South Africa Could Open Their Account In World Cup

South Africa is one of the strongest team in the World Cup tournament as it has always been in the past editions. In each of the tournaments they have participated, they were one of the favorites to win the World Cup, but could never win any. If there was one team that was as good as the ultimate champion in each edition of the tournament, it was South Africa. This time is no different, but they looked a more settled team this time around with each player fully knowing their individual roles.

Smith at the top with a refreshing Amla to be followed by ever dependable Jacques Kallis followed by one of the finest one day batsmen De Villiers who is followed by an extremely talented finisher and hitter of the ball in Duminy, and the list goes on. One of the easiest step they could  take is opting to bat on winning the toss to reduce their chances of choking. If Amla continues his form from the previous year coupled with good performances from the World class players in their ranks, there is no reason why South Africa should not open their account in World Cup.

I believe this World Cup will be won by the team, which would bat the best. The team that bats first has to set up a huge score and challenge the opposition. The job of the bowlers get much more easier when they are defending a big target. Bowlers have to stick to basic in order to excel in this tournament. The bowler that would be most effective for South Africa would be Tsotsobe. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel will have to adhere to good line and length bowling. Otherwise they can go for lot of runs on these flat tracks. Tsotsobe is the best one-change bowler in the tournament and will be difficult to get away. In all, South Africa is certainly one of the favorite teams to win the World Cup.

Pakistan's Chances In The World Cup 2011

Pakistan has a realistic chance of winning the World Cup and more so because the pressure on them is much less compared to the other teams this time. Moreover they are not playing in front of their home crowds, but are still playing on familiar flat tracks. Beside being a very balanced side, this Pakistan team like always have players who can deliver a knockout punch at the most crucial stage of the game, which is very important in One Day format of the game.

I expect Umar Akmal to be the trump card for Pakistan. Each player is capable of winning the match on his own. Ahmed Shahzad looks an exciting prospect. He could be even more dangerous on the subcontinent pitches. Mohammad Hafeez seems to coming into his own and can be crucial for Pakistan's chances in the World Cup. His spin bowling in the middle overs could be handy. Shahid Afridi can be a match winner on his day. If one of those days happens to be a game in the knockout stages of the World Cup, it will brighten Pakistan's chances in the World Cup. What more could be said of Abdul Razzak. There is no other better all-rounder than Abdul Razzak in World crciket in shorter format of the game save Shane Watson. Yunus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq can play perfect anchor and the other attacking batsman can play around them. Kamran Akmal can be a great finisher and can provide explosive start at the beginning of the innings. If Umar Akmal comes good, nothing can stop Pakistan from winning the World Cup. All the players in the current Indian team play almost in a similar style. They could play different sort of game according to the situation, but Pakistan has variety in their batting. Ahmad Shahzad is an attacking batsmen. Mohammad Hafeez can carry on the innings and has the ability to score quickly at the same time. Yunus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq can play a waiting game and drop anchor. What follows is firecracker. Which team has batsmen like Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, and Abdul Razzak coming at 6,7, and 8. None of the team in the tournament has a more lethal late order than Pakistan. If I have to pick one team to win this tournament, It is Pakistan. They have everything in their favor. I would not be surprised if they also get a lot of crowd support from the crowd. 

Win The Toss And Lose The World Cup

Toss has often played an important role in the Outcome of the Final of Cricket World Cup tournaments as the performance of the team itself. Sometimes, the decision rather than the toss itself decided the fate of the game. In the entire history of World Cup tournaments, the team that has won the toss has won the Final four times and lost five times.

In the first World Cup in 1975  the most capable team to beat the mighty West Indian team was Australia. Accordingly, the two teams met in the final. Australia won the toss and chose to field. Riding on a brilliant 102 from Clive LIoyed's blade, West Indies scored 291. Chasing 291, a monumental task in that time, Australia fell short by just 17 runs despite three run outs. If there was to be any reversal of the result in favor of Australia it might have been possible by batting first after winning the toss. Who knows if they had batted first after winning the toss they could have defended the total. Remember an even stronger West Indian team in 1983 faltered chasing a mediocre total against a relatively weaker Indian team.

