World Cup 2011 Diary: The semi-finals.

We have had four quarterfinals where three teams from the sub-continent won their respective matches. Two of the quarters were absolutely one-sided with Pakistan beating the hell out of the West Indies by 10 wickets and Sri Lanka beating England with the same margin. The India-Australia game lived up to the expectation and was an absolute humdinger. On the other hand New Zealand upset the favorites South Africa to setup the semis.

1^st S/F: An all-round New Zealand stand in the way of the favorites Sri Lanka.

Nobody would really fancy the Kiwis beating the Lankans at home. Sri Lanka at this World Cup has held the flag of ‘favorites’ with high esteem. Their openers have been extremely consistent and Sangakkara and Jayawardene have shown their strengths when they got in. That strength though might be a key to their downfall. Because of the top order doing well, their out-of-form middle order hasn’t got an opportunity which was exposed in the only match they lost against Pakistan. Make no mistake, but under pressure of a semi-final at home, if the Kiwis manage to bump the Sri Lankan top order, their lower middle order will be tested. Sri Lanka on the other hand has an extremely strong bowling attack. Their spinners are ably supported by the slinging Malinga and a very talented Angelo Matthews. They gave England a hard day and will be expected to do the same against New Zealand.

Kiwis on the other hand were not much fancied against the South Africans in the quarter-final and will be even less fancied against the Lankans. South Africa tried to go against their own strengths by fielding too many spinners instead of their good all-rounders. A brilliant and fighting Jacob Oram showed them the door. New Zealand does have a lack of talent and they over depend on a handful of players to win. But those key players have the ability to turn the match on.

If Sri Lanka bat first, a score about 230 would be very difficult for the Kiwis to chase. On the other hand if the Kiwis score more than 260 batting first, Sri Lanka could be on the mat. I feel the game would not be as one-sided as it is expected to be.

2^nd S/F: The India-Pakistan semifinal at its biggest stage.

India and Pakistan have never played each other at such a stage ever before. A group phase matchup in 1992, World Cup QF in 1996, a super six encounter in 1999 and a League match in 2003. So a semifinal brings with the aura of the occasion to add to the already tense game.

Pakistan’s strength undoubtedly is their bowling. Only New Zealand was able to trump their bowling courtesy some horrendous catching and fielding which is their folly. Pakistan’s batting woes are highlighted by the fact that they don’t have anybody in the top 20 scores of this world cup. But on the other hand, they are still there, which means someone is due to score big. Umar Akmal and the openers are the key for them. Misbah and Younis are there to steady them in the middle overs. And with Umar Gul, Afridi can contribute to defend a decent total.

India has over depended on their batting. As I have said before, one day their bowling could come to haunt them. Zaheer cannot afford to have a bad day and Harbhajan and Yuvraj need to support him well. But it’s the batting that has saved them, and will be at the task yet again. Opening partnership is as crucial as ever and Gambhir’s emotional involvement for an Indo-Pak game could be vital for his performance that needs a raise urgently. A great match in prospect which has been unnecessarily hyped up beyond proportion.

If India bats first, they must ensure that they score above 280 to win whereas Pak needs to stop them below 250. If Pak bats first it’s tougher for them because realistically even 280 is achievable for the strong Indian batting.

Can’t wait for the games to begin.

End of the group phase and the real tournament starts…

That has been the most common expression since Sunday. As the knockouts beckon, the real excitement begins and brings with it nervousness and of course, heart break or exhilaration! As is the cliché: Three good games and the trophy is in the shelf!

So, what are the gains from the group phase? Most teams would have learnt something about themselves, some weaknesses of their competitors and most importantly gained the much needed match practice to test best combinations. Refreshingly, the month long try-outs and practically pointless process hasn’t really been too tiring to the eye! A World Cup with 14 teams and only half of them contenders for the crown would be expected to drag on; the excitement presented has managed to keep everyone onboard. A success story for sure.

Here are a few things to note about the teams involved and knocked out:

Kenya and Canada: Embarrassed, never belonged and shouldn’t have been there at all.

Zimbabwe and Netherlands: A few notable good players, but not enough in the teams to deserve a place. Should play qualifying.

Ireland and Bangladesh: Also-rans and thereabouts. Impressed with some very good performances, but were sheepish in others. Have the talent to make themselves counted and raised their hands to get noticed. Cannot take their place for granted.

On the teams that have qualified and their chances:

West Indies: Thrashed the minnows, threatened against the big teams, but surrendered meekly. They have a sense of mystery about them, and were deeply hampered by the loss of Dwayne Bravo to injury. On their day, they can definitely upstage anyone with the talents on show in Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Kemar Roach. 

Important question: Can they have three big days?

Play Pakistan in the quarters and only Pakistan’s unpredictable nature gives them a glimmer of hope.

New Zealand: Had a win against a top side: against Pakistan which many would probably call Pakistan’s loss than a Kiwi win. A bit unfair, but not by far. A bit like the West Indies and they over-rely on the likes of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor with some support from their bowlers. Lack of true talent and injury to their talismanic captain dented them. Vettori could be back now and can boost their morale. 

Important question: Can they top their talents?

Play South Africa in the quarters and that is a tough draw. Their weak batting will be tested thoroughly by the Africans complete bowling attack.

England: The jokers in the pack. The entertainers in the three ring circus! They maintained the ‘entertainers’ tag throughout and did not have a dull moment. Their story has two sides: unconvincing or fighters. Choose your pick! Strauss and Trott have been amongst runs and Eoin Morgan’s addition will be a plus, but their bowling has been a worry and could hurt them badly. They have lost many key players to injury and form but their trains thrilling journey has been the story of the tournament. Something to definitely watch out for. 

