Well the World Cup is upon us, to use the same phrase I found in almost every single article in the last week about cricket. Actually perhaps this pronouncement is more accurate in the following form: the eight-week long parade of mediocre cricket teams is about to begin like an agonisingly long soup-omnibus and good luck to you all, may most of you survive to the end. After what feels like an age since the last World Cup, in which time 2020 cricket has turned the sport inside out and made more than one player a lot more wealthy than they otherwise would (or ever should) have been, and the main thing I can predict or profess about the impending monster of a tournament is that it will not satisfy the purist cricketer. This sounds simplistic and more than a little cliched but my path of thought stems from something Peter Roebuck wrote this week about the need for the World Cup (I have linked his article below in ARTICLE OF INTEREST) where he suggests that, if not the early rounds, the final stages are what the world order of cricket is based on and that the truly great cricketers make their mark in these moments
- 1975=Clive Lloyd (century)
- 1979=Vivian Richards (century)
- 1983=Kapil Dev (catch)
- 1987=ascendancy of the Australian team (my inclusion not his)
- 1992=Wasim Akram (3 key and memorable wickets)
- 1996=Aravinda de Silva (century)
- 1999=Shane Warne (key wickets in the semifinal and final)
- 2003=Ricky Ponting (century)
- 2007=Adam Gilchrist (century)
I believe this to be what cricket wants and probably needs after at least four years of more controversy than inspiring cricket. However I fear, call me a contrarian if you will, that the problems of the recent past ensure that this World Cup will be the least likely to provide the quality of performance that Roebuck is talking about. The advent of 2020 cricket and the absence of truly world-class performers (or the decline of the few that inspired in the last decade) may result in the cricket getting more what it deserves than what it wants. I quickly accept the criticism that this void provides the opportunity for the next generation (ignore for the moment that the individuals listed above were already secure in their roles before their world cup success) and normally I would agree but the fact that THIS tournament is in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - the fatherland of flat, slow wickets (a product more and more successfully exported to touch on another fear) - ensures the success of mediocrity in the form of powerful and technique-devoid batting, average spinners and all pace-bowlers looking the same.
Of course I extend the challenge to the teams to prove me wrong but I fear they won't. In the heat of the subcontinent the hope of uncovering the next Donald, Hutton or Pollock (Peter, Graeme or Shaun) is a forlorn one.
Now in terms of who may win this tournament, aesthetically pleasing or not, here are the top teams:
- Australia: 6-1 defeat of England on bouncy (er) wickets looks like nothing after two average warm up games. In 2007 they were lucky they got away with using a few old relics - the only thing that prevented their decline from being noticed earlier was the relative weakness of everybody else's old relics (Shaun Pollock played in that world cup for goodness sake!)
- Bangladesh: my dark-horse favourite to get into the finals if not the actual final ala Sri Lanka in 1996 (and for similar personnel reasons)
- England: they will play in the conditions most removed from their own and will likely prove a little tired after a long winter tour already. They have the talent to compete but don't be surprised if the drive was spent during three innings wins against Australia over Christmas
- India: to repeat myself, powerful and technique-devoid batting, average spinners and all pace-bowlers looking the same, but they are playing at home and their powerful and technique-devoid batting, average spinners and all pace-bowlers looking the same appear to be in better form than everyone else's powerful and technique-devoid batting, average spinners and all pace-bowlers looking the same
- New Zealand: we now know which commentators actually pay attention to us. Any that have called us the dark-horse for this tournament (again) don't know what they're talking about and haven't done their research. The bowling and batting ineptitude of the team keep changing places this summer - a semi-final berth should be counted as a victory. It will be the small improvements that I will be looking for from the team in preparation for the 2015 event (in our neck of the woods too)
- Pakistan: The only team that can beat this Pakistan team is the Pakistan team; enough said
- South Africa: will likely beat everyone until a key knockout match during which they will invent a new way to choke. The day will surely come when they don't and maybe 2011 will contain that day but until then I will keep my money away from that bet thank you very much. It will be interesting to see how well Steyn and Morkel perform in the conditions because if they don't the team will be in trouble
- Sri lanka: see my thoughts on India's chances above
- West Indies: Gayle and Roach are the key players for this team and possibly Bravo in the middle order
- Zimbabwe: Don't be surprised if they give a few teams a scare - they have not lost all of their skill since 2005. The player Taylor who opens the batting has put some good scores together in the last 12 months
There are probably some minnow teams playing and I'm sure they will do their best - Ireland is usually up for it and already gave England a scare in their warm up match - but just like many other major sports the lesser teams don't really have a chance to get passed the first round; good luck to them nonetheless.
As for my coverage of the World Cup I intend to give my thoughts on each and every match probably on alternate days or whenever practical. I will also mention the standings in my fantasy league on cricinfo.com (pin 855 for anybody that hasn't joined yet)
NEWS
The ICC has banned the use of Twitter by players, coaches and management for the duration of the World Cup to avoid spot/match fixing. I could and probably should write a whole blog on this topic but that will have to come later
RECENT RESULTS
New Zealand Cricket's one day final was played this week and provided a high scoring thriller including centuries for Vincent and Nicol, neither player will be at the World Cup and you can bet that their absence will be trumped up as a mistake at some point. To be fair it was nice of them to hit form after the squad was announced
ARTICLE OF INTEREST
As mentioned above this is Peter Roebuck's article about the importance of the World Cup. He makes some good points and as usual it is well written
Well that's it from here and I hope you join me again
It's good bye for now
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