They Think It’s All Over. It is now ‘unfortunately’

Enthralling, Entertaining and Brilliant. Those are three words you can use to describe this years Cricket World Cup.

The six week marathon came to an end on Saturday and if I am brutally honest the 2011 tournament was one of the best World Cups I have seen for some time. This years World Cup has certainly put 50 over cricket back on the map. Who said it was dead?

The pre-tournament favourites India lived up to expectations and won their second World Cup after beating Sri Lanka by six wickets. It was thoroughly deserved and no doubt the Indians will have dedicated their Cup triumph to Sachin Tendulkar.

From Ireland beating England to England being involved in a cracking tie match against India to Pakistan ending Australia’s unbeaten 34 run, it has been a World Cup to remember for all the right reasons.

The final on Saturday did not disappoint and neither were billions of Indian fans. After a controversial toss, Sri Lanka won the toss second time round and decided to bat.

Kumar Sangakkara’s side made a competitive 274-6 from 50 overs with Mahela Jayawardena scoring a brilliant World Cup century. Jayawardena did make a slow start but once he got going, there was no stopping him.

The ex-Sri Lanka skipper made an unbeaten 103 and he is without doubt one of the most elegant batsman in the game. Jayawardena received good support from Sangakkara and Nuwan Kulasekera to post a challenging total for the Indians to chase.

But with the likes of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and co, you know the Indians were in with a chance. However things did not go to plan early in their innings.

Sehwag was out lbw to Lasith Malinga after facing only two balls. Not the way India wanted to start their 50 overs. Things were about to get a whole lot worse.

Home boy Tendulkar was playing well until he was dismissed for 18 and India were 31-2. All the headlines were in the pipeline if the ‘Little Master’ was to have scored his 100^th one day century in the Final. But it wasn’t to be.

Step forward Gautam Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Gambhir did have one or two lucky escapes but sometimes in life you need luck. Gambhir played brilliantly until he was bowled all ends up. He will have been frustrated not to have made a century but it was a vital innings from the Kolkata Knight Riders batsman.

Virat Kohli also played his part with a useful knock of 35. Nonetheless it was Dhoni along with Gambhir who took the limelight. The Indian skipper made the decision to move up the order and in the end it proved to be the right decision. Dhoni played a captains innings and he guided India to the finish line along with Yuvraj.

India did do it the hard way throughout the World Cup but the Indian fans will not care one bit now their team have triumphed. There were many stand out performances from many of the Indian players but Yuvraj was the one player who stood out and he deserved to be player of the tournament.

He performed well on a consistent basis with both bat and ball. Yuvraj took vital wickets at vital times and he also played crucial innings throughout this years World Cup. There were one or two questions asked about his performances going into the tournament but he certainly answered his critics. Zaheer Khan was also instrumental with the ball and he always delivered when called upon.

It was not the dream end for Muttiah Muralitharan but he has had a long glittering career in the game. Despite the controversy surrounding his action, Murali along with Shane Warne will go down as one of the best spin bowlers in cricketing history.

Sri Lanka lost their second consecutive World Cup final but there are so many positives they can take from the tournament. After having India 31-2, Sri Lanka will have fancied their chances but they were unable to capitalise after getting Sehwag and Tendulkar out.

In Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Mahela Jayawardena, Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka are a force to be reckoned with and I would not be surprised if they do give India a run for their money in the future.  

There are two other teams who can hold their heads high after what they achieved in the World Cup. Firstly Pakistan defied the odds and made the Semi-Finals before losing to fierce rivals India.

Shahid Afridi’s side were a breath of fresh air to the World Cup and Pakistan made the headlines for all the right reasons. Despite struggling against India, Umar Gul had a decent tournament and he remains one of the most dangerous bowlers in the world. Umar Akmal is one of Pakistan’s new brightest talents and I’m sure he will go on to bigger and better things.

The off-field turmoil appeared not to have had an affect on the Pakistan players and they certainly delivered on the field. Lets not forget they also ended Australia’s long unbeaten run. Pakistan will take many positives from this years World Cup and like Sri Lanka they could be a team to watch out for in the future.

Another team who had a decent World Cup were New Zealand. Without doubt the Black Caps exceeded expectations and similarly to Pakistan they will take confidence from the way they performed in the World Cup.

New Zealand pulled off a memorable win against South Africa in the Quarter-Finals against all the odds. The likes of Ross Taylor, Tim Southee and Kane Williamson are players for the future so perhaps the future is bright for New Zealand.

