Warm Up Matches:
Match #1 - 182 run win against Zimbabwe
Match #2 - 5 wicket win against England
Australia is back to their old ruthless selves. Like it or not they are the team to beat in this WC. The return of the talismanic captain Ponting seems to have re-energized the team and suddenly they seem unbeatable once again. It doesn't hurt either that by the time they play the Saffers on the the squad will be bolstered by the return of King Roy (Symonds), Gilchrist, and, possibly Matthew Hayden. The only chink in their armour could be their bowling which seems to have halved in effectiveness without Brett Lee, but it will take a special batting performance from the opposition to overcome the Aussies. To beat this "never say die" team will be an achievement in itself. I have ranked the Aussies below the Indians as they were unable to bowl the Zimbabweans in the first match.
Key Players:
* Ponting - He is currently the best batsman in the world. He has single handedly won games for the aussies by blowing the opposition out of contention with his batting. The aussies seem to become inspired when he leads from the front. If any team can think of beating the Aussies they have to get him out early. He is a very good captain as well. He manages his bowling resources very well and somehow always seems to get the best of his players.
* Shaun Tait & McGrath - This is expectedly going to be the opening attack for the aussies throughout the tournament. Without Brett Lee the Aussie bowling attack seems feeble in comparison. However the performance of this opening pair can well decide the fate of the Aussies against the stronger batting attacks.
If Shaun Tait can find some accuracy to go along with his tearaway speeds, the Aussies may not miss Brett Lee as much.
* Micheal Hussey - A case of better late than never, Hussey has arrived on the international scene only recently. However he has arrived in style and has given the Aussie batting line-up unprecedented strength thanks to his being able to bat almost anywhere in the batting lineup. He is currently the best finisher in the game. No score seems to be too big to chase or set when he is in.
He has not made a big splash at this tournament as yet, but then he started out his International career with a duck, and we all know how he has played since then!
* Shane Watson - He is what Irfan Pathan is to the Indians. He has disappointed with his bowling, but has been very handy with the bat. If he can get his bowling in order, he could be a match winner for the Aussies.
NOTE: Due to Symonds returning from a serious injury, I am discounting him from the Key Player list.
My prediction:
I repeat - the Aussies are the team to beat this tournament as well. However they seem far more falliable this time. Thanks to the other teams in this tournament they should get to the Super 8 with ease and reach the semis very easily. However their bowling will have to be on top form to ensure that they progress any further.
Team Talk - India
Team Talk - Pakistan
Team Talk - West Indies
2 comments:
Ponting the Good Captain. Somehow that doesn't resonate too well with me (btw I'm not trying to disagree in every post here, let me get that straight). He's a good captain when he has a fine, talented set of individual players at hand, but I highly doubt he can captain a lesser team. If he can win this World Cup, then I might reconsider giving him a higher captaincy quotient.
The Aussie dark horses for me are Michael Clarke and Nathan Bracken. Considering his batting position, Clarke will have plenty of oppportunities to bat long periods; this'll be his test. Bracken bowls miserly and wicket-taking spells up front. And don't forget the great McGrath in his last WC.
Apparently, the Aussies did some research before the WC and found that the pitches will be fast and bouncy. If so, they have a good chance to win again. If not, then I'm not too sure, which of course is good for the competitiveness of this Cup (it's been a while since we had a nice close WC). The onus is on the rest of the top teams to take advantage of Australia's recent losses; if SA beat Australia in their group game, I think we'll have a good tournament.
Great work.
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