Sporting An Opinion

 
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!

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!

December 31 was the deadline for all facilities at the World Cup to be ready but in true laid-back Caribbean style, most venues (except St. Kitts and Nevis) are still work in progress! It’s not as bad as it sounds, though. The work remaining at these venues is minimal and relates to electrical fittings, sewage work and in some cases, the crucial air-conditioning.

Teams could make do with or without air-conditioning for a while, but what about the conditioning of their players? Michael Vaughan, for instance, is about to make his third comeback in almost as many months! But this time, he seems to have made a wise decision naming Andrew Flintoff the stand-in captain even before England depart for the tournament. Vaughan played a few matches here and there during the Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia, but was hardly impressive. Flintoff initially seemed to be withering under the responsibility of captaining, but came to terms with it at the right time leading the team to victory in the finals.

Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, too seems to be suffering from an anxiety attack. He has suddenly remembered his performance from 2003 when he managed only 21 runs in 9 matches! But this time around, he is captain and a lot is expected of him. Thankfully, he is also getting into form! “I know my personal contribution has not been that great during the last six months or so, but I am looking forward to get back among runs,” said a circumspect Jayawardene. Captains do seem to be having a tough time of it!

But one personality that seems ready for the World Cup is Bob Marley’s ghost! Well, not so much his ghost, but a tour guide who is all set to show visitors to Jamaica around Marley’s old home in Trench Town. It was here that Marley had written his famous song, “No Woman, No Cry”… wonder what captains want to ensure there is “No Cry”!