Many people will not have expected New Zealand to get to the Semis but the Kiwis certainly surprised one or two people including myself. Even though they lost to Australia and Sri Lanka in the Group stages, New Zealand thrashed Pakistan convincingly and played some great cricket.

Just a word on England. They will have been disappointed not to have gone further in the competition but they were too inconsistent. England produced fantastic performances against India and South Africa.

But they were not at their best against Ireland and Bangladesh. There were mistakes galore and they got hammered in the Quarter-Finals against Sri Lanka. Graeme Swann was probably one of England’s best players along with Jonathan Trott.

Overall it was a fantastic World Cup and this tournament proved that 50 over cricket does have a future. Congratulations to India and well done to Sri Lanka for reaching the Final and giving it a right go.

The Climax Is In Sight

So the Cricket World Cup is almost over and I personally feel 50 over cricket has been put right back on the map during the World Cup.

From England’s cracking tie result game against India, Ireland beating England as well as Pakistan ending Australia’s 34 match unbeaten run there have been so many thrilling games in the tournament. This has to be by far one of the best Cricket World Cup tournaments in cricket history.

Now that we know who will be in the Semi-Finals, the red hot favourites of India go head to head with dark horses Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s game against New Zealand is no gimme. Just ask South Africa.

New Zealand

The Black Caps were only expected to reach the Quarter-Finals and reaching the Semis might just have exceeded their expectations. They have done incredibly well and New Zealand should be proud of what they have achieved in the tournament.

New Zealand’s big players Ross Taylor, Tim Southee, Brendan McCullum and Jacob Oram have certainly stepped up to the plate and on any given day New Zealand can be difficult to beat.

They lost two of their group games against Australia and their Semi-Final opponents Sri Lanka. I’m sure Daniel Vettori and his side will be gunning for revenge against the co-hosts after losing by 112 runs in the group game.

But New Zealand will have their work cut out if they are going to keep the likes of Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Muttiah Muralitharan and co quiet. Having said that, not many people gave the Black Caps a prayer for the game against South Africa. But look what happened.

New Zealand will go into their Semi-Final game as underdogs yet again but their performance against South Africa will give them plenty of belief they can pull off yet another shock result.

It has been a decent tournament for New Zealand and even if they lose on Tuesday they can still hold their heads high.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka could not have wished for a better Quarter-Final performance after they swept England aside by 10 wickets. Centuries from Dilshan and Upul Tharanga completed a miserable day for England but an emphatic win for the co-hosts.

There are plenty of match-winners in the Sri Lankan team and I expect them to beat the Black Caps to reach the Final. But they cannot afford to underestimate New Zealand and turn up on Tuesday thinking they are in the Final.

However their performances throughout the whole tournament have been pretty impressive and I’m sure many teams would love to have a batting and bowling line-up like Sri Lanka.

The 1996 World Cup winners will go into their Semi-Final clash as favourites and with the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Murali and Ajantha Mendis you would not back against them reaching the Final. But anything can happen.

Pakistan

Despite the off-field turmoil, Pakistan have been going great guns on the pitch. Pakistan do remind me of Wigan Athletic. Sometimes they can be brilliant but on another day they can be shocking.

Shahid Afridi’s side appear to have been given a new lease of life and despite losing to New Zealand in the group stages, Pakistan have been in the headlines for the right reasons.

They have already beaten the likes of Sri Lanka and Australia and they will go into the game against India with confidence. Pakistan will be hoping to beat their fierce rivals for the first time in the World Cup.

Umar Gul is without question one of the most dangerous bowlers in the world and has probably been one of the stand out players of the tournament so far.

The Pakistan fans have not been given much to shout about in recent years but their team’s performances in the World Cup will have pleased the fans.

India

The Indians came into this tournament as red hot favourites and it will be interesting to see how they fare against Pakistan. India have never lost a World Cup game against their arch rivals but history counts for nothing and absolutely anything can happen.

From the top of the order to the bottom, India do have match winners but do they have the strongest bowling attack? I’m not sure. They have two of the best bowlers in the world in Harbhajan and Zaheer Khan but India in my view do not have enough bowling options compared to Sri Lanka.

Having said that, Yuvraj has been brilliant with both ball and bat and the slow bowlers have been taking wickets. India will need to be at their best in the field if they are to beat Pakistan.

Unlike their bowling, India’s batting line-up does have strength in-depth but it is vital the middle order do not falter again. Against both England and South Africa, India lost quick wickets and the middle order failed to deliver when the side were in commanding positions. This must not happen again.

