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.

Friday the 23rd could either be known as an outstanding day in India’s World Cup campaign or it could be thought of as a day as inauspicious as Friday the 13th! Unfortunately, it does have the same ring and sound to it! Without sounding defeatist, one has to acknowledge that the task facing India is an uphill one with Sri Lanka looking in World Cup-winning form.

India’s batting has come good in the previous match but that was a Bermuda bowling attach without the fire that Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga and Fervez Maharoof will come with. And then there’s the small matter of an in-form Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumara Sangakkara.

India has a few things to sort out before the match. They have already tried two opening partnerships with neither coming good. For a big match like this, though, the decision will not be easy. There will be the temptation of pushing up Tendulkar to open with Ganguly but his batting down the order against Bermuda was inspirational to say the least. Opening with Uthappa will offer some more leniency down the order, but India will need a good start whether they bat first or second.

Which brings us to another major problem: bat first or second? The easiest option will be to lose the toss and not have to make the decision. But should India win the toss, batting second would give India a better chance on two fronts. One, they can use the early morning pitch and second, have an exact idea of what to do when they bat.

It is important for India, though, to go into the match with a positive frame of mind keeping in mind recent successes against the Sri Lankans. Unfortunately, these were achieved against a team without Murali or Vaas. And Jayawardene was also out of form then. All these things have changed and India has a much tougher task ahead. Are they up to it?

The big three of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly need to score and India has to ensure early wickets whether they bowl first or second. Sounds simple and all the theories and plans will now need to be put to test. Today could well be the day when India is either sent packing back home or kickstarts their campaign. Let’s not even worry about the Bermuda versus Bangladesh match.

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!

Today, March 21, 2007 is going to be a big day for India in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. Although India does not play today, a lot would depend on how things go between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who face off in Trinidad & Tobago today. There really are only three scenarios:

Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh
This seems the most obvious outcome and will then make the group very interesting with the second round places not being decided until March 25 when Bangladesh plays Bermuda. But again, the margin of victory would be of interest to India. For India’s sake, SL needs to beat BAN by a very big margin; one big enough to make even a huge win for BAN over BER look pointless. But that’s for India’s sake, really! For their own sake, they just need to win! And then India would need to beat SL comfortably to see Bangladesh fall further behind on the net run-rate.

Bangladesh beats Sri Lanka
Now this would truly open up some possibilities. For one, it would put Bangladesh in the best position to qualify and even a close win over Bermuda later in the week would see them through and with two points! But this scenario would turn the India v Sri Lanka match into a knock out game with the loser certainly going home.

Washout/Tie
If today’s match is washed out or tied, it doesn’t help India much since it allows both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to go ahead of India on points. For India, this may help: if the Bermuda v Bangladesh match ends with a point being shared and Sri Lanka has beaten Bangladesh, India may just have a better chance of going through. Of course, India needs to beat Sri Lanka for any of this to be of consequence, but assuming that happens, then the rains on Sunday could well make Group B clearer!

Whatever the outcome, the task for India is clear: beat Sri Lanka by a hefty margin. What happens in the other matches won’t really affect them in that case. Ah, but if Bangladesh can beat Sri Lanka, then the fruits of a successful task on Friday are more assured!

The final leg of the first round of matches promises much excitement and potential heartbreak for cricket fans. While some groups have already been decided, there are some key matches that would decide how the teams shape up in the next round.

Australia and South Africa are certain to progress from Group A with SA expected to confirm this by beating Scotland on Tuesday. And then there’s the biggest match of the first round between the two top-ranked ODI teams in the world. Yes, there will be two points up for grabs that the teams will take with them, but more than that is the psychological advantage because at the moment, these two teams look the most probable opponents in the final.

New Zealand versus Kenya seems like a straightforward match, but a Kenyan win could throw group C wide open. And then, England’s loss to NZ may not seem as big a deal! But NZ should win that one and barring and English loss to Kenya, NZ and England should be safely through to the Super Eight by March 24!

Group D is all done and dusted with hosts West Indies and Ireland going through. But the match between these two top teams of Group D will decide who starts the Super Eight with two points already in the bank. West Indies are favourites, but Ireland is a team on a high. Man to man, they may not match the Windies, but can just as easily cause another upset.

One group that is still unsettled is Group B with Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh all having a chance of going through. In the most expected scenario, it will come down to the net run-rate and Bangladesh will then have the advantage of knowing exactly what they have to do to go through when they play Bermuda on March 25. That, interestingly, is the last of the group-stage matches and could well decide the fate of India and Sri Lanka!

Right from the start, this has been touted as one of the most “open” World Cups and how true it’s proving to be. Australia and South Africa apart, none of the big teams have shown the expected form and ruthlessness when playing the lesser teams. And the minnows have shown that they are not here to just make up the numbers. Their flair, charisma and sheer commitment has been a pleasure to watch. The next four days promises some outstanding cricket and even the lesser games will have a part to play in how the tournament shapes up.

