Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Onto the World Stage: Australia – The “Beatable” Champions.

It wasn’t surprising that Australia won the world cup in 1999, given the resolve that they showed to win the tournament. Neither was it surprising that they won in 2003, given that they were the best team on view and steam rolled every one into submission. It’s just that it would be very surprising if they won in 2007.

No I am not talking through my hat. But before I give you my reasons for it, let us take a look at the team participating in the world cup: Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist (wk), Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin (wk), Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson. When you start reading the names, your very bones will quiver if you are a bowler, but if you are a batsman, you will fancy your chances.

Still think I am crazy? Well to bring down a team of Australia’s caliber, I need some statistics. And that is exactly what’s on the menu. After their world cup victory in 2003, the Aussies have played 117 ODIs in the past four years. Out of these, they have lost 28 and tied 1. However, this still means that they have won 75 percent of their matches. But its in the manner that they have lost these 28 matches is what tells you about the chink in the armory of the Australians for the first time in decades. We shall dissect the losses now.

17 matches have been lost when the Kangaroos have tried defending their totals. That’s like 60 percent. Even the tied match against England was the one where they were defending 197. We go way back in 2003/04 to their Sri Lankan tour, to find that their nine consecutive defeats were all batting first. Further more, except for one instance, the Aussies had scored 220+ in all those games. In that particular streak, they also lost to New Zealand when the kiwis chased a then world record of 331. Also, they have failed to defend 300+ four times, including the mammoth 434 in South Africa.

What’s more disturbing is the fact that out of these 17 losses, nine have come in the last one year. And all those four heavy defeats are included in these nine losses. This clearly points out one glaring fallacy in this Australian side. They simply can’t defend their scores. Which in turn, is attributed to their poor bowling attack. Yes, we have come to that point in Australian cricketing history which will be known as the post Warne/McGrath era. The one in which they will be dependent on their batting to bail them out in most of the situations.

I mean look at their team sheet. Barring McGrath, you don’t see one name capable enough to carry the burden of defending targets. Brett Lee is out injured, which is going to be a very big blow to them. Because with him missing the action, they can only be assured of ten good overs from the Pigeon. About the rest we know what can happen to them. We saw South Africa, then England and lately New Zealand do it to them. Under pressure they have caved in again and again. I mean Tait and Mitchell Johnson don’t have the experience, Brad Hogg isn’t exactly Warne or even Stuart Macgill, for that matter. The Aussies are really missing some one to hold out the middle overs and with Symonds’ fitness in doubt, there is cause for concern. Bracken did I hear you say? Well he’s been around for a while but his presence doesn’t exactly cause oppositions to lose their sleep.

And so we come to the strong point of the team. Their batting. The indomitable Hayden, the swashbuckling Gilchrist, the mercurial Ponting, the dependable Hussey, the determined Michael Clarke and the burly Symonds. Enough to make any opposition wet their pants. The fact that Ponting himself stated that they would like to chase rather than defend, tells you that this is one captain who knows his strengths and weaknesses well. Plus you could argue that the team that played in New Zealand wasn’t a strong Aussie side. Let me make this very clear that six out of those 11 players will start the first match against Scotland on 14th March.

Injuries are something which could really upset the Aussie applecart. Symonds is still weak in the arm, Hayden is under fitness clouds too. They have already lost Lee a week before departure. Any more injuries and Ponting might feel like throwing in the towel. The most important factor however is going to be Andrew Symonds. He is the one who gives them the balance. Ten overs and a reliable bat who knows how to accustom himself to the situation. Plus he is no slouch in the field either. If he stays fit, the team has it in them to do well. Without him, they are a touch lost.

Adam Gilchrist is in his last world cup probably. So is Hayden and McGrath has already announced his retirement. After these three go, the future for Australia is somewhat uncertain. But right now, their concentration has to be on the cup. A hat trick of victories will do them immense good and prepare the young lot for the challenges ahead too.

The one point that can go against my arguments is that they have won around 46 matches batting first. That is a 72 percent success rate. But quite a few of those matches were a couple of years back. The recent trend is worrisome. And just for that reason, this world cup is the most open ever.

My verdict: If you are the opposition, win the toss & ask them to bat. Sooner or later, they will falter.

Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Onto the World Stage: India – The Romantic’s Champions.

Twenty years after they won the world cup, India entered the finals in South Africa in 2003, but only managed to deceive the world. They lost to the only team who could beat them in that edition, Australia. Four years hence, they take on the world again in a bid to bring the cup home after a long time.