History repeated itself in 1979. The beneficiary again was the might West Indies team. England did not learn anything from the first World Cup final between West Indies and Australia. England won the toss and decided to field as if they were capable of chasing the target rather than setting it or for that matter as if they were capable to skittle the West Indian team for a manageable target. West Indies scored 286 with Vivian and King being the major contributors with 138 not out and 86 respectively. All England could manage is 194 losing all the wickets despite 129 opening stand between Brearly and Boycott.

The history did not change in 1983 either, but the beneficiary did. The beneficiary this time was India, and the beneficiary from the first two occasions the West Indies was the loser. If England has not learned anything from the first instance, West Indies did not learn anything from the first two instances when they themselves were the beneficiaries. But they cannot be blamed as they were much stronger team than India and would have fancied chasing down any target.

Border and Imran chose to bat on winning the toss in 1987 and 1992 respectively and won the Final. Sri Lanka defied the history by winning the final chasing the target after their captain refused to bogged down by history and chose to field after winning the toss. That is the only occasion in the history of the World Cups that a team won chasing a target. In 1999, Pakistan became the first team who opted to bat first after winning the toss and lost the match. In the league stage, Pakistan had defeated Australia batting first.

I fail to understand as to what Sourav had in his mind when he chose to field after winning the toss in 2003 World Cup final against Australia. Whether Sourav was optimistic or pessimistic about the batting ability of his team or rather his own batting ability that he did not opt to bat first. Anyways the moment Sourav invited Australia to bat first, he gifted The World Cup to his rival captain Ricky Ponting. Ricky Ponting did learn from the history and chose to bat in 2007 and won the World Cup for Australia.

World Cup 2011 And The Key Players

This World Cup will belong to the batsmen. Bowlers will go for a lot of runs. The fast bowlers will be absolutely ineffective unless the batsmen are incapable. This World Cup is going to be a true spectacle as it is the first World Cup being played after the success of T20 format of the game and it is being hosted in a cricket-crazy region of the World. The advancement in the technology used in the game, the incredible number of audience, and the TV coverage will make this World Cup a huge hit. As for the tournament is concerned Eight of the top test playing teams will make it to the Super Eight with a possibility for an upset or two as it happened with India and Pakistan during the last World Cup. But this time the upsets in the league stages are less likely as it is being played on flat tracks. It will all boil down to the the last three games of the World Cup. Whichever team will play the best in the knockout stage coupled with correct decision at toss and luck will win the World Cup. The decisions at the toss will hold a lot of importance. Sometime the call with the coin decides the fate of the game between two equally good teams. Often teams have gifted the matches and World Cup to the opposition by unwise decision at the toss. This has often happened in Cricket World Cup history. Batsmen will play a key role on the subcontinent pitches and spinners will be often decisive. In this scenario let us have a look at the players who can play key role in deciding the direction of this World Cup.

Shane Watson for Australia: The one player who can make greatest impact on this World Cup is Shane Watson. He is particularly effective on the subcontinent pitches as demonstrated by his performance in IPL. If Australia has to win their fourth consecutive title, Shane Watson has to play a huge part. Of course he is not only their best batsman at this point in time, but also their best bowler. Ricky Ponting's poor form with the bat and Hussey's absence from the team makes Shane Watson's role even more crucial. I would not be surprised if Shane Watson ends up with man of the series award during 2011 World Cup if Australia goes thus far.

Yuvraj Singh for India: If India has to win the World Cup, Yuvraj Singh has to be the main protagonist. If one player in Indian team could change the game with his bat consistently, it is Yuvraj Singh. People are talking about Yusuf Pathan, but I doubt if Yusuf Pathan can win matches consistently. I am also not very optimistic about Sachin in the forthcoming World Cup. Sehwag can score quickly, but I do not think in his style he will succeed every game. If someone can deliver the knockout punch it is Yuvraj Singh with proper support from Dhoni and other team mates with Yusuf Pathan providing the killer punch when needed. Yuvraj Singh's bowling will also be handy. If Yuvraj bowls as many over as a certain Harbhajan, he will be more successful than Harbhajan. If Yuvraj Singh fails in this tournament, I do not see India going all the way.

