, Flintoff was dropped from the match against Canada and also stripped of his vice-captaincy.
 
This is not the first time that Freddie has been caught “with his pants down” (metaphorically speaking, of course!) and he was warned at least four times in Australia to cut down on his partying. Obviously he did not heed. As for the others, they were apparently coaxed into going by Freddie and were allowed to play against Canada. This incident also means that Flintoff may never become the first-choice captain for England. Over the last year or so, this was a job, which was his for the taking, but a captain cannot be as indisciplined as this, according to coach Duncan Fletcher.
 
It really cannot get any more bizarre, unless of course, India now loses to Bermuda and Shoaib Akhtar is flown in as stand-in captain for the last Pakistan match. The first one is still a possibility, mind you!

 
For all of us who wrote off the eight minnow teams, Saturday was a huge slap. Not only did Ireland and Bangladesh beat the big boys India and Pakistan, they have also vindicated the ICCs belief that the smaller teams need to play the bigger ones more for such results. Perhaps Indian and Pakistani fans may feel hard done but the two teams that beat them did play very well.
 
Bangladesh has promised a lot for a very long time and this could just be their year. Back in 1983, India was considered no better than Bangladesh is today when they went on to lift the Cup. Perhaps 2007’s Bangladesh is 1983’s India! And a win over Sri Lanka in their next match could well upset the balance of the entire group and further emphasise the progress they have made.
 
Ireland would have to be the biggest surprise of the tournament so far. Pakistan was expected to walk all over them but their bowling left the Pakistan batting in tatters. That Pakistan had been suffering from infighting didn’t help their cause either!
 
Bob Woolmer has apologized for Pakistan’s debacle but chose to blame the batting more than the Irish bowling. Inzamam has gone so far as to call this the worst day of his cricketing career. Perhaps it is a sentiment that Rahul Dravid would agree with as well. He was gracious in defeat, saying, “Credit to them. They came out and played some shots and their opener got them off to a very good start so that set them up well for the game,” but the task ahead is much tougher and now there is competition from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to make it to the second round.
 
Saturday would perhaps be known as the day of the minnow with two major upsets. It would also be interesting to note how the interest levels in the subcontinent are affected now that there cannot be an India-Pakistan match in the World Cup. The two teams had faced off each time since 1992 and this year will break the rivalry! They have only themselves to blame, really!

More often than not, an event rarely lives up to its reputation after a lot of hype. But the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 lived up to all the billing it received it received in the first match at least. Batting first, the West Indies struggled but Dwayne Smith and Marlon Samuels ensured there was no disaster like the one against India in the warm-up game. They never batted together, but ensured that the West Indies total reached a respectable and challenging 242/9. The finish to the innings was rather emphatic too with a six off the last ball. Full Scorecard

The Pakistan bowlers promised much, but could not deliver everything. And they paid for it dearly. Too many extras and far too many loose balls coupled with some average fielding put them in a poor position.

The Pakistan innings got off to an exciting start with a six off the second ball of the first over but the very next ball saw the wicket, a rather fortuitous one, with Imran Nazir edging a straight one to Denesh Ramadin. Two more wickets followed including the reliable Younis Khan, but captain Inzamam ul-Haq and Mohammed Younis were showing signs of recovery.

Inzi definitely did better in the first match as compared to the last World Cup where he failed to make double figures in six matches! A good sign, one must say! But the Pakistan batting has failed and although one should not judge them on the basis of just one game, we have to since this was their most important match of the first round. A loss to Zimbabwe now (not impossible, mind you) could well end all hopes!

The most heartening sight of all, though, was the crowd who got vociferously behind their team. And the West Indies seemed to respond to their support too. Even when the Windies was bowling, the crowd was loud and in true Caribbean style, totally engrossed in the proceedings on the ground.

Unfortunately for the tournament, a classic match like the first one will be followed up by an excessively one-sided one between Scotland and Australia. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, Kenya will play Canada and although this seems like an even game on paper, Kenya is the favourite to win!

 
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!

South Africa does have a good reason to panic. And their histrionics on the pitch are only going to make things worse for them. They came to the Caribbean having just been ranked No. 1 in the world and beaten India and Pakistan convincingly in the preceding series. But the first warm-up game exposed some of the chinks in the batting when away from the comfort of home. Although SA did manage to win that game, there was no such respite in the second match. Pakistan was not going to make a meal of a target of 200 and they won by seven wickets. But that’s not important, is it?