And they can actually do it this time. Ever since the “process” began under guru Greg Chappell, they have been through a lot of ups and downs to finally achieve what they aspired to. Atleast what Chappell aspired to. Select the best fifteen for the tournament in the Carribean. And they are: Rahul Dravid (capt), Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel. No surprises or so you may think, except the fact that Sehwag managed to book a flight and that many will be debating the inclusion of Dinesh Karthik.

Sehwag’s inclusion was always under doubt. His horrendous tour in South Africa not withstanding, it is said that Rahul Dravid lobbied extra hard for his inclusion. Why won’t he? After all, he is the only triple tonner in India. But that is in tests for crying out loud. There he has the advantage of open field spaces and not so in the ODI arena where he is cramped for space more and more nowadays, especially when his non-existent technique has been sorted out. Plus the way he got out in the ODI against Sri Lanka when after so long he had got off to a start, only shows how much he values his wicket Mr. Dravid. For me, he was a no inclusion in the side based on this dismissal alone. But then India is not having a problem of plenty at present.

That is the stellar difference between the team of 2003 and the team of 2007. That’s the difference between Ganguly and Dravid as captain, or for that matter, John Wright and Greg Chappell. Chappell might have tried his best but lets be frank, the bench strength is poor. So much so that, we can’t even find proper replacements for Kaif or Raina when they are not good enough any more. That we have to fall back upon Dinesh Karthik as a batsman to bolster our middle order? Which brings us to the point that this actually is not a bad choice on hind sight. What if Dhoni gets injured? That he needs to miss a game of unimportance, say against Bermuda, in order to be fit for an important one in the super 8 stage. Atleast we know that Karthik won’t be a traveller like Parthiv Patel in 2003.

That’s because Sehwag’s form will be a barrier to his selection in the playing eleven. I don’t predict him starting more than three matches in the tournament on his reputation. After that form will be considered, as on this basis Karthik has a stronger case. Maybe a fourth start as a spin bowler. But no more, unless he performs. Why am I comparing an opening bat with a middle order one? Because simply put, India’s opening pair for the cup is fixed in terms of Ganguly and Uthappa. I won’t harp about Ganguly’s masterly comeback, just that it is going to have far reaching and calming effects on a young Uthappa.

Yes Tendulkar is no more required at the top. And the good point is that he agrees with it. He took to it as fish takes to water, in the last two home series. The middle order hasn’t borne this safe and settled look for so long, so much so that my memory betrays me. With Yuvraj, Dravid and Dhoni still to come, it won’t be a bad idea to let him play at no.3 because whatever some anti-Sachin fans may say, he still is our best batsman and is only logical to allow him as many overs to bat as possible. Dravid can do a fine job at no.5 as he has showed us so many times. I don’t think that this is either Tendulkar’s or Dravid’s last world cup, as many may think. I mean how can they not play in 2011 at home is beyond me. But that is another issue. Because for one player, it is definitely his last ODI outing.

Nobody in the world has proved his credentials more often than Anil Kumble. 800+ plus wickets in international cricket and we still have a selector questioning his inclusion in the team to West Indies. I mean come on now. On any day he is better than the likes of Romesh Powar and Murali Karthik, given that Harbhajan Singh is a certainty in the side. the rest of the bowling attack looks formidable on paper atleast. Zaheer, Agarkar, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel have been doing a good job all this while and if past performances are anything to go by, they would continue doing so. Never after Kapil Dev and Srinath, had I thought the Indian fast bowling scenario would look so good.

Nowadays no talk of an Indian bowling line up is complete without mentioning Irfan Pathan as according to many team members themselves, he is the one who gives the side a balance. True, but only if he bowls & bats both, and not just the latter. My two pence to the think tank, he is as dispensable as Sehwag.

No talk of India’s chances at a world cup is complete without discussing Tendulkar’s past exploits. And this alone makes him the most important cog in the Indian wheel at the cup. Even after the tournament is over, he will have a lot to offer to the side but since this is the most open tournament in years, I am putting my money on him to produce the fireworks again. It is the best chance for him to silence his critics by collecting the missing feather in his crown.

Past form sees the team on a world record run of 17 successful run chases to the lows of defeats in Windies, Kuala Lumpur and of course the Champions trophy at home. Add to that, the thrashing in South Africa and you will almost question their contendership for the cup. But as the two series wins at home proved, the Indian public does have a fickle memory.

