After months and months of build up, hype, hype and more hype, the 2007 Cricket world cup finally got underway in the Caribbean this Tuesday. A grand opening ceremony showcasing some of the finest Caribbean talents set the tone for what should be a cracking 51 days of cricket. The event that took place at the Trelawny Stadium, in northwestern Jamaica, featured top Jamaican musical bands Third World, Sly and Robbie and Byron Lee and Dragonaires, as well as top regional entertainers such as David Rudder, Jimmy Cliff, Byron Lee, Machel Montano, Alison Hinds, Sean Paul and Beres Hammond. A ceremony lasting lasting a little over 3 hours was the longest in the cup's history, but then this tournament has never features as many as 16 teams, so it was probably befitting.
Out of the 16 teams, the chances of the top 8 nations (Australia, SA, NZ, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, India and West Indies) are being fancied. Australia sudden slump ( 5 defeats in a row) coupled with resurgence of England and NZ, has made the pundits talk about this World Cup being the 'most open' one ever. This somehow sounds illogical, every world cup played so far has been pretty open. There have always been good teams and never has one team gone into the championship as an out n out favorite. If Australia goes on to win this WC without dropping a game, people who termed this world cup an 'open' one might just feel stupid.
The teams have been divided into 4 groups of 4 teams each, with the top 2 teams from each group progressing to the Super 8. Absurdly, (to suit television audience, of course!) the Super 8 games have been decided well in advance. For full world cup schedule, click
hereI'm quite excited about this world cup, the format is quite stunning. Each team plays the other atleast once before the semi-finals. Hence, unlike last time, if a minnow nation is to reach the final 4, they will really have earned it.
My take on the top 8 teams is as follows.
Australia - despite having lost some of their stars to injury and retirements, still remain a force to reckon with. With Ponting in such prolific form and McGrath still his parsimonious best, Australia will be a force to reckon with. Since reaching the semi-finals requires a team to win only 5 games out of 8, the 2 time defending champions will probably sleep walk into the semis.
SA - go into this world cup at the #1 ranked team in the world. This should give their confidence a major boost. However, SA are notoriously bad chokers and the world cup record is quite poor. They enter every WC as strong contenders only to deceive. Anything less than an appearance in the finals of this edition will be another major let-down.
India - the media hype is so high that every indian supporter inevitably feels that the team will bring home the ultimate prize. No other country enjoys such passionate support from its fans. Despite some pretty average one-day form lately, due to the slow nature of the caribbean pitches, india shouldn't have too many problems reaching the semis but going all the way looks highly improbable. With legends like Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Kumble probably playing their final world cups, this world cup might just be special.
WI - with the world cup being played across 9 different islands, where conditions are expected to vary quite significantly, home advantage for the hosts should certainly enhance their prospects. A highly inconsistent team who can collapse one day only to beat the best on the next, they will probably need a lot of luck to cut deep into the tournament. If Lara can inspire his team, along with the vociferous local support, WI might just reach the semis but I don't see them going any further.
NZ - a great all round team devoid of any superstar, this team is capable of causing major surprises. With the likes of Agent Bond, all-rounder Oram, flamboyant McMillian and Taylor along with the astute captaincy of Fleming, the Kiwis should fly high. The way they outgunned Australia in the recent Chappel-Hadlee series was a revelation. A semi-final finish shouldn't be surprising, infact I'd love to see them win this trophy. After India, they are my favorite team.
England - an average team on their best day, worst at other times, England I believe made a big blunder by picking Vaughan. With a knee that can snap at any time, it will not be surprising to find Flintoff leading England in the Super 8's. Despite stars like Pietersen, Collingwood, Flintoff and Strauss, England can never been consistent enough to challenge the top 4 and will probably be fighting for the bottom spot in the super 8's.
Pakistan - Winning the WC in '99 under the inspirational leadership of Imran was probably their finest hour. Since then their performances the WC have been quite tepid. On paper, their team at this edition is the weakest ever since '92 and they should be quite pleased it they can compete this time.
SL - The '96 champions have run into hot form lately. In Moody and Jayawardena, they have strong leadership that has seen some positive results over the last one year. With Jayasuriya at his brutal best again one can expect fireworks at the top. Murali, Vaas and 'slinger' Malinga give their bowling a strong look. They will do well in the super 8's but might miss out in the semis.
Here's hoping for an exciting and close world cup with lots of memorable matches!!