Umar Akmal And Junaid Khan for Pakistan: If one batsman can have the greatest impact on this tournament it will be Umar Akmal. I believe the best of Umar Akmal is round the corner. Shahid Afridi will play as usual and can contribute with both bat and the ball. Razzak can deliver a knockout punch and Misbah will have to play an anchor. I am not very optimistic about Yunis Khan. He often tries to match other attacking Pakistan batsmen. Kamran can win the game on his day. If someone can make a huge difference in this World Cup for Pakistan it is Umar Akmal. The expectations on Umar Akmal are reduced on the back of his indifferent form and that could help him play his natural game. Junaid Khan will be an unknown quantity and could be quite handy. Wahab Riaz will also play an important role. Shoib Akhtar will be ineffective and may turn out to be a liability.

Hashim Amla and Tsotsobe for South Africa: The form that Hashim Amla has displayed during the last one year augers well for South Africa in World Cup 2011. If he can anchor the innings, the other batsmen can play around him and Kallis. South Africa has the best batting line up in the tournament with India. De Villiers is one of the leading batsmen in One Day cricket. J.P. Duminy can attack during the later stage of the innings and can score runs briskly. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel might not be destructive on the subcontinent pitches. One bowler who could make a greater difference for South Africa is Tsotsobe. Tsotsobe will be the best one-change bowler on view during the tournament.

The King Is Dead

India Vs Pakistan Would Be An Ideal Final For 2011 World Cup

There is no bigger or better occasion in cricket than a World Cup. The wait for the next World Cup begins the moment a World Cup ends. Teams are built and careers are often decided based on World Cup. New talents are unearthed for the World Cup and many veterans have chosen World Cup as the occasion to retire. Such is the charm of the event that it captivates everyone. As the event is drawing closer, everyone from the players themselves, the coaching staff, the media, and the fans are fastening their belts and gearing up for the event. The mother of all the contests in father of all the tournament is a clash between India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan have met each other in World Cup and they have not met so far in a Semi-Final or Final of a One Day Cricket World Cup tournament. It cannot get better than a final between India and Pakistan in 2011 World Cup edition. I believe if India and Pakistan meet in the final of One Day Cricket World Cup trophy, it will beat every other biggest event in terms of number of viewers and popularity all around the World.

It will be an off day for everyone in India and Pakistan if India and Pakistan meet in Final of this spectacular event. The emotions will fly high. The happiness and grief will be unmatched. The emotions will be oscillating quite frequently. The faint hearted are better advised to stay away. But the whole drama could also come down to toss. India has won all the contests played between the two arch-rivals in the mega event, although Pakistan has better overall record outside this event. The chances for an Indo-Pak clash in the Final of the World Cup are reasonably good as they arch-rivals will meet only during the knockout stage because of their placement in different groups. It will be a huge occasion for both the teams. The team that would win would rise to ultimate super stardom. The players who would perform well become an all-time national hero. Who knows! We might just witness the ultimate rivalry on the biggest stage of the World Cricket.

Hundreds In Finals Of One Day Cricket World Cup

A century in the final of One Day Cricket World Cup may be the ultimate dream of the greatest of the batsmen. Nine World Cup finals so far have produced five hundreds. Four of the five hundreds in the finals were scored in the first innings. Only one century is scored while chasing the target. These centuries were scored by some of the best batsmen to have ever played the game of cricket. The batsmen who have scored hundreds in the final of the World Cup are Clive LIoyed, Vivian Richards,  Arvinda DeSilva, Ricky Ponting, and Adam Gilchrist.

