Bangladesh vs India - Game 8

Bangladesh vs India (Group B) at Port of Spain, Trinidad

India 191/10 in 49.3 overs (Ganguly 66, Yuvraj 47, M Mortaza 38/4, M Rafique 35/3) lost to Bangladesh 192/5 inn 48.3 overs (M Rahim 56, S Hasan 53) by 5 wkts
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I am absolutely gutted! India's campaign got of to the worst imaginable start as the Bangladeshi tigers trounced their much hyped neighbors. Batting first after winning the toss, the much vaunted batting line up, considered by many as the strongest in the world, fell like flies. To collapse from 157/4 to 159/9 in the space of 1.4 overs is inexplicable. A team with such an enormous wealth of experience should know better.

Bangladesh, on the other hand have improved beyond recognition. Remember, they beat NZ in the warm up leading to the WC. At a time when the minnows are getting slayed left, right and center, this performance should silence those critics who have been questioning the inclusion of 'lesser' teams for a premier event. It's nice to see B'desh do so well, and with the 2011 WC scheduled to be held in the sub-continent, we could very well be saying hello to a new champion then.

India have a lot of soul searching to do. They didn't show any urgency while batting and their body language while bowling & fielding left a lot to be desired. Sehwag was terrible and one must really question the team management's wisdom to continue backing him on the pretext that he is only one good knock away from regaining form. Ganguly was pathetically slow at the start (he scored 5 runs in the first 10 overs) and there seemed a touch of selfishness in his play. Dravid and Tendulkar failed to rotate the strike while the lower middle order fell like 9 pins. When you are defending 191, the bowling gotta be really aggressive and fielders have to hold on to half chances but sadly, they dropped regulation catches. A few bouncers at the start of the innings, a few sledges at the b'desh batsmen and other intimidatory tactics wouldn't have hurt.

On the whole, the team looked flat on the field and gave the impression that they would have rather been elsewhere. The last 2 years have been spent in preparing for this world cup. The 'experimentation' and chopping and changing of batting order in every other ODI was done with the entire idea of making players play in different situation to see how they respond. Gosh, the fans must feel cheated to have bought into the idea.

Team India now stands in the brink of elimination as they are one defeat away from exiting this WC. Big wins will be needed against Bermuda and SL and then have to hope B'desh lose to Bermudda to harbor any hopes of qualifying. India began poorly in 2003, Pak were even worse in 1992, Aussies were struggling in the early stages of the 1999 competition. Both Pak and Aust were a defeat away from a first round exit. But considering Sri Lanka's hot form lately and B'desh determination & enthusiasm, things looks pretty downhill for the blue billion. This result was a shock of seismic proportions, but little did it prepare the cricketing fraternity for what was to follow...

Netherlands vs South Africa - Game 7

Netherland v/s South Africa, (Group A), St. Kitts

South Africa 353/3 in 40 overs (J Kallis 128*, Boucher 75*, Gibbs 72) beat Netherlands 132/9 in 40 overs (RN ten Doeschate 57) by 221 runs

Another minnow bloodbath as SA destroyed Netherlands by 221 runs. Gibbs smashed 6 sixes in an over (yes!!) and fired himself into the record books as he became the first player to achieve such a feat in international cricket. Gary Sobers and Ravi Shastri had done it previously in domestic cricket. This feat leaves Kerry Packer's company, Johnie Walker, poorer by USD $1 million as they had promised to donate the amount for charity if anyone was to hit 6 sixes in international cricket. The Habitat for Humanity will be singing praises of Hershelle Gibbs for a long time to come. As for the bowler, Daan van Bunge, he will now be an answer to quiz questions across the world.

Those who missed the action, can watch the 6 sixes here

Other than this, nothing else to talk about this game. Minnow bashing continues at the World Cup and the debate whether associate teams should be allowed to take part rages on.

England v/s New Zealand - Game 6

England v/s New Zealand (Group C) at St. Lucia

England 209/7 in 50 overs (KP Pietersen 60, P Nixon 42*, Bond 19/2) lost to New Zealand 210/4 in 41 overs (S Styris 87*, JP Oram 63*) by 6 wickets.
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This was the marque match between the best two teams in Group C with the winner almost certain of topping the group and carrying 2 points into the next round. England, after being put in, batted poorly at the start until Pietersen and Bell consolidated. However, a spate of wickets in 2 overs set them back. Agent Bond and Scott Styris knocked the stuffing out of their middle order as England struggled to reach 207/9 in the alloted overs.England however were in with a great chance when they picked up quick wickets including that of captain Fleming. However, Styris and Oram (broken finger and all) eased the Kiwis past the target.

A great all-round performance by the Kiwis who look like a really balanced outfit. It was pleasing to see Bond excel with the ball. He looks in real top shape, free from any niggling injuries, which is good news for the team. Oram, despite playing with a broken finger, did well with the ball and bat. With Styris also running into some form, it would take a brave man to bet against them reaching the semis!