It’s the SA attitude. They are starting to blame everything and everyone but themselves. In fact, they even went to the extent of stopping play to complain about the pitch. Well, they can’t do that once the tournament starts. They can’t continue to whine and cry like this. If it’s a bad pitch, it’s bad for both teams (mostly!). To make matter worse, the Pakistan batsmen handled the pitch rather well. So it’s safe to say that SA need to hit the panic button!

India, on the other hand, gave the West Indies quite a thrashing. Munaf Patel showed why he is so highly regarded with his measly figures of 4 for 10 in 6 overs. Irfan Patan got three wickets, but he never looked like the threatening Pathan who would curve the ball uncomfortably for batsmen. The only time he did show some control and skill was when he had Marlon Samuels leg before wicket. To be fair, he did fox Lara with a well-disguised slower one, but he still doesn’t look convincing. Virender Sehwag continued along his merry ways and one can’t help but feel that he thinks he won’t be dropped from the team. Ever. On current form, he should not be in the playing XI next week.

Australia was adequately dominating over England who has to think rather hard as to what exactly they were doing out there. From 2/112, they collapsed to 197 all out. The good news is Michael Vaughan is back in form and Ian Bell looks like he can bat again. The bad news is none of the others thought much of making the most of this opportunity and threw away their wickets. Shaun Tait did the damage for Australia picking up 4/33, but he still conceded far too many in the context of the game. Australia’s final margin of victory was five wickets, but it should have been much bigger. Another irresponsible batting display from the middle order cost them valuable practice before the big match.

Sri Lanka must be wondering what in god’s name has gone wrong with their team. Sure they lost by just 18 runs and Upul Tharanga scored a fine 106, but the bowling conceded far too many to a team that had just been beaten by Bangladesh! Sri Lanka has serious problems in the batting department too especially with captain Mahela Jayawardene. Maybe he should drop himself down the order… and though Sanath Jayasuriya was missing, Sri Lanka did not look like a side that could have won.

The practice matches are now out of the way and the real action starts in just three days. South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies would be in turmoil. Not sure if England cares; after all, this is not the Ashes! Australia, India and Pakistan look the most sorted and settled of all the teams… is there a title winner in the three?

There is growing uneasiness among all teams gathered in the Caribbean and understandably so. The World Cup officially kicks off next week, but for two weeks after that, there’s just one key match per team. For the fans, there are just four important matches. Here are the dates to remember and the matches that will be worth following in round 1:

March 13: West Indies v Pakistan (Jamaica)
March 16: England v New Zealand (St. Lucia)
March 23: India v Sri Lanka (Trinidad)
March 24: Australia v South Africa (St. Kitts)

Of all these teams, Pakistan would consider themselves unluckiest. They start their campaign with the most important match in the first round and they stand to lose momentum by the time they play next in the Super Eight stage. Their chances of winning are also not the best with the West Indies enjoying the home advantage and having had a better time of it lately. In the 12 days or so between their first match and the first Super Eight match (assuming they finish second in Group D), the will play Zimbabwe and Ireland. Bob Woolmer has a task on his hands.

For the betting inclined, here are the current odds as published by Ladbrokes: Australia 9/4, South Africa 4/1, Sri Lanka 7/1, West Indies 7/1, England 8/1, India 8/1, New Zealand 8/1, Pakistan 12/1. Australia is obvious favourites despite their recent form. South Africa is a close second, Sri Lanka and West Indies third followed by England, India and New Zealand and finally, Pakistan. For Pakistan to really make an impact, they would need an Imran Khan to lead them. Inzamam doesn’t quite fit the bill there.

Among the minnows, Zimbabwe has fallen below Bangladesh. What this means is matches involving Bangladesh may have better cricket than those involving Zimbabwe. May be true! Bermuda has very long shot at the cup and to be honest, I don’t know why we should even consider these teams! Well, here are the odds in any case: Bangladesh 200/1, Zimbabwe 250/1, Kenya 500/1, Scotland 500/1, Canada 1000/1, Holland 1000/1, Ireland 1000/1, Bermuda 2000/1.