1. Clive LIoyed 102 in 1975 World Cup Final

Clive LIoyed scored the first and one of the finest hundred of World Cup Final. The spectacular innings could not have come at better occasion than a World Cup Final. The Final was played between West Indies and Australia. Australia opted to field after winning the toss, which turned out to be a senseless decision in the end. LIoyed arrived at the crease with West Indies score reading 50/3 and the three best batsmen Fredricks, Greenidge, and Kallicharan back in the Pavilion. LIoyed found an able partner in Kanhai and unleashed an array strokes that comprised the hooks, the pulls, the cuts, the swishes to the midwicket, and the drives down the ground. It was one of the finest innings played in One Day Cricket and the bowling attack had a certain Lillee. When LIoyed departed at 199 he had scored 102 runs off 85 balls that contained 12 hits to the fence and two over the rope. LIoyed played a captain's knock under pressure. This must one of the foremost and best counterattacking innings played in one day cricket. West Indies won by 17 runs. LIoyed was duly awarded man of the match award.

2. Vivian Richards' 138 in 1979 World Cup Final

Final of the second edition of World Cup also featured a 100 and a scintillating one at that. England had not learned any lessons from the final of the previous edition and opted to field on winning the toss. West Indies lost their first wicket in form of Greenidge with team score reading 22 getting King Richards to the crease. The King decided to celebrate the occasion in his trademark style despite being out of form. He kept on losing partners before Collis King stood up at the other end with an equally impressive, but more aggressive innings of 86 runs off 66 balls that were dotted with 10 fours and 3 sixes. Richards innings was laced with 11 fours and 3 sixes. The third score in the innings was a 20 by Haynes. West Indies won the match and the Richards was awarded man of the match.

3. Arvinda De Silva's 107 in 1996 World Cup Final

Arvinda De Silva's 107 is the first and only hundred in a World Cup final that has come while chasing the target. What makes this knock special is the fact that it was the first time when a team chasing the target won the Final. Chasing a target of 241 set by Australia Sri Lanka lost two wickets early with team score just 23 forcing Arvinda early to the crease. He shared two crucial partnerships with Gurusinha and Ranatunga and saw Sri Lanka home and win their first World Cup title. Arvinda struck 13 boundaries during his knock. Arvinda was awarded man of the match for his effort of 107.

4. Ricky Ponting's 140 in 2003 World Cup Final

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly probably did not have any sense of history when he chose to field after winnings the toss. What followed was a batting spectacle. Ricky Ponting arrived to the crease when Gilchrist fell at the end of 14th over after scoring 57 off 48 balls. Ponting brought up his 50 in 74 balls with single hit to the boundary for four and then launched himself with two sixes in 39th over bowled by his good friend Harbhajan Singh and hit all the Indian strike bowlers at least for a six apiece. By the end of his innings he has hit eight sixes and four fours and scored 140 runs off 121 balls leading Australia to a monumental total of 359 and batting India out of the final. Ricky Ponting was the default man of the match.

5. Adam Gilchrist's 149 in 2007 World Cup Final

 Adam Gilchrist played the most extravagant knock of the final of the most extravagant event in the game of cricket. Gilchrist's 149 is the highest score by any batsmen in any Final of this showpiece event. This glittering knock of Gilchrist sums up Gilchrist as a batsman. Gilchrist's 149 came off just 104 balls and was sprinkled with 13 fours and eight scintillating sixes.  It was the most entertaining and eye-catching innings played in the mega event. Adam Gilchrist played good knocks in the finals of previous two editions and saved the best for his last in 2007. Australia won all the three editions of the World Cups that Adam Gilchrist played for Australia.

Huge Expectations And Build-Up Could Sink India's Ship At Cricket World Cup 2011

The preparation of the Indian media always exceeds that of the preparation of Team India before any cricketing event. The media and the people are more active than the team itself. Whenever such event like World Cup is in the offing, the media unleashes all its resources to celebrate an Indian win in advance. The Indian media and people are very emotional about their cricket and tend to take reasoning out of equation. The game of cricket is followed like a religion and the mere mortals are celebrated as 'Gods.'

This time Indian team is strongest or probably one of the strongest in the tournament. But the difference between the Team India and the other strong teams is not enough to say that India can easily route their way the World Cup glory.

