what a world cup and it's only begun

listenin to: goodhope

cricket world cup 2007 has begun. and more than ever i believe this to be a wide open world cup. and this is not just wishful thinking. there are a few teams that, if they wanted to, could take the cup. here is who they are and why i think so:

australia: they can because they are probably the second best fielding nation at the moment and fielding is going to matter under west indian conditions. they have an all round batting and bowling line up combined with some great experienced players. also they want to win bad enough.
weakness: their belief in their invincibility sometimes dominates over their actual ability to win.

south africa: they are in fantastic form and desperately want to win. as glenn mcgrath so perfectly put it, they want to not loose, more badly than they want to win. fielding is a massive strength as is their committment to being the best.
weakness: slower pitches may throw them off with their best spinner sitting at home.

west indies: the unpredictability of this team means they can play like magic and maniacs in 2 consecutve games. home advantage is a massive plus.
weakness: way too unpredictable

new zealand: many people are labelling them as the team to take it. however, i think this needs some work still. why will they win though? they have the longest serving and most lead-by-example captain in stephen flemming. they also have the best track records at world cups.
weakness: massive underperformers

sri lanka: they have won before and quite fancy their chances. in a similar vein as the west indies, they are unpredictable and stand a very good chance.
weakness: again, another team that just does not follow through when it matters.

india: on paper they look like a world winning team. levina was spot on when she said, if everyone does their job and a little on the side, we can win. we need our bowlers to bowl excellently for 10 solid overs, our batsmen to focus on their roles and for everyone to be sharp on the field. there has been some debate on the old players versus the young but this serves a good balance. lately the team has stopped their reliance on the big names and individual contributions are becoming stronger. bottom line, india has never been led by rahul dravid at a world cup. if the team can sponge a tenth of the intensity and drive he has to win, we will take this cup.
weak point: we have left our best fielder at home. and most importantly, we are not 100%hungry for this.

today i like: being able to watch cricket everyday
today i dislike: routine i dislike routine