The Indian fans would love it if Sachin Tendulkar was to score his 100^th one day international century against Pakistan. That would be a story in the making. But India are not a one man team. With the likes on Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj and Suresh Raina, India have plenty of explosive batsmen.

It promises to be an intriguing game between India and Pakistan and I really would not like to call this one. There is certainly no love lost between both sides and both Mahendra Dhoni and Shahid Afridi will be telling their players to give it 110%.

Good luck to all four sides left in the competition and bring on the Final.

Who said 50 over Cricket was boring!

Well the India England game in this years Cricket World Cup has certainly put 50 over cricket back on the map and since then there have been some cracking games.

The last week has seen Ireland pull off a huge shock against England, Canada giving Pakistan a run for their money and India getting back to winning ways.

If you thought the India England game could not be topped then last Wednesday was far more dramatic. Also a great day for Irish Cricket.

England batted first and made 327-8 from their 50 overs with Warwickshire’s Jonathan Trott top scoring with 92. Trott is England’s ‘Mr. Consistent’ and when you want a cool head in a desperate situation, Trott is your man to get you out of a spot of bother.

327 was a huge total and you would have expected England to have gone on to win the game. Especially after Ireland were reduced to 111-5, England should have wrapped it up. 

Up stepped Ireland’s new hero Kevin O’Brien. O’Brien did have luck on the way to making a majestic 113 but sometimes you need luck. Had Andrew Strauss held on to a catch whilst O’Brien was on 92, it may have been a different result.

But give O’Brien, John Mooney and Alex Cusack credit for the way they battled and kept their cool to reach their target. England’s fielding that day was yet again sloppy but Wednesday 2^nd March 2011 will stay in the memory of Irish cricket fans for many years to come.

Ireland could have pulled off another giant-killing against India but it was not to be. The Irish were bowled out for 207 and India were 100-4 at one stage. But an unbeaten half-century from Yuvraj and contributions from Mahendra Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan saw India home with five wickets in hand.

I still fancy India to reach at least the semi-finals of the World Cup but it is crucial they do not get complacent at any point. India’s game against South Africa will be an intriguing one and it will be interesting to see whether the South Africans can bounce back from their narrow 6 run defeat against England.

There is no doubt Graeme Smith’s side will be hurting from the defeat by England but South Africa are a top side and they have plenty of match winners. After dismissing England for a poultry 171, South Africa will have fancied their chances of knocking off the runs comfortably.

They were well set at 124-3 to meet England’s target but now it was time for England’s bowlers to step up to the plate. Tim Bresnan, James Anderson and Stuart Broad took crucial wickets and England battled their way to a six run victory.

Bearing in mind he was still coming back to full fitness, Broad bowled beautifully and the fact he has now been ruled out for the rest of the tournament will be a huge loss for England. But with Chris Tremlett, England have another fine bowler to call upon.

Kevin Pietersen will also miss the rest of the World Cup and this is another major blow for England. Pietersen will be replaced by Eoin Morgan but with Pietersen and Broad not being able to play for England again in the World Cup, it will be interesting to see if Andy Flower’s side can cope without them.

Away from England, Pakistan survived a major scare after beating Canada by 46 runs. Those who were hoping for another shock result were left disappointed but Pakistan were for sure given a stern test by the Canadians.

Shahid Afridi’s side were dismissed for 184 and this was a great opportunity for Canada to record a famous victory. But the giant-killing never came and Canada were all out for 138.

But Canada can take heart from the way they performed against Pakistan and lets not forget the Canadians did beat Kenya by five wickets this week so well done to them.

Pakistan should reach the final 8 without any major problems but the game against Canada should act as a wake up call for them. Even though you would expect to beat teams like Holland and Canada, you can never underestimate them. Just look how close Holland came to beating England.

One team who are going about their business quietly are New Zealand. The Black Caps thrashed Pakistan by 110 runs with Ross Taylor scoring 131 on his birthday. New Zealand scored 92 runs from their last four overs which helped them post a competitive total of 302-7 from the 50 overs.

New Zealand also won their second game of the World Cup by 10 wickets this time against Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe were all out for 162 and the Black Caps met their target easily with Martin Guptill and Brendan McCullum scoring half-centuries.

Even though they are not the red hot favourites, New Zealand could have a say in who wins the World Cup and stranger things have happened before. With Ross Taylor, Brendan McCullum, Jacob Oram and Tim Southee in the squad, New Zealand can be a formidable opposition for anyone.

