WORLD CUP 2011
The Age
Saturday February 19, 2011
GROUP A Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya.GROUP B India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands.HOW IT WORKS -The top four from each group progress to the quarter-finals, where they are drawn based on their group ranking against teams from the other group for knockout matches: Quarter-final C: Group A1 v Group B4; QF-D: A2 v B3; E: A3 v B2; F: A4 v B1.-The winners of the quarter-finals face each other in two semi-finals, one between the winners of quarter-finals C and E and the other between the winners of quarterfinals D and F.-The semi-final winners contest the final in Mumbai on April 2.INDIA ODI RANKING: 2 RECORD: Won 32, lost 25, tied 0, NR 1. Won 1983.CAPTAIN: M.S. Dhoni KEY PLAYER: Zaheer Khan.Is not a genuine superstar but whereas there are quality reinforcements if Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag fail with the bat, India has no such luxury with the ball when Zaheer Khan has an off match.PREDICTION: Semi-finals. The lack of attention to fielding will prove costly.BETTING: $4 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: A vindaloo. Hot and spicy but it‚„s seat-of-your-pants stuff.SRI LANKA ODI RANKING: 3 RECORD: Won 25, lost 30, tied 1, NR 1. Won 1996.CAPTAIN: Kumar SangakkaraKEY PLAYER: Kumar Sangakkara.Could hardly have batted more impressively on the lightning limited-overs tour of Australia that preceded the Ashes. Like India‚„s Dhoni, Sangakkara is good enough to hold his own with either bat or gloves, but possesses a batting technique that is much more classically graceful than the Indian captain‚„s.PREDICTION: Runner-up. Will eventually be overcome by the all-round might of South Africa.BETTING: $5 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Rogan Josh.Everyone‚„s second-favourite dish.WEST INDIES ODI RANKING: 9 RECORD: Won 35, lost 21, tied 0, NR 1. Won 1975, 1979.GROUP: B CAPTAIN: Darren Sammy KEY PLAYER: Chris Gayle.When the left-hander is on song he is arguably the most dominant batsman in world cricket. Tall and adept and blasting balls over the boundaries of any stadium.PREDICTION: First-round elimination. Will be locked in a battle with Bangladesh but will fail to progress courtesy of its loss to the Tigers when they face each other.BETTING: $21 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: A fish curry. All the promise of a seafood feast, but ultimately just filled with minnows.SOUTH AFRICA ODI RANKING: 4 RECORD: Won 25, lost 13, tied 2, NR 0.CAPTAIN: Graeme Smith KEY PLAYER: Dale Steyn.Some fast bowlers require favourable conditions to be effective ‚€ť Steyn is not one of them. Proved in the match against Australia his skill at both attacking and defending, conceding only 21 runs from eight overs.PREDICTION: Winner. Finally, the chokers‚„ tag will be banished.BETTING: $6 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Tandoori chicken.Basted and roasted to perfection and ready right now.ENGLAND ODI RANKING: 5 RECORD: Won 36, lost 22, tied 0, NR 1.CAPTAIN: Andrew Strauss KEY PLAYER: Ian Bell.For all the advances Bell made during the Ashes, his efforts in the one-day series that followed were a huge disappointment.With pundits having declared him England‚„s best batsman, it is time for him to prove them right.PREDICTION: Quarter-finalist.Being the best team outside the top four will be of no consolation to the Ashes champion. Batting is the weakness.BETTING: $8 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Lamb Korma. The fans go nuts, but ultimately disappointingly bland.PAKISTAN ODI RANKING: 6 RECORD: Won 30, lost 24, tied 0, NR 2. Won 1992.CAPTAIN: Shahid Afridi KEY PLAYER: Misbah-ul-Haq.Inheriting the Test captaincy may as well have been an elixir of youth for the 36-year-old. His efforts on the tour to New Zealand were superb, and his value to the team, which has a notoriously unreliable batting order, is significant.PREDICTION: Quarter-finalist. The constant chopping and changing has resulted in a squad without the cohesion to threaten.BETTING: $9 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Chicken Makhani. All sauce, no meat.NEW ZEALAND ODI RANKING: 7 RECORD: Won 35, lost 26, tied 0, NR 1.CAPTAIN: Daniel Vettori KEY PLAYER: Ross Taylor.Three single-figure scores in his past four ODI innings reflect a man not in form, although for New Zealand to punch above its weight here Taylor has to regain that form.PREDICTION: