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The dust from the Ashes has only just settled, and now the world's finest one-day cricketers will don the pyjamas in the Caribbean. The 2007 Cricket World Cup will last for 47 days - can England's weary cricketers take pride in their end-of-Australian tour form and pull off a miracle? Or can the maiden competitors Ireland pull off an even bigger shock? Betfair cricket expert Andy Richmond investigates...Two "C"'s will dominate the sporting landscape early next week - Cheltenham and the Caribbean for the Cheltenham Festival and the Cricket World Cup. Both events have grown over the past few years and this Cricket World Cup is looking very different from the very first competition way back in 1975 when it took just two weeks and 15 games to crown the West Indies as the first Cricket World Cup winners. So what can we expect when the CWC comes to the Caribbean for the first time? Hopefully not a logistical nightmare as we see nine stadiums used, each on a different island, (apart from mainland Guyana) several with re-laid pitches or new refurbishments. This is a greatly expanded competition which will take 47 days and 51 matches to provide the winner. The early group stages provide the usual surfeit of uncompetitive sparring contests from a match odds angle but the innings runs and match handicap markets will no doubt see plenty of trading. Each group contains one marquee match-up when the seeded teams do battle - Australia vs South Africa on March 24th is one I'm particularly looking forward to. Remember that with points from the early games against other teams who progress are carried into the Super 8 stage, so these are important contests both in points terms and psychologically. So what of the teams we will see in action over the next six weeks? Australia, winners of the last two World Cups and a recent Champions Trophy are again favourites for the tournament. However the mantle of "the invincibles" is slipping and they arrive in the Caribbean with the record of having lost their last five one day internationals. Of course with class acts such as Ponting and Hussey in their side you can't write them off but the bowling attack looks vulnerable with the fiery Brett Lee missing and there are still doubts about the destructive Symonds playing until the latter stages. At around 3.4 in the Betfair winner market the Aussies look poor value, but pass on them at your peril as you can never truly write them off. Across the Tasman the Black Caps of New Zealand have had a turbulent few months - stories of disagreements between coach and captain have been rife, but for all that the Kiwis have played some exciting and vibrant one day cricket and you could argue that they enter as one of the form sides. Unlucky not to qualify for the finals of the Commonwealth Bank Series they then destroyed an Australian side still reeling from a home series defeat in the Chappell - Hadllee Trophy, chasing down some huge scores of 300+. The NZ side has its share of stars - Bond, Fleming and the hopefully fit Oram amongst them - but they function well as a unit and in Fleming have one of the shrewdest captains in the one-day game - at 11.0 they are worth having in your betting portfolio. The Indian sub-continent triumvirate - India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are all former winners but whilst it would not be a surprise to see them feature this time all of them have question marks for mine. Pakistan could be best described as an enigma - brilliant one minute and looking rudderless the next - which version will we see in the West Indies? The latter I suspect. This has been a turbulent year in which they have rarely been out of the headlines - attracting more column inches for drug suspensions and test walkouts than their cricket. Not an ideal preparation for the tournament and they have more minuses than pluses for me. If the trip to the Caribbean had taken place this time last year then India would have been strong contenders as the form side they had won 11 of 14 ODIs and appeared a well-balanced unit, but it was the trip to this very area that started a slide - a 4-1 defeat by the West Indies - and they have rarely performed since to a consistent level. A team which has talent but on occasions lacks fluency I'll pass them over on this occasion as likely winners. Completing the sub-continent powerhouses are Sri Lanka - the 1996 champions have never reached those heights again but are still one of the sides which have significantly changed the one way ODIs are played - especially when it comes to aggressive and destructive batting at the top of the innings. The majority of sides now have copied the idea and a lightning start can provide another nightmare for captains and bowlers alike - when to employ the power-plays, a welcome addition to the ODI game. Not to be under-estimated and my pick from the three sub-continent teams to play a major part in the latter stages of the tournament. What now of England? Amongst the down and outs a few short weeks ago, their form in ODIs over the past 18 months has been woeful - have they stumbled across a winning formula overnight? Well the tour-end form in Australia was impressive if surprising and they played high-tempo cricket in a pressurised situation. Never the greatest of starters in tournaments they do appear to be peaking at the right time. As three-time finalists with explosive players such as Flintoff and Pietersen plus the ever-improving Collingwood on board, they are tough to write off. The bowling has to be taken a little on trust and could prove brittle in the heat of battle - but if they carry on the Australian form the semi-finals could be a possibility. 
West Indies have home advantage and whilst that brings a certain amount of local knowledge, it also brings expectancy and pressure. The locals no doubt yearn for a return of the glory days of West Indian cricket when they reigned supreme in the 70s and 80s. They have been showing some signs of recovery in the short form of the game especially in the two most recent Champions Trophy competitions - winning in 2004 and making the final last year - they have an exciting squad and like Pakistan if they get it right can destroy anyone on their day - but will they? They need their big players to perform in every game and I feel that the pressure from the home crowd may prove too much for them in the end. Ireland are a combative side who have been steadily improving year on year and have some very capable performers, as South Africa found out in their World Cup warm-up game earlier in the week. Ireland like all their national sides play with a great passion and fire - although the side does contain three Australians and one South African. The bowling is tight although lacking penetration but the batting is a strength with one of the Australians - Jeremy Bray hitting a very long ball and young Eoin Morgan following in the footsteps of Ed Joyce and possibly thought to be better he will be playing for Middlesex next season. Runners-up to Scotland in the ICC Trophy in 2005, this will be their first World Cup experience, which as they are in a group with hosts West Indies, Zimbabwe and Pakistan will be a tough one but I'm sure one which will stand them in good stead for the future. The team who stand out to me are South Africa despite the fact they have never featured in a World Cup Final. They have many factors going for them - a wealth of all-rounders, four of the fifteen man squad are - namely Kallis, Pollock, Hall and Kemp; the batting has tremendous depth and the fielding is top-class; and Smith whilst not among the most likeable characters in the game is an inventive and imaginative captain. It is their recent ODI record that puts the seal on the Proteas as the form side for the World Cup - since the England series two years ago they have won 40 out of the 53 ODIs that they have played and their record in the Caribbean is very respectable - suggesting they will be at home in the conditions. At around 5.4, the South Africans are a real chance to reach and win their first ever Cricket World Cup Final - I'll complete my semi final quartet with New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka - with the Aussies missing out this time - a brave call. It promises to be quite a month of live cricket with the added bonus of not having to get up in the middle of the night to watch it. |
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