The strongest teams that were head and shoulder above the rest of the teams in competition were the West Indies in the first three and the Australians in the last three editions. India won the cup in 1983 despite West Indies being a far superior team in the tournament. In 1987, West Indies and Pakistan were the strongest teams, but still relatively lesser Australian team of 1987 lifted the cup. The 1992 edition of the World Cup was one with balance between teams with no noticeable margin between teams when Pakistan emerged the winner. In 1996, South Africa was the strongest team followed by Australia, Pakistan, and India. Sri Lanka defeated a relatively easier team England in the quarter-final before having a bit of luck against India in Semifinal and displaying their best in the Final against Australia to lift the trophy. Sri Lankans were never fancied as World Cup winning material in 1996. A certain Sanath Jaysurya made all the difference. Since then Australia has been the strongest team and dominated all three World Cup.

The point is if the difference between the team is not as huge as in the first couple of editions or the last couple of edition, it could be anyone of the stronger teams in the tournament. In this scenario other factors like toss, pressure, and pitch play a significant role. Such unprecedented enthusiasm and hype from the media and people involved could bring a huge amount of pressure on the Indian team and that could have a telling affect at the crucial moments in the tournament. Before India lost to Sri Lanka in the semi-final of 1996 World Cup, they used to beat them as they would beat Bangladesh now. Toss played an important role in that contest. Similarly too much hype this time could prove detrimental to the cause of the Indian team.

Sigh No More

Solution For Existence Of All Formats Of Cricket

There have been calls from the cricket expert to do away with One Day format of the game to save cricket and save cricketers from cricket overkill. The argument is that After the success of T20, the One Day games have lost their sheen. But that is not true.

One Day International games remain as attractive and interesting as they were ever in the past. One Day cricket has its own charm so are the other formats of the game. Positive steps are required to maintain a balance between all formats of the game. Rather than wrapping up One Day format of the game altogether, we can reduce the number of one days played during a season.

One solution is to have three games for each format of the game in a bilateral series. Why have something like three tests, five one dayers and 2 T20s. The better combination and schedule would be to have three tests, three one dayers, and three T20. Do not play more than three ODIs in a bilateral One Day series and instead more tests and T20s could be accomodated. If one has to play more tests in a series one can do away with one day or T20s in that series. One day can be played in multinational tournaments like Asia Cup, World Cup, and Champion Trophy to name a few. Balance can be maintained between all formats of the game and all formats of the game can exist together.

Mission Bell

Unique Record Beckons Sachin Tendulkar In One Day Cricket World Cup 2011

Sachin Tendulkar is the only second cricketer who has not won a World Cup tournament despite participating in five or more events of the prestigious tournament. His good friend Brian Lara shares the unique feat with him. The cricketers who have played in five editions of One Day showpiece events are Imran Khan, Ranatunga, Wasim Akram, Arvinda Desilva, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq, and Sanath Jaysurya. Javed Miandad is the first and only cricketer to have played in six editions of this biggest cricketing event. Except Tendulkar and Lara, all these above mentioned cricketers who have taken part in five or more events of the showpiece have one World Cup win to their credit.

At five editions, Tendulkar shares the record with Brian Lara for never winning the ultimate trophy in One Day cricket. Lara is past now. Tendulkar will be taking part in sixth World cup of his career and if he does not win this time, he will become the only player in the history of the game to have played as many as six tournaments and have not won any. There are many greats who have played only half of his tally and have won more than once. Tendulkar and his fans will have no excuses this time like cricket is a team game and all that because Indian team is the best team in the tournament this time.

Mission Bell

Unique Record Beckons Ricky Ponting In One Day Cricket World Cup 2011

Ricky Ponting is one of only three cricketers who have won One Day World Cup Trophy three times, highest by any cricketer in the history of the game and that too in three consecutive editions. The other two being his contemporaries and teammates Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath. Ricky Ponting will participate in 2011 World Cup and will have the opportunity to become the only cricketer with as many as four One Day Cricket World Cup trophies under his belt. Adam Gilchrist and McGrath have retired and thus will not better their already unprecedented achievement. This will be quite an achievement for both the Australian cricket and Ricky Ponting.