Ireland v/s Zimbabwe - Game 5

Ireland v/s Zimbabwe (Group D) at Kingston, Jamaica

Ireland 221/9 in 50 overs (JP Bray 115*) vs Zimbabwe 221/10 in 50 overs (Matsikenyeri 73*) match tied!!
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The minnows produced their version of the classic Australia vs South Africa 1999 world cup semi-final encounter. At a time when the minnows are getting thrashed by superior opponents and their inclusion in a premier tournament such as this is being questioned, Ireland and Zimbabwe produced an absolute cracker. Ireland batted first and scored 221/9 in their 50 overs, thanks largely to the australian JP Bray. I didn't watch the match but apparently his batting was as bullish as Matty Hayden's. In reply Zimbabwe seemed to be cruising and needed 15 runs of 39 balls with 6 wkts in hand. Unbelievably, ended up needing 1 run of 1 ball with 1 wkt in hand.

A tied result will feel like a victory for the irish, and with st. patrick's day around the corner, the irish party had just begun. As for Zimbabwe, I seriously don't know what to make of this. They seemed to be a very competent side during the days of flower brothers and used to regularly beat test-playing teams. On the evidence of this performance, they probably should be stripped of their test status. I guess things with Zimb cricket won't change until tyrant Robert Mugabe is dethroned.

For those who missed the match, you can watch the last 2 overs here
49th over and 50th over

P.S: Irish women are pretty ;-)

Bermuda v/s Sri Lanka - Game 4

Bermuda v/s Sri Lanka (Group B), Port of Spain

Sri Lanka 321/6 in 50 overs (Jayawardene 85, Sangakkara 76, LP Silva 55) beat Bermuda 78/10 in 24.4 overs (Cannn 28, Maharoof 23/4, Malinga 10/3) by 243 runs

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Another minnow bashing as Sri Lanka thumped Bermuda by a small matter of 243 runs, which is the second largest win in terms of runs in a WC match. Sri Lanka batted first and all their top order batsmen made merry. Jayawardene overcame his poor form to top score for the Lankans. The lankan bowlers also had a fruitful outing. All in all, a match that made little sense except giving SL a feel of the West indies conditions.

Canada v/s Kenya - Game 3

Canada v/s Kenya (Group C) at St. Lucia

Canada 199/10 in 50 overs (Barnett 41, Kamande 25/2, Tikolo 34/2) lost to Kenya 203/3 in 43.2 overs (Tikolo 72*, Ouma 58)
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The semi-finalists of 2003 WC eased home quite comfortably in this clash between the two minnows. Canada having performed credibly during the 1999 world cup (remember dawson smashing the fasted WC century against WI and then smashing the kiwi bowlers?) were fancying their chances of winning this game. But they were out-gunned by a far more experienced Kenyan side, lead by veteran Steve Tikolo, who have this happy habit of doing well at world cups.

Noticeably, the Canadian team is composed of the sub-continent diaspora. Canadian bowler Anderson Cummins previously played for WI in 1992 world cup, thereby becoming only the second player after Kepler Wessels to play for 2 counties in this competition. Cummins is also one of the only 5 players (Jayasuriya, Tendulkar, Inzy and Lara being the others) in the current competition who also played at the 1992 world cup.

Australia v/s Scotland - Game 2

Australia v/s Scotland (Group A), St.Kitts

Australia 334/6 in 50 overs (Ponting 113, Hayden 60, Gilchrist 46) beat Scotland 131/10 in 40.1 overs (CJ Smith 51, G McGrath 14/3) by 203 runs
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The result of this 'contest' was always a foregone conclusion. Ok, there have been upsets in ODI's in the past, but honestly Scotland didn't have a cat in a hell chance of beating Australia.
Batting first, Australia amassed 334/6 in 50 overs. Punter Ponting continued his prolific ways by notching up another century. The way this guy has been batting over the last 2 years is quite scary. He will surely go down as one of the greatest batsmen of this era and will probably hold most of the batting records. Ponting came into this game on the back of some heated differences with Gavaskar, which probably spurred him up.

In reply, Scotland were never in the chase. Oooh Aaah Gleen McGrath was at this best again picking up three top order wickets before allowing other bowlers in this team to share the spoils.
Looks like Glenn's final hurrah is going to be memorable.

Pakistan vs West Indies - Game 1

Pakistan v/s West Indies (Group D) at Sabina Park, Kingston Jamaica

WI : 241/9 in 50 overs (Sameuls 63, Sarwan 49, Lara 37, Ifthikar Anju 44/3) beat Pakistan 187/10 in 47.2 overs (Shoaib Malik 62, D Smith 36/3, Bravo 42/3) by 58 runs.
Match home

The opening game of the world cup featured two highly unpredictable teams in which the hosts took on the 1992 champions Pakistan. After winning the toss and putting WI into bat, Pak struck an early blow by removing the dangerous Gayle. WI struggled to get off the blocks and runs came in a trickle during the first half their innings. However, good aggressive batting by Samuels, with able support from Lara and Smith stretched their total to 241/9. Pakistan lost early wickets and never really looked in the chase once Yousuf got out. Eventually, West Indies finished comfortable winners. Frankly, Pakistan played quite poorly and never looked turned-on for this big game but full credit to WI bowlers for exploiting the slow nature of the pitch. For the success of the world cup, it is imperative that the host nation does well. With this win, and assuming Pak make it to the super 8's, west indies will take 2 valuable points which might make their task of reaching the semis easier. As for Pakistan, they better raise their performance significantly in the future games else this could turn out to be a disastrous campaign for them.

A curtain raiser

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's sudden slump ( 5 defeats in a row) coupled with the 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 here

I'm quite excited about this world cup, the format of which 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 have really 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!!