Quarter-final. Will edge out Zimbabwe for the last spot in the second stage but will be no match for whichever team it plays next.BETTING: $17 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: The naan bread.Useful mostly to soak up the dregs of the lamb curry.AUSTRALIA ODI RANKING: 1 RECORD: Won 51, lost 17, tied 1, NR 0. Won 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007.CAPTAIN: Ricky Ponting KEY PLAYER: Shane Watson.No matter the form of the game, Australia‚„s fortunes rest heavily on what Shane Watson can do at the top of the batting order and then as a supporting act to the strike bowlers.PREDICTION: Semi-finalist. Will defy the doom and gloom until it faces South Africa. The Proteas will have their revenge for their remarkable elimination in 1999.BETTING: $6 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Lentil and bean curry.Bean there, done that, but too much of the same can become tasteless.AUSTRALIA‚„S DRAW Feb 21 v Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad, India (D/N) Feb 25 v New Zealand at Nagpur, India Mar 5 v Sri Lanka at Colombo, Sri Lanka (D/N) Mar 13 v Kenya at Bengaluru, India (D/N) Mar 16 v Canada at Bengaluru, India (D/N) Mar 19 v Pakistan at Colombo, Sri Lanka.BANGLADESH ODI RANKING: 8 RECORD: Won 5, lost 14, tied 0, NR 1.CAPTAIN: Shakib Al Hasan KEY PLAYER: Shakib Al Hasan.In captain Shakid Al Hasan the Tigers have a player clearly comparable to the best in the world. The ICC ranks Al Hasan as the No. 3 all-rounder in Tests and the No. 1 all-rounder in ODIs.PREDICTION: Quarter-finalist.There will be no fairytale run for the subcontinent‚„s newest team, but progressing beyond the group stage will earn it deserved credit.BETTING: $41IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Spinach and paneer.A combination that‚„s surprisingly tasty but not so filling.ZIMBABWE ODI RANKING: 11 RECORD: Won 8, lost 33, tied 1, NR 3.CAPTAIN: Elton Chigumbura KEY PLAYER: Charles Coventry.Has only a modest ODI average of 26.77, but at his best he is able to carry the Zimbabwean batting order. Gained some worldwide attention for his unbeaten 194 against Bangladesh in August 2009.PREDICTION: First-round elimination. Will beat Canada and Kenya, but a narrow loss to New Zealand will end hopes of progression.BETTING: $251 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Vegetable curry.Growing in the field, but undercooked.IRELAND ODI RANKING: 10 RECORD: Won 2, lost 6, tied 1, NR 0.CAPTAIN: William Porterfififield KEY PLAYER: William Porterfield.Eoin Morgan‚„s defection to England has left Porterfield as the mainstay of Ireland‚„s batting, a reputation reinforced by top-scoring with 72 in the practice match against New Zealand last week.PREDICTION: First-round elimination. Will avoid last place in group B by beating the Netherlands.BETTING: $501 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: The samosa. A small appetiser with potatoes holding the show together. CANADA ODI RANKING: N/A RECORD: Won 1, lost 11, tied 0, NR 0.CAPTAIN: Ashish Bagai KEY PLAYER: Ashish Bagai.With two ODI centuries and 14 half-centuries to his name, the importance of Bagai to the Canadian team goes well beyond his captaincy.PREDICTION: First-round elimination. A win over Zimbabwe or Kenya would be a huge effort, but it will not happen.BETTING: $1001 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Gulab jamun dessert.Not quite maple syrup, but still a sweet treat to be knocked off by the big boys.KENYA ODI RANKING: 13 RECORD: Won 6, lost 16, tied 0, NR 1.CAPTAIN: Jimmy Kamande KEY PLAYER: Thomas Odoyo.The last time a World Cup was held, Odoyo was the premier all-rounder among the association countries. Will turn 33 shortly after the World Cup.PREDICTION: First-round elimination.BETTING: $1001 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: A Madras. Playing in red and green, but that‚„s where the hot streak ends.NETHERLANDS ODI RANKING: 12 RECORD: Won 2, lost 12, tied 0, NR 0.CAPTAIN: Peter Borren KEY PLAYER: Ryan ten Doeschate.While known to Australian fans due to his participation for Tasmania in the Big Bash, his form with the Tigers gave little indication of why he is reputed to be the best player among the associate nations.PREDICTION: First-round elimination. Will return without a win after failing to beat the other rank outsider in the group, Ireland.BETTING: $1501 IF THEY WERE A CURRY THEY‚„D BE: Washing up.
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