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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!

 
Day 4 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 was the first to be affected by rain and England paid the price for an up-and-down pitch. More than the pitch, though, it’s the facilities in the Caribbean that have left much to be desired. Sure the grounds and the stadia are outstanding, but the groundstaff have normally taken more time than they should when responding to urgent needs.
 
A wet outfield left the teams waiting for the start in the England v New Zealand match and an unnecessary half hour was lost. Thankfully, that did not translate into lost overs.
 
Earlier in the week, there were reports that the practice facilities at the Sabina Park ground were not ready for the Pakistan v West Indies match and players had to go elsewhere. These are the bare minimum requirements that most would have thought are ready.
 
The pitches on display in the first few matches have been even-paced and offered something for batsmen who want to play their shots and bowlers ready to bend their backs. But as time goes on, these may dry out and the later games may throw up some low-scoring matches.
 
India takes on Bangladesh today and kicks off their campaign. One of the favourites to win the Cup, India will be followed well through the Caribbean and is expected to walk all over Bangladesh. Being one of the Test playing nations, much is expected of Bangladesh but one doubts how much they will deliver. After their shock win over Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup, they have struggled to make an impact on this stage.
 
With Herschelle Gibbs setting the bar (and a very high one at that) with the bat, there is a new buzz whether indeed a total of 500 is possible in this tournament. All signs point to a possibility in the first round for after that, no matter what the size of the ground, the quality of the bowling will also be consistently better. The run feasts will continue for a couple of weeks more before the standard of scoring is brought back to normal levels!

Zimbabwe has been in international cricket for a long time. And during this entire tenure, barring perhaps as couple of years in the late 1990s, they have been minnows. Sri Lanka was once a minnow. As was India (yes, face it). But India and Sri Lanka have moved up and are now the big boys. True Zimbabwe has not played for as long and when they were looking like a side that could move up, they were hit by political problems that jeopardized their existence in cricket altogether. Contests - Predict MoS | Predict MoM
 
So are they still part of World Cricket only because of their legacy? Because they were there before Ireland and Canada and Kenya? Is there no merit-based system that would allow Ireland or Kenya to replace them as a Test playing nation? The question is how long should a minnow be a minnow? If after more than 25 years of playing international cricket, Zimbabwe is still among the bottom-feeders, there is a need for change. Of late, all their cricket has been against Bangladesh and they barely won that too.
 
There was also the curious case of Bangladesh being offered Test nation status and how badly it has backfired is there for all to see. Which is why performance based systems may just be the answer. But we are not worried about who are the Test playing nations at this time. We would like to ask how long should Zimbabwe be allowed direct entry into the World Cup? Why should they not be asked to qualify? Honestly, had they been made to play the qualifiers, they perhaps would not have made it to the Caribbean. And it would not have surprised me to see some others fail too!
 
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Sri Lanka’s welcome return to form almost didn’t happen. Mahela Jayawardene was indeed lucky to be dropped on 0 off the first ball he faced. He made Bermuda pay but can he make India pay? Will India give him a second chance? With all due respect, India does have a better bowling attack than Bermuda! But Sri Lanka would be rather pleased with their margin of victory and the emphatic nature of it.
 
The bowling looked good, but there were still some chinks in the batting that could easily be exploited by better teams. They need to watch out!

Team Pages  - Bangladesh | Bermuda | Canada | Ireland

 
Australia has made a rousing start to their title defense with the annihilation of Scotland and confirmed to the world that they are indeed serious contenders for the title.
 
All their hiccups against New Zealand seemed like they were sorted as Gilchrist and Hayden got them off to an outstanding start and the came Ricky Ponting who scored his 23rd ODI hundred and propelled the Aussies to a competitive total. Ponting’s innings, in fact, has raised questions whether he really is the best batsman in the world. And despite his statement that it is Tendulkar, neutral followers would be inclined to think otherwise.
 
Glenn McGrath was the other highlight for Australia with his usual accuracy and he also managed to surprise the Scottish batsmen with his pace and bounce. But the fact is that he is the strike bowler for Australia and no one else. Certainly not Shaun Tait who sprayed the ball all over the place and in general looked like a rabbit caught in the headlinghts!
 
Contrary to belief, Scotland wasn’t all that bad. Although they were bowled out for 13-odd, they showed some fight. And had it not been for the last three overs in the Australian innings that cost over 50 runs, Australia could well have been held to a score of under 300. But that’s experience!
 
For Australia, there is the one small problem, though: the middle order. Clarke, Hussey and Watson didn’t look very confident and it was Brad Hogg who hit out in the last few overs. But there is enough time before their match against South Africa to correct this. Bottom line for the main teams: don’t write Australia off!
 
Kenya and Canada was the other match and after an initial hiccup, Kenya showed their greater experience and rallied through to trounce Canada by seven wickets. Steven Tikolo (72) and Maurice Ouma (58) were the main men as they ensured Kenya did not suffer a collapse!