Just finally Bangladesh suffered a humiliating nine wicket defeat against the West Indies. The Tigers were bowled out for just 58 and this win could be the impetus the West Indies need to go on and have a good tournament.

Bangladesh need to pick themselves up quickly and fans will be expecting better. Just the small matter of their next game being against England.

Cricket World Cup so far

The Cricket World Cup is in full swing and the best game of the tournament without doubt came on Sunday between India and England.

There was a lot of hype leading up to this game and boy did it live up to expectations.

With the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Graeme Swann and Andrew Strauss on centre stage, the neutral was certainly in for an epic game.

India batted first and Sehwag could have been dismissed three times in the first over. James Anderson was very unlucky not to take a wicket in the opening over and Sehwag was a very lucky boy. But sometimes you need luck.

The Delhi Daredevils batsmen did not make the major headlines in this game. But then again when you have got Sachin Tendulkar in your side you know you have got a chance of winning any game.

Tendulkar was sublime and paced his innings unlike Sehwag who was literally going for everything. Yet again Tendulkar added another century to his name and scored a majestic 120. There were also notable contributions from Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.

India will be disappointed to have lost their last seven wickets for 32 runs and will have felt they could have reached at least 350.

Tim Bresnan continued where he left off in Australia by taking 5-48 on Sunday. Bresnan bowled superbly and caused the India batsmen all sorts of problems. Michael Yardy and Graeme Swann also chipped in with vital wickets for England.

It was always going to be a tall order for England to chase down India’s mammoth total of 338. But they really did give it a right go.

Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen gave Andy Flower’s side a cracking start before Pietersen was dismissed by Munaf Patel.

Strauss led from the front and the captain made a superb 158. Some of the shots Strauss played were simply exquisite and outstanding. Ian Bell played a major part and along with Strauss, the Warwickshire star helped guide England to 250+ for the loss of only two wickets.   

But once Strauss and Bell were out, England started to lose their way and India were sensing they might have got out of jail. But Swann, Shahzad and Bresnan played their part in helping England tie the game and secure a crucial point for Andrew Strauss’ side.

The game was a great advert for 50 over cricket and England might reflect on this result as a loss. But then again, no one expected them to get anywhere near India’s total. So perhaps this result may have hurted India more than England. Two superb innings from Tendulkar and Strauss and this was by far the best game of the 2011 World Cup. Nail biting for both England and India, but a cracking game for the neutral.

Australia and Pakistan have both made great starts to their World Cup campaigns. The Aussies have already beaten Zimbabwe by 91 runs and New Zealand by 7 wickets. Yes you could argue they have beaten sides who are not expected to win the Cup, but you can only beat what has been put in front of you and that’s exactly what Australia have done.

Ricky Ponting’s side beat England 6-1 in the one day series Down Under and that will have given them plenty of confidence. Mike Hussey and Nathan Hauritz were ruled out of the tournament with injuries but so far Australia seem to be coping. However losing Doug Bollinger will be a huge loss for the Aussies.

Australia may not be red hot favourites but you can never underestimate them. Don’t be surprised if they at least reach the Semi-Finals. Shahid Afridi’s Pakistan have also made a decent start to the tournament.

Despite the off-field turmoil, the side have been going great guns on the pitch so far. Pakistan thrashed Kenya by 205 runs in their first game and beat co-hosts Sri Lanka on Saturday by 11 runs. Winning against Kenya was no major surprise but beating Sri Lanka did surprise one or two people including myself.

It was a tight game that could have gone either way but Pakistan came away with a crucial win. Pakistan do remind me of Wigan Athletic. On any given day, they can be a handful for anybody and be unbeatable. But on another day they can be absolutely shocking.

With the likes of Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Misbah Ul Haq on board, Pakistan may well be a team to watch out for and could surprise us all.

This year could finally be the year South Africa win the World Cup. The South Africans beat the West Indies by seven wickets in their first game with AB de Villiers scoring a century.

With the talents of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, de Villiers in the side, South Africa among with India are the red hot favourites to lift the Cup in my opinion. Within the last decade, South Africa have improved drastically in all departments and they will be a tough proposition for any side. India v South Africa also promises to be a cracker and I will certainly not be giving that game a miss.

We have already seen some great games in the World Cup and fingers crossed the remaining group games live up to its billing.

I do expect India, South Africa and Australia to make the Semi-Finals. But this is the World Cup and anything can happen. England and Pakistan are my dark horses and both sides can have a major say in who are crowned World Cup winners of 2011.