As guru Greg said, it’s all about reaching the semi-finals. In this particular tournament, it is. After that any team can do anything. An Indian team in form and high on confidence then becomes more than a romantic’s champion.

My verdict – They have the gift, can they do it? Fingers crossed. Come on guys, I wasn’t even born in 1983.

Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Onto the World Stage: New Zealand – The Incredibles.

New Zealand are as good as any other international team in the world today. They match Australia in aggression, India in passion, England in defiance and South Africa in talent. Frankly speaking, possessing all these qualities sometimes actually makes them the best team in the world. Then what on earth makes them the biggest under achievers in world cricket?

Finding an answer to this will be my quest as I take a look at their chances in this year’s tournament. But as always we need to take a look at the fifteen players sent to West Indies 2007: Stephen Fleming (capt), Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Michael Mason, Brendon McCullum (wk), Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent. No big surprises except that Daryl Tuffey returns after a long break from the game due to injury.

The talent has always been there, so has been able leadership under Stephen Fleming. But sometimes able opponents, as in 1996 or in 1999, and sometimes silly decisions, like not playing in Zimbabwe and Kenya in 2003, have cost them in the big tournament. So much so that the ICC knock out trophy in 1998 is the only major trophy they have won in international cricket. Surely as the sun goes down on a number of Kiwi players’ careers after the world cup, they have to muster enough mental strength to give it one final push.

Mental strength I say? You must be surprised that while all other teams have been lacking in some department or the other, is it just the non-physical aspect which is missing in New Zealand’s case. Yes is the answer. Simply put, they have the appetite for big games, as their recent resurgence against Australia has shown us. However what they lack is the will power to succeed against the lesser teams.

A classic case comes to rest in the 2003 world cup. They beat South Africa in front of their home crowd and then were simply not upto the mark against the rest of the teams. In the super six stages they were a pale shadow of themselves and were consequently out of the cup. Or if we want a recent example, how about the escapades against Australia in the recently concluded Chappell-Haddlee trophy. There they could beat the living daylights out of the Aussies but couldn’t put it across a demoralized English side in the preceding CB series.

The fact that they just switch off their minds is the biggest reason why they won’t win the cup inspite being one of the favourites to reach the semi finals. Simply put, they might have played the biggest game of the tournament already and thus won’t be able to recharge themselves enough to compete well on a particular day. And that is why even the shrewdest captain in the world, Stephen Fleming, is not much of a success.

Fleming has been their trump card for many years and will again be so in this year’s cup. The reason is plain enough. Not only is the man a brilliant tactician but also a useful bat. His contributions have been all captain’s knocks or what you might call, leading from the front. He has always derived immense motivation in playing for his country. This is his swan song. Most probably he will not be there to play in 2011, and that is where his motivation will come from this time around. The point is can that be reflected onto the team?

The Kiwis are a team of bits and pieces players of the highest quality, unlike any other team in the world. Probably this is one factor that sets them apart. As a result, this team never hinges on a particular individual. And that is why apart from the skipper, a number of players will want to make themselves counted. Shane bond is one such player. Injuries of all kinds have always haunted his career and nobody than him knows this better that he is playing his last world cup. He has it in him to shake and stir the world but he needs companionship. Which in turn, will be provided by none other than Daniel Vettori, who will be marshalling the spin bowling department. Needless to say, even he knows this might be a last world stage outing.

The batting looks decent enough. As mentioned they are all bits and pieces players and you never know who is going to strike form next. One day they may be out on ducks and the next, they might just end up chasing 350+. Lou Vincent is an able opening bat and the new finds, Mason and Ross Taylor showcased what they are capable of against the Aussies. The fact that they have three all-rounders in Scott Styris, Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram forming their middle order, you will know that no total is safe, especially on the placid tracks in the Carribean. Add to it, the swashing blade of Brendon McCullum, and the batting bears a finished look.

Recent form only re-iterates the fact that they have it in them t reach the semi-finals. They have had the better of both Sri Lanka and West Indies at home, before struggling in the Champions trophy. The fact that they could not reach the tri-series finals in Australia and then beat the Aussies 3-0 at home only shows their supremacy at their home grounds. It’s their ability to perform outside their comfort zone is what will matter the most.

Simply put its all in the mind of the Kiwis.

My verdict – They will succumb to their mental pressure.