It is All About Heart and Desire!

It is time. It is time to decide the world champions of one-day cricket. A one-month bonanza starts tomorrow morning in England with the defending champions Sri Lanka against the hosts. There has been a lot of talk and hoopla. Who is in the best of form? Is Lara fit? Can England finally win one exploiting home conditions? Will Pakistan get derailed after losing their coach just two weeks before the world cup? Is South Africa finally going to get what it deserves? Are Australians as good as they say they are? Is the Sri Lankan team intact? Whatever! It is time to play the game.

Let us start with the world champs. The Sri Lankans are in disarray. They have not played well in the tournaments just before the world cup. Granted that some of their main players were injured and will be back for the cup but I still do not see them repeating. They are a proud team though and will be hard to beat. They play their first game against the hosts, England, which is also the first game of the world cup. England will be all fired up, as they will have home crowd advantage. They will be the ones most used to the conditions and will thus exploit them the most. Their team will be structured as to make the best of the pitches and the weather. But the question is, is all of this enough to offset the talent advantage that other teams like South Africa or Pakistan have over them? I don’t think so. England will indeed need a miracle to win a world cup but then miracles do happen. It would be nice to see Hick and Fairbrother win one after falling just short in 1992. They are a good batting side with some good all rounders till the lower order but their bowling is not menacing. In my opinion, you need match winners in your bowling department to win a cup. Defense is the most important asset of a team and, in cricket, that is the bowling and fielding department. Gough is the only light they have in the gloom that is their bowling. If they get off to a good start then they might roll like the 1992 Kiwis but if they lose the first game or two, there will be tremendous pressure on them. And England does not do well under pressure.

Brian Lara’s fitness is being debated, as is Walsh’s. It will be hard for Lara to come back into his lately found groove as soon as he gets back from injury. But then we all know what Lara can do under adversity. The knock on him and his captaincy was lack of desire and effort. His talent was never under question. I think he shed all those monkeys in this latest Australia series in which he single handedly batted the Windies back into the series. West Indies will always be a side to reckon with in the world cup but I am afraid they are not good enough to win it all. They will in my opinion make it to the semis but not beyond that. Australia are the favorites along with South Africa but the Aussies are the ones who are cocky about it. They say that they are confident. I disagree. They are arrogant. I would love to see them smashed around in the world cup just like they got whacked when they defended in 1992 at home. I however feel that they too will make it to the semis. The duo of leg spinners will be interesting to watch if they play together. Steve Waugh is a player who is as cool as ice so his captaincy will remain rock solid. Mark Waugh is a great batsmen. McGrath is at the top of his game. But I feel they have chinks in the armor. Their batting is a little suspect at times and their bowling is menacing only if the spinners click. I feel they lack depth in both departments. But they make it up in fielding and desire.

The Indians are a side that goes the way their super star Tendulkar goes. He has been out with a strained back for a while and his return will juice them up. However, he might not be hitting at all cylinders and that will hurt them. They do not have any depth in any department but players like Kumble, Srinath and Azhar alongwith Tendulkar will give some fits to a couple of favorites. But apart from an upset or two they will not go far. New Zealand is the same way. They are an OK one-day team and thus will put up a good fight but will not go anywhere. I have always liked Chris Cairns and will be rooting for him to do well. Astle and maybe a couple of others will do well in some games. Their games with the Aussies are always fun and I hope they win one against the Aussies.

Now let us talk about the real favorites. The hottest team coming into the world cup was Pakistan. But like the history of the nation, good things never last that long. Their coach, Javed Miandad, resigned just before the world cup and another row over match fixing and coach-player problems started. I say hogwash. It is all propaganda. Pakistan will do just fine. Assistant coaches were being hired for certain jobs ala American sports and Javed thought his authority was being undermined so he resigned. He needs to keep his ego in his pocket for a while. The Pakistan Cricket Board needs to be more respectful to its coaches and consult them before hiring assistants. The South African coach will help Pakistan. Thank God Sarfraz got fired. That will help Pakistan too. This team boasts of countless world record holders. Their bowling is awesome. It is very versatile. Great fast bowlers and the best off spinner in the world as well as one of the best leg spinners. Their bowling is so good that they can bench Waqar and Mushtaq. No other team can boast of a bowling like that. Their keeper is a motivator and one of the best in the world. Their batting is however inconsistent which is the only problem they have. However, Inzi, Saeed, Ijaz and Malik have always done well in England and thus their batting will be fine. They have a great chance to win it all. The only team in my opinion that will block that path will be the ever consistent, rock solid and professional South Africans. They came close in 92 and were robbed by Lara in 96 but I think their time might have come now. The player that I respect the most right now is Hansie Cronje. I have been lucky enough to see him develop over the years. He is a glacier when it comes to being cool under pressure. The team has talent all the way down the order. Their fielding is almost perfect. Everyone contributes and knows what their part is in the puzzle. Rhodes is the spark plug of the team. The only thing that might prevent them is age. Donald is at the tale end of his career. He is their strike bowler. Pollock and Kluesener are good. The all rounders chip in. The batting is solid with Cronje being the glue that binds them together. Pakistan has match winners though and if they meet, it will be a great battle. Pakistan has been thrashed lately by SA and have not beaten them in ages in a one-day game. The South Africans do not do well in finals somehow. The Pakistanis have a South African coach. These are all makings of a great final. Can it be so?

The format of the tournament is such that out of the two pools 3 teams each will play in the Super Six. Then the teams for the semis will be decided. It is an interesting format. It will be fun to watch. Lots of great cricket in store for the fans. The desire of the players will be at display. Imran Khan once said that when you are selected as the best out of millions from your homeland you do not want to be second best in the world. So whoever wants it more will win. The Pakistani fans would be well advised to show faith in their players and not fall pray to false propaganda by the opposition who want to psyche them out. Players should show such desire that if they die during the cup and the organ donation collectors come to take their heart, they should find the following words engraved on it, “Pakistan Zindabad!”