Australian team already has the distinction of winning most number of One Day Cricket World Cup trophies as they have won four of them and three on trot. It will be their fifth trophy if they win the 2011 edition. The second best to them is West Indies with two World Cup trophies under their belt. Ricky Ponting though shares his individual record at this time with Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist. If Australia wins this edition, Ricky Ponting will hold one of the finest and unique record in World Cricket to be the only player in the history of the game to have four World Cup trophies under his belt, and three of them as the captain of the side. That will be quite an achievement for Ricky Ponting. If Ricky Ponting gets to this record it will be quite difficult to be broken. For a player to feature in four consecutive World Cup win will take some doing.

The King Is Dead

Adam Gilchrist's Hat Trick In One Day Cricket World Cup

World Cup is considered as the biggest prize in cricket in general and in one day cricket in particular. A victory in this showpiece event is considered as the ultimate achievement for any cricketer.

There are cricketers who have the distinction of being part of World cup winning team multiple times. There are others who had tasted ultimate glory only once in their career despite multiple appearance. What is more. There are many great cricketers who never won the highest prize despite appearing in multiple editions.

The cricketers who have been part of One Day Cricket World Cup winning teams most number of times are Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, and Glenn McGrath. Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, and Glenn McGrath featured in three winning Australian squads that won three tournaments on the trot in 1999, 2003, and 2007. While Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath also participated in 1996 edition when they lost in Final to Sri Lanka, Gilchrist made his first appearance in 1999 edition  and in all played in three editions of this showpiece tournament, ending up on the winning side all the times.

Gilchrist is the only cricketer with 100% success in One Day Cricket World Cup among the cricketers who have participated in three or more editions of the tournaments so far. More importantly, he played his part in the Finals of all these successful World Cup campaigns. His performance in the Final of 2007 edition was one of the finest one is ever likely to see.

Love at First Flight

Who Will Win the Cricket World Cup 2011-Final Four

The team that would play their best cricket in the last three games starting from the quarter finals will win the World Cup 2011. The group of teams that would proceed to the knockout stage of the megapiece event is almost predictable. The test playing nation with the exception of Bangladesh are likely to move forward to the second stage of the tournament. There could a few hiccups here and there. Out of these eight teams, four of them are stronger than the other four, and out of these four, whoever will play their best cricket during the knockout stage of the World Cup will win the tournament.

India, Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa are the strongest teams in the tournament and are most likely to make it to the Final four with a scope for an upset or two. Apart from the strength of the teams, decisions at the toss will also play crucial role.

India is the top contender to win the World Cup because of heavyweight batting line up and vast spin bowling resources. Spin bowling is likely to play crucial role in this World Cup. Fast bowling will be ineffective on the subcontinent pitches unless the batsmen make mistakes. India has an edge over other teams because of many part time spinners in their ranks. They have a good spinner in Harbhajan and more potent part time spinners in Sehwag, Yusuf, Yuvraj, and Sachin. Raina can also bowl if he gets to play. India will have to bowl their fast bowlers in small spells. They must use all their spinners to bowl most of the overs. Sehwag will be the most effective of all the spin bowlers. Playing in familiar subcontinental conditions and Indian conditions will favor India great deal. They will be boosted by the crows support as well. But that could be a double sword edge. The crowd expectation could lead to extra pressure on the Indian batsmen. Playing before the home crowd could bring additional and undue pressure on the Indian team, but otherwise India is hot favorite to win the World Cup.

Pakistan is another hot favorite to win the World Cup. They have a mix of fighters and aggressors in their batting line up. Yunis Khan and Misbah can play the role of the anchor to perfection. The likes of Ahmad Shahzad, Kamran Akram, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, and Abdul Razzak can win the match singlehandedly with their aggressive batting. What is more they have capable hitters down the order in Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, and Umar Gul. They have good spin bowling attack with Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, and Mohammad Hafeez. Abdul Razzak can be decisive with his medium pacers. The only thing that bothers me about Pakistan is effectiveness of Shoib Akhtar for Pakistan. I wonder if he will be an asset for Pakistan or liability. I do not think Shoib Akhtar will run through the batting line ups on subcontinent wickets and if he is wayward, he will go for a lot of runs. I think Pakistan would be better off Shoib Akhtar. Remember Shoib Akhtar bowling wayward and being hit for sixes in 2003 World Cup against India, which gave momentum to the Indian innings. One advantage Pakistan has over India is that they are playing in familiar Indian and subcontinent condition without playing in front of their home crowd. That is they have the advantage of playing friendly home condition without the expectations of the home crowd.

