With the official launching of the cricket world cup on Sunday, fans across the world particularly South Asia will be kept awake, literally, for the next one and a half months getting plenty of action across the twenty two yard pitch. All the games will be closely watched and off the field as well, there is bound to be several debates on team composition, individual performance, strategies, captaincy, pitch and weather just to mention a few. Invariably, everybody will like to become their own self appointed coach, captain and selector. And till the battle royale is over, there is going to be a lot of pressures on the teams and players, which may not be a good thing for their preparation leading up to the matches. For cricket lovers, it is essential to draw a proper line between the sports of cricket and the reality of life. While the game no doubt is all about human passion and triumphing for glory, one should also know that winning and losing are both essential parts of any sports. And therefore the ‘die’ hard fans should not create irrational phobia on expectations. After all cricket like any other sports is just a game and there is life beyond the cricket field.
Coming to the world cup, the two teams that will start as likely favorites are defending champions Australia and runners-up India. The Aussies despite their recent losses in the lead up to the world cup have over the last three years since they were crowned world champions won consistently and dominated the game with their all round team performances and clinical display of professionalism something which the other teams including other contenders like India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand have not been able to achieve. However, the weak link of this Australian team is without a doubt their bowling attack. The absence of spin wizard Shane Warne (retired) and pace fury Bret Lee (out due to injury) will be sorely missed by Ricky Ponting and his team mates. With depletion to their bowling armory and the high expectation of three world cup on the trot, the pressure will be definitely on the defending champions.
With ‘psychological’ wins over the world champions, both England and New Zealand will fancy their chances against Australia while the latter will also be wary of facing these two teams. And with a well balance Indian team, the formidable Proteas and the tough Sri Lankans all vying for a place in history, the pundits may not be wrong in saying that this world cup will be seen as the most open till date. As far as Team India goes, there are several positives going for them along with the fact that their bowling strength equals the formidable batting line up they have. The batting form of Virendra Shewag should not be overly emphasized as even Captain Rahul Dravid has rightly said that it will take eleven men to win matches. At the end of the day, the balance of the team will be important. Each individual in the team will have to remain accountable and perform according to his specified role. Consistency and team effort will be important to winning the world cup. Which country will stand up for it? Let the matches begin.
