Well, the mighty giant is now being conquered and it is with much gladness in my heart that I say that the Aussies are no longer the favorites for this World Cup in the Caribbean.
Following three successive defeats against …. ENGLAND of all teams and now crushing defeat against the Kiwis they are looking rather ordinary now. Losing 3 matches in succession to a team such as England who had earned the status of being the worst one day outfit ahead of only Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will certainly be too much for Ponting and his men must be tearing their hair out.
After the exit of Warne and Gillespie their bowling attack looks very docile. It comes to a point that they at times actually consider Andrew Symonds and Michel Clark to be their top class spinners. So things are looking down for the Aussies right now and that is a good thing for cricket.
South Africa is looking like the team to beat at the moment. They possess probably the most lethal bowling attack combined with attacking batsmen. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and New Zealand are also looking good and getting into shape well in time for the World Cup. So this times Caribbean show down is going to be a competition to remember.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Well u seem to be very happy about it aren't u? Being a sri lankan i too hope that they'll perform poorly at the WC. but i don't think we can deny the fact that they've been the champions for quite sometime now and it won't be wise to underestimate them just bcoz they lost a few matches. it's true that mcgrath and warne won't be there, but i'm sure they'll give a hard time to the rest of the teams during the WC.Plus in my point of view, they are the most professional players in the current cricketing arena so i'm sure they'll come up with something for the WC.
Yes i believe South Africa has the advantage in the WC considering their recent performance against pakistan but my money is on Sri Lanka. Yes it's true this is mainly bcoz i'm a sri lankan. but still i think once vaasy and murali get in to the team things could spice up and i very much hope that this time sana will do wonders for us just as he did in 96 and bring it home for the second time. till then, hail Sri Lanka
1. Gillespie has been out of the team for a year or so now. Warne hasn't played one day internationals since his departure from the 2003 world cup. Australia have more or less excluded both from their plans.
2. They have Brad Hogg who is actually a pretty good left armer. So no, they don't consider Clarke and Symmonds their "only spinners".
3. Write off Australia if you wish, but for perspective, I'll just remind you that they came into the 1999 World Cup with 5 straight losses before losing the first three league matches of the tournament. Who finally won the tournament? Exactly.
I am not saying that they'll win this year although a couple of weeks back, my friend and I actually said that they might as well give the world cup to Australia.
Since then a few things have changed and that will defineatly destablize the team:
* Symmonds' injury - Arguably the most crucial manpower disaster in the Australian camp right now. This guy is more than your average all rounder. His fielding alone saves around 10-15 runs per match. Add his medium pacer/spinners (depending on the pitch) and his incredible batting skills and you'll see why they are going to miss him so much. If he doesn't play the first half of the world cup, he'll still be out of sorts when he does get in.
* Adam Gilchrist's absence for the first half of the tournament. I have to admit that when I read this news, I was pretty shocked. Australia needs everyone at the front during this critical phase and Gilchrist taking time off was unexpected. Still, I guess he is at a stage where family responsibilities are more important than cricket. I don't have to even tell you how important Gilchrist is in the grand scheme of Australian cricket.
* Brett Lee's injury. Happened yesterday and according to both Lee and physiotherapist Alex Kountouri, he is still 50-50 for the world cup.
Add the above three factors to Glenn McGrath's sliding form and you have enough reason for
Add the above three factors to Glenn McGrath's sliding form and you have enough reason for the rest of cricket world to be licking their lips in anticipation.
I will say this though. The Aussies are nothing if not mentally tough. They'll fight out of their skins.
I don’t like to see Australia win the world cup. Not a single match. In fact, I hate them.
But, yet we have to admit they are a super power in Cricket. You can’t ever under estimate them. Just take the example of 1999 world cup. And 1996 semi final against Windies. Australia = Down under. They are capable of bouncing back quickly, from even the hell doun under the earth.
My opinion is Australia is easy to beat when they are in top of the form (Atl east for Sri Lankans). Because, when they prove bad for few matches in a row, there’s a huge chance that they bounce back into form in the next (and most important) match.
Post a Comment