This Australian team is fully capable of winning the fourth straight title for Australia. One would do well to remember that half-strength Australian defeated India comprehensively in a one day series a couple of seasons back. The major concern for the Australian team would be the form of Ricky Ponting. Ricky Ponting is likely going to be a liability for Australia and so may be Tendulkar for India and Shoib Akhtar for Pakistan. The key player for Australia would be Shane Watson. Shane Watson can play the central role in Australia's campaign for the World Cup title. Ferguson seems to be a good prospect in the middle order. They do not have a World class spinner. Michael clarke could be used as part-time spinners, but can he do something like Indian part-timers like Sehwag and Yuvraj or Pakistan part-timers like Mohammad Hafeez remains to be seen.

South Africa is another well balanced team with dependable batting line up, which has a mix of aggressors and anchors. If Amla can display his form from the last year and some of the South African batsmen come good South Africa will not be too far from clinching their first World Cup title. Smith and Amla can provide a great start at the top. Amla can bat through the innings and Kallis can play the role of anchor to perfection. AB De Villiers and Duminy are among the best batsmen in the middle order. Duminy could a great finisher for South Africa. South Africa also have a good spinner in Botha and surprise package in Imran Tahir.

These four teams, India, Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa are likely to make it to the Semi-Finals. There could be an exception. But only one of these four teams from India, Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa are capable of winning all the three matches in a row starting from the quarter final to the final. Hence the favorites teams to lift the World Cup in 2011 are as follows.

1. India or Pakistan
2. South Africa
3. Australia

The Sculptor

Punishment For Spot Fixing Culprits Is A Gift For The Game Of Cricket And Fans

Cricket is one of the widely followed sports and is a single major sports in many Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. People in this part of the world are crazy about the game of cricket and their cricketing heroes. The game is keenly followed and the cricketers are worshiped by cricket crazy fans. It is people's love of the game that makes cricketers the biggest heroes and richest people.

Betraying the trust of such adoring fans is one of the biggest crime these cricketers can ever commit. When they are getting everything from their cricket and from their cricket fans, the least these cricketers can do is retain the faith of these cricket fans.

The earnings of the cricketers is phenomenal. If not for cricket how much Sachin Tendulkar would have earned. If not for cricket, what profession Virender Sehwag would have followed. If not for cricket, what occupation Shahid Afridi would have opted for and how much he would have earned. If not for cricket, how much money these cricketers from subcontinent would have made.

If Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir, and Mohammad Asif have not played cricket what they would have done and how they would have earned their money. If not for cricket, how much these cricketers would have earned. After earning unimaginable sums of money from cricket what makes these cricketers to indulge in such petty crimes like spot fixing and betray the cricket fans.

This is even more heinous because cricketers in the past have been punished for being involved in match fixing. When match fixing scandal broke one thought it was an aberration and punishments to the players would deter them from getting involved in such heinous acts. Such tall cricketers like Hansie Cronje, Azharuddin, and Salim Malik have been punished in the past. After all these, how dare these cricketers to indulge in spot fixing.

Some of these cricketers are involved in controversies repeatedly. Mohammad Asif features consistently in controversies. They should at least mind the Mohammad part in their name while indulging such hateful acts.

The cricketers involved in such acts and betraying the faith of the people should be banned for life. The cricketers who were involved in match fixing could have been pardoned after some minor punishments because it was the first case. But even after those cricketers involved in match fixing were punished, how these cricketers get involved in spot fixing.