Important question: Have they come as far as they could?

Play one of the absolute favorites, Sri Lanka, in the quarters and would be tough to beat in their backyard.

Australia: Patchy, rusty, ugly and have not played to their potential. That’s something that hasn’t been associated to them for a long time. Their batting has been a big worry sans Shane Watson. But on paper they have much talent and many a match winners to bank on in crucial matches. Ponting’s captaincy has been as flat as has been his lack of runs. 

Important question: Can they lift themselves to the task?

Play home favorites India in the quarters and India’s bowling frailties can give the Aussie batsmen the much needed opportunity to find form. Their bowling though has the ability to defend any total on board as they nearly showed against Pakistan.

South Africa: The most complete team on paper. A batting line-up that is in form, a fielding unit par excellence and a bowling department that faces a problem of plenty. This is their tournament to blow. Amla’s and de Villiers’ batting, plenty of all rounders: they have it all in their arsenal. They did something rare against India: held their nerve which will surely give them the confidence.

Important question: Can they hold their nerve in critical conditions? 

Play New Zealand in the quarters. Steyn and Morkel’s bowling, Peterson’s left arm spin, Tahir’s leg breaks and Botha’s off spin could be too tough for the Kiwis to handle. Only a typical “Proteas moment” can break them down.

Pakistan: The most fascinating team to watch. They have been as mercurial as ever. Beat Sri Lanka with not so fuss, shot themselves against the Kiwis and uncharacteristically held their nerve against the Aussies. The tournament has been true to their reputation. But is there a lull after the storm after beating the Australians? 

Important question: Have they peaked too soon?

Play a tricky West Indies in the quarters and is very difficult to predict. Let us see which Pakistan turn up!

Sri Lanka: One of the home favorites. A super top order and brilliant bowling are their strengths. Dilshan, Sangakkara and Jayawardene form the skeleton but their weakness is the lack of flesh to cover it up. As Pakistan exposed, their middle order is absent which makes their opponents’ task simpler. Take those three wickets! On the other hand, the three M’s in their bowling: Malinga, Muralitharan and Mendis can be lethal. Important question: Can they capitalize on home conditions?

Playing England on slow and low Colombo pitch is a huge factor in their favor and then they play their potential semi final on the same venue which increases their chances to go all the way!

India: The hype, the euphoria and a super batting line-up which is in sparkling form except for their powerplay woes give them a huge factor. They have scored almost 300 every time and chased down targets without much ado. Easy task? If only cricket was one-dimensional. Their fielding is abysmal and the bowling department resembles the State’s treasury: full of liabilities. Zaheer has been the silver lining. Harbhajan and Yuvraj Singh have been average. That is 10 good overs between them and 20 ordinary ones. What about the other 20? If Ashwin’s promise can bear fruit and if he is given the opportunity, it could twist their chances. 

Important question: Can they ride on their batting to score one more run than their opponents every time?

They run into the three-time defending champions at the quarter final stage. If they can rise to the occasion, that win will give them enough confidence to catapult their chances of glory!

Let the fun begin!

World Cup Diary: The Poms grab the "Entertaining" tag

Exactly half-way through the group phase of this tenth edition of the Cricket World Cup, you can’t help but think, ‘This World Cup is so open!’ I must say that this thought in itself is a win for this format of cricket that doesn’t appeal the purists as much and the neither does it excite the adrenaline seeking fans. I have to admit that I am not too keen an admirer of One-day cricket. I will pay extra to watch a test match and enjoy a T20 for its time and excitement benefits, but I will more often than not sleep through an ODI. Of course, the World Cup has its own legacy and brings with it an opportunity to crown the champions of the World and so it brings its own importance with it. And since there is a 40 year old history attached, it is prestigious. The memories and the legacy will never allow this format to die.

But if there is one word that describes why this tournament has caught interest, it’s “England”. Whatever happens here on, the English team can definitely stake a claim to at least a part of the advertising costs from the organizers. All four games they have played have kept people in the game to the very end. The betting sites in particular must have loved it! They were professional with the bat against the Dutch, while being poor with the ball. They maintain the latter with India but produced a stunning batting effort to almost overhaul a mountain and then again lost out to an innings of a lifetime from an Irishman that the Brits will never forget in a decade and Irish for a century! Just when you thought what they could do now, they pulled a Houdini against the Proteas defending a meager 171. Only 5 matches of the 22 played till Sunday have been exciting enough and 4 of them have featured England. Anyway, only 12 of the 42 at this stage did not involve the associates or Bangladesh, so the expectation had itself been low.

So who are the favorites at the half mark? Tough to say, but the favorites to reach the last 8 remain seated. I don’t think Ireland’s heroics can catapult them into the Quarters as all it could do is to make the other teams weary of their threat as India saw on Sunday. The Irish have to beat either the West Indies or the South Africans to put their name in the hat. Neither have Bangladesh given a sense that they belong to the elite group.

Only 3 teams remain unbeaten at this stage (Pakistan, Australia and India) out of which Pakistan has played only one top team and beaten them only just, Aussies have had a washout in a potential top game and India barely survived in keeping their record. So, definitely, this World Cup has been very open. The Quarter-Semi-Final format is in itself a bit of a lottery and so is much more exciting than the Super Six/Eight format as it puts the eight contenders in the same light: Have three good days and take home the coveted cup. I hope Poms stay the course to keep us guessing!!