World Cup Picks
The ongoing cricket World Cup is going to be an exciting one - for several reasons.
Firstly..
It could well be the last world cup for two of the greatest cricketers ever -
Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. Although Lara has stated his intentions for carrying on for several more years, it is hard to see Tendulkar participating in the next World Cup.
It would be interesting to see how these remarkable characters would finish (that's if it indeed turns out to be their last World Cup).
Will it be in a blaze of glory?
or will it be not with a bang but a whimper?
Sachin has the knack of going into overdrive in World Cups. Brian Lara's genius has never been questioned, but now he looks more determined and motivated than ever.
Secondly, this is the first time since 1996 when the Aussies are NOT outright favorites to win. Their air of invincibility has been brought down in the last few weeks, first by England, and then by New Zealand.
A year back, in one of my posts, I had wondered if Sourav Ganguly can indeed make a comeback to the Indian team for one last hurrah,
And looks like he's doing exactly that.
It is quite an inspiring tale. One, that would be complete with a good performance in the World Cup. Interesting to see if that happens.
Also from an Indian point of view, it would be interesting to see how Rahul Dravid handles the captaincy. This is the first World Cup he is playing as captain, and it would be interesting to see how that makes a difference to the performance of the Indian team, which appears pretty strong .. on paper that is.
My picks:
Super Eights:
Group A: Australia (A1) and South Africa (A2)
Group B: India (B1) and Sri Lanka (B2)
Group C: New Zealand (C1) and England (C2)
Group D: West Indies (D1) and Pakistan (D2)
Semis:
India (1) vs. Sri Lanka (4)
Australia (2) vs New Zealand (3)
I am not willing to risk even an informal bet beyond this - coz it's anyone's game!
Players to watch out for: Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Adam Gilchrist, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Bond, Chris Gayle
posted by V @ 12:43 PM
2 Comments:
looks like it was a whimper for sachin..though it may not have been his last whimper. :)
but seriously, i have little doubt that there will be but one sheer magician of a batsman in my lifetime, and i have had the pleasure (really, the honor) of having seen him in his prime. sadly, it's all downhill from here.
aah, those precious memories of the paddle sweep..
ps: darn, you should have had some money on your picks! :)
yes, even I feel nostalgic now. Not so much for the paddle sweeps though.. my favorites are the straight drives, on-drives and the shots over midwicket.
Post a Comment
<< Home