Who’d have thought that a tournament that produced the most predictable quarter-finalists, even down to the order, could be this eventful? This World Cup has produced some spectacular games, and thanks to balanced pitches coupled with some excellent bowling performances, and England, we have had games that were played both with a bat and a ball.
An incredible group stage has made way for a knock-out stage that looks every bit as exciting as a meteor sighting, or finding 50 rupees in an old jeans pocket (both events that happen once in a lifetime). We have four matches lined up that promise mouth watering Cricket action. While nations will dream and pray in unison, Cricketing skills and mental toughness will both be tested on the grandest stage for this great game.
Pakistan vs West Indies (Mirpur, Bangladesh): A tale of two inconsistencies
Pakistan should feel pretty good about a lot of things, their form coming in, top rank in Group A and playing West Indies in their first knock out to name a few. They were cruising to the cardinal mistake of peaking too soon, when a couple of strategically-brilliant hiccups restored sanity. They have historically been mercurial, but West Indies proved that they have been prescribed the same medication all along. Both teams have batsmen that are prone to mindless-spur-of-the-moment decision making that results in crucial game-changing-wickets, and leaves the fans breathing into a paper bag. Pakistan bowling clearly shows more promise, but their fielding and catching (and Kamran) provides enough variance in the mix to give us the sweet ambiguity that we search in all Cricket games (except the ones India plays of course!). West Indian bowling looks better than it has in the recent past and their fielding, though not great, will most likely edge out Pakistan’s.
I appreciate the odds being with Pakistan for this one, but my gut says that this game is going to be a lot closer than most are giving it credit for. Pakistan will have to dig deep to overcome their internal demons, while West Indies will continue to think that they can only improve from this point. The objective is to be more composed in the approach, but also not let the pressure of the knock out game consume you. I predict a cracker of a game to start the knock-out proceedings.
I would call this 52-48 in favor of the Pakistanis.
India vs Australia (Ahmedabad, India): The Grudge Game
India faces Australia in their quarter final, and if I were to compare this to other awesome events, I would say it is as exciting as a meteor sighting. (This is not a mistake, but an intentional repeated-use-of-phrase to test if you are paying attention.) For Indian fans, the wait for this game is like watching a horror scene where the unfortunate girl is just about to open the door, and you almost don’t want her to do it, and yet you kind of do. The anticipation mixed with anxiety and sweaty palms is a concoction that only a World Cup knock out match can provide.
Now, putting the objective hat back on, this game is being played on a pitch that has produced high scoring games in the recent past. Most people might think of that as an advantage for India, but I think it might be one for the Australians. I believe a turning wicket would have tipped the balance in India’s favor a bit more. India hasn’t played here so far in the tournament, which isn’t a great thing either. India should fancy their chances against a somewhat-lackluster Aussie bowling attack. Australia should return the favor by salivating at the prospect of a flat wicket, gentle medium pace of Indian bowlers and the quick outfield at Motera. This one promises to be a batsman’s game to win or lose, though the bowler who can make the most of a bad situation might actually end up being the hero in the papers next day.
I expect this to be a 300ish game with tempers flying and the ground turning into a pressure cooker. Mental toughness of the lower-middle order batsmen will be one of the critical deciding factors, as they very well might find themselves in a tricky situation of scoring quick runs while having to conserve wickets. Bowlers will most likely play second fiddle to our glorious batsmen.
I will put 55 on India and 45 on Australia.
New Zealand vs South Africa (Mirpur): Efficient Cricket meets Efficient-er Cricket
New Zealand has finally built some momentum coming into the knock out stage but can they really believe that they can overcome the mighty South Africans to reach the semis? I would doubt that very much. Though they will certainly put their game faces on and give it their best, South Africans might be the prevailing team here. South Africa is currently the top favorite to win this whole thing, and in my mind they have always been. A lot of write-ups declared India to be the favorites in the beginning and I wonder why. We certainly had shown good results in the recent past, but when it came to the consistency of winning 7 games in a row, we were always close second to some of our competitors.
This South African team is far from being chokers, they are an experimenting, believing and exceedingly skilled team that has made peace with the local conditions brilliantly. South Africa’s only worry would be to expose their middle order too early in the game. If Smith and Amla can see off the new ball, it is tough to think of any scenario where New Zealand can produce a win. New Zealand bowlers will be under immense pressure in the first 15 overs, and arguably that is where the game really might be decided. Once Amla and AB drop anchor, the Kiwi bowling unit does not bring enough penetration to the table to threaten the Proteas.
I would put 75 on South Africa, and 25 on the Kiwis.
Sri Lanka vs England (Colombo, Sri Lanka): In the Lions’ Den
England is coming off an absolute rollercoaster of a ride in the group stage. They have proven, as mentioned by many, that they are capable of winning any game from any stage against any opponent, just as much as losing any game from any stage against any opponent. Their biggest problem is that, barring a couple, no one has produced consistent performances with the bat or the ball. They have mysteriously been the only foreign team to have caught the bad-fielding virus that is prevalent in the sub-continent, while their catching has swung between schoolboy-amateur to down-right-shameful.
Sri Lankans know that they only have to stick to their tried-tested-cricket plan to oust the English. Their reliance on Sanga and Mahela has been talked about enough, but I think even if one or both of them fail, this team is still capable of putting together a respectable total against the English attack. Anything in the vicinity of 240 will challenge the Brits, and as they say, beating Sri Lanka in Colombo is defying both physics and history. A seemingly tall task for English by all indications. The only way there can be an upset in Colombo is if the English bowlers can restrict Sri Lanka to a manageable total. All English eyes are going to be on Swann to extract spin and bounce and give the Lankans a taste of their own medicine, and England will most likely play a second-spinner to try to repeat what they did against the Windies.
I would call this one 70-30, in favor of the Sri Lankans.
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