These odds would have changed a bit by the time the Super Eight starts and there is little doubt that any of the minnows would be involved in those matches. For one, there are no games that are being forfeited and no walkovers to give free points to the minnows. As Ian Chappell rightly said, this is the most open World Cup in a long time (perhaps since 1992) where more than four teams have a real chance of winning.

It’s just that there’s a two-week wait after the start for the real action!

As we near the World Cup, announcements have started that promise players the world and a galaxy nearby if they bring home the trophy. Kicking off the announcement season are Bangladesh and Pakistan. But there is a difference. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a prize for winning the cup while the Bangladesh board has announced cash prizes for winning a match.

While the announcements may make the Pakistan team hard-done when the compare it with the Bangladesh deal, it cannot be helped. Bangladesh players will get $2,000 each for winning one match (best chance versus Bermuda) in the first round. If they make it to the next round, the will get $3,000 each. It is not clear whether this is over and above the $2,000 or it is the addition of just $1,000!

By you must be wondering why Pakistan should feel bad. Here’s why: They will get any money (bonus money) only if they make the semi-final. That means they need to win almost eight matches to stake a claim to that money. So what if the amount is ten times of what Bangladesh are supposed to get for a match? It’s just too unfair.

There is further ambiguity in the PCB announcement. While they have clearly mentioned $20,000 per player for making the semi-final, the bonus for winning the Cup has been announced at $1.2 million. And then there is a part which says Rs 50,00,000 per player. Now is this with the view in mind that the exchange rate may fluctuate and the PCB will make the most of whichever suits them? Not fair. Plus, what about taxes? Okay, let’s not go there!

But here is the real reason why the PCB has announced the bonuses. Umpire Daryll Hair announced that he would not be suing them for racial discrimination. This immediately meant that funds earmarked for the case that they may have potentially lost (please read carefully: potentially. It is 50-50 at the start, no?) are now available and in a moment of absolute magnanimity, they decided to share it with the players.

Sure enough, other boards are bound to follow and one will keenly follow the numbers the BCCI throws up. After all, it is the richest cricket board and it needs to keep up its image.

It’s quite baffling to note how many teams have picked players that are unfit or doubtful for whatever reasons to make it to the World Cup. And now, all these players are being given warnings and small time periods to prove their fitness or match-worthiness. The strangest selection of this has to be Irfan Pathan.

He was sent back from South Africa because he was woefully out of form and he needed to spend some time in domestic cricket. Then he got injured. And he carried his injury through the Sri Lanka series. Now the Indian team was announced before the last match against Sri Lanka and Pathan had neither proved his fitness nor his return to form. Yet he was picked for the squad going to the Caribbean. This doesn’t say much about the selection process to be honest!

Why would you pick a player who is still out of form (until proven otherwise) and is unfit? And all this at the expense of Ramesh Powar. Assuming Pathan was fit but not in form, would he play in the West Indies? I doubt it. And most people doubted it. India does have some depth in their pace bowling and Pathan would have in fact been a burden. He may have scored a few, but then India is well served in that department too. So where does Mr Pathan fit in? Out of the team, really!

India is not the only team doing these acrobatics. Shoaib Akhtar is yanking the PCB’s chain rather bad these days! First the PCB announced that Akhtar and fellow paceman Mohammed Asif had tested positive in a drugs test. Thereafter they got acquitted and have since refused to undergo any more tests. The PCB has been rather clear in its “no test, no tour” stand and one hopes they can stick to it. Akhtar toured South Africa also recently but could not manage to make any impact.

Finally, the Brett Lee issue had been put to rest. Stuart Clark gets the nod for the World Cup and the Australians must be devastated! Mind you Clark is a steady bowler but he is of the same style as McGrath and to some extent, Bracken. Line-and-length is his forte and he doesn’t have any real pace to frighten the batsmen. And that’s what Lee offered for his sudden bursts of pace could change the course of a match. But Australia, who had initially postponed Lee’s fitness test from Friday (Feb 23) to Tuesday (Feb 27), decided not to delay and give Clark enough time to be mentally prepared. Doubts over Andrew Symonds still linger and having been operated upon just three days ago, his confidence about making it to the tournament is amusing!

So at final count, only one confirmed drop and if you ask us, we see at least two more—Pathan and Akhtar—getting added to that list.