Moreover, these cricketers are not showing any remorse for their illegal and disgusting actions. While going to the hearing, they are wearing fancy clothes and moving in expensive automobiles and sporting smiles on their faces. How shameless. Any cricketer found guilty should never be allowed to play again.

The Promise

Cricket World Cup 2011-Team India's Chances

This is the first time in the history of one day cricket World Cup tournaments that India has emerged as the strongest team in the tournament and top favorites to win the coveted trophy. India has won the World Cup for the first and for the only time in 1983. Team India was not even one of the best teams in the 1983 edition, leave alone being the best team in the tournament. In the subsequent tournaments, India produced stronger teams, but they could not add to their World Cup tally in one day cricket.  Even though the Indian team got stronger with each edition of the World Cup, they were never the best team in the tournament. The best teams in World Cup thus far have been West Indies in the first three editions, Pakistan in the fourth edition, and may be even fifth in 1992, South Africa in the six edition in 1996, and Australia in all the subsequent events of the World Cup tournaments. India has emerged as the strongest team for the first time in the World Cup tournament in 2011.

The sheer strength of team will take to the knockout stages. If India stay focused for three games in the knockout stages, the quarter final, semi-final, and the final, they can repeat the history. The Indian team does not require to spend much energy for the league stage of the tournament. They will make to the quarter-final even if they play casual cricket. But it is from the quarter finals that they need to be at their very best and need to plug any loopholes. In other words they need to meticulously plan for the three games in the knockout stages. India need to settle their batting order. If Gambhir is playing he should open the batting. He is ineffective in the middle order. Either Sachin or Sehwag should drop to #3. But then even Sachin is not as effective in middle order as he is as an opener. India can have Sehwag one down. With Sehwag still in the pavilion the Indian team will have a psychological edge and the openers can play freely. But if Sehwag and Sachin open and Sehwag goes early, it will put a lot of pressure on Gambhir and Sachin and they may not be able to get going. Virat Kohli should play at #4 as he is in best form of his life. Dhoni should come at #5 with Yuvraj Singh at #6. Why I am putting Yuvraj Singh at #6 is the fact that he has not been in the best form of his life, but nonetheless he is a proven match winner. So by dropping him down the order, he will be given that pressure-free situation to unleash himself. Yuvraj Singh at #6 and Yusuf Pathan at #7 are ominous signs for the opposition. If Virat Kohli is not playing, then Dhoni should bat at #4 with Yuvraj Singh at #5 and Suresh Raina at #6.

Perfect Eleven with perfect batting order for Indian team

1. Gautam Gambhir
2. Sachin Tendulkar
3. Virender Sehwag
4. Virat Kohli
5. Dhoni
6. Yuvraj Singh
7. Yusuf Pathan
8. Praveen Kumar
9. Harbhajan
10. Zaheer Khan
11. Munaf Patel

Love at First Flight

Last Ball Six By Chanderpaul To Win A One Day Against Sri Lanka

Chanderpaul's last ball six that won West Indies a match against Sri Lanka when as many as six were required to win the One Day cricket match was the stuff of fantasy. He also clubbed a four off the penultimate ball.

It was the first match of One Day cricket series between West Indies and Sri Lanka. After being invited to bat by West Indies who won the toss Sri Lanka huffed and puffed to a modest score of 235 for the loss of 7 wickets, which was at some point of the innings read 49-5. West Indies were steady in their response until a late collapse reduced them to 219-9.

From the last over, West Indies required 13 runs for a victory with the last pair at the crease. Edward was on strike and Chanderpaul on non-strike. Three runs were scored off the first four balls and another 10 runs were required off the last 2 balls, but what was important was that the strike was with Chanderpaul.  The minimum requirement was at least a six and a four. Off the first of the last two balls, Chanderpaul scored a boundary. The match has come to the last ball with West Indies requiring 6 runs was an unlikely victory. Vaas did not seem to be aware of the last ball six by Javed Miandad when Chetan Sharma bowled a full toss. Vaas emulated Chetan Sharma and bowled a full-toss and Chanderpaul emulated Javed Miandad a hit a six, sealing an unlikely win for West Indies.

Summer at Willow Lake