Part 1: Sub-continent/Host Teams
As I type these words, South Africa is cruising towards a comfortable victory against the West Indians, and day six of the World Cup is drawing to a close in the sub-continent. A fleeting thought of despair crossed my mind, and for a second I reflected that despite the slow-moving early matches, time seems to be flying by. We would soon be watching the World Cup final and thinking about the four years of emptiness that lies ahead of us. Well, let us for now take solace in the fact that it is still early days in the World Cup and the crushing vacuum is more than a month away. Plenty of time to line up rehab or whatever else it is that we are going to need.
So, back to business, we have finally seen every team in action at least once and it is time for some ‘first impressions’!
With a quick glance across the scorecards and points table, we don't see any surprises at all, and unlike the previous WC, this one seems to be shaping up nicely, checking all the expected boxes and promises to set up some pretty interesting scenarios. However, if you look between the lines, there are enough little surprises to spice things up as well.
All test playing teams have come through their initial games against the associate nations, having stamped their authority at worst, and knocked the daylights out of their opponents at best. From the sub-continent all the powerhouses - India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka look in fine touch, with Bangladesh showing enough promise to keep things in balance.
Among the Asian giants, Pakistan seems to be the side with least number of issues to address. They did well in all departments and walked away from the match with very few question marks. Losing their openers cheaply turned out to be the perfect platform to test the middle order that has been a bit of a worry for the Captain. Things worked out so well that Younis and Misbah indeed batted at 4 and 5, despite contradictory comments from their Captain just a day ago. Umar Akmal showed great touch down the order and one-upped his brother in this match. Overall, four solid half centuries look a lot more promising than one huge hundred. Pakistan batting looks solid, with Razzak and Afridi not even tested yet. Bowling too came off with very few flaws, with Afridi getting a five-for which will do a world of confidence for Afridi the bowler, as well as Afridi the Captain. This team is not just a dark horse, but looks very much the front runner for being in the semi-finals. It will be interesting to see how they hold up as a unit against tougher tests.
Sri Lanka likewise produced a comprehensive performance in their thumping victory against Canada. The batters got plenty of time in the middle, with Sanga and Mahela both showing excellent touch. Dilshan got his routine half century at the top, and even the lower order batsmen showed enough grit to post a total which was simply out of the league for Canada. Bowlers did their part as well with each one being in the thick of things and chipping away with a wicket or two. It must be noted that both Pakistan and SL played weaker associate teams, but minnow or not, these teams still batted for 50 overs and there was enough form on display to promise that these teams are more than likely to hold water against tougher oppositions also.
India was perhaps the only team that faced an opposition that can’t really be called a minnow (especially at home). Some definite questions were raised for the bowling department. India‘s fifth bowler is a definite worry for Dhoni, though that issue was somewhat eclipsed by Sreesanth in the opening game. Both Yuvraj and Yusuf were handled well by Bangladesh, and were scored against at a fair clip. India is going to have to figure out the fifth bowler issue because in the sub-continent, it is these middle overs when the opposition drops anchor and builds the partnerships that will set up the final slog. If India allows opposition batters to bat through the middle overs while scoring at run-a-ball without losing too many wickets, the Indian batters will certainly have their hands full in either inning. On the other hand, Sehwag’s promise to spend more time at the crease and the sublime form can more than compensate for all of this, and more. It is India’s incredible batting talent that will always keep them in the hunt. Especially with Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Dhoni and Yusuf all showing good knick coming into the tournament, it is quite a level field for the Asian giants.
Collectively, their ability to handle spin bowling, their adaptability on slow pitches and good form promises a long stay in this tournament for all these three teams. They should all comfortably make it into the quarter finals. Whom they might face in the first knockout game is a conversation for another day.
I will post a part 2 of this write-up where I will take a look at the visiting teams and evaluate what is working and what isn’t.
Until then, peace in the middle east!
No comments:
Post a Comment