CWC15 Sanga World Record Of Back To Back Tons In One Dayers

#KumarSangakarra - you champion!

He has been the story of the #CWC15 so far.
From announcing his retirement from international cricket around Aug 15 to producing one of the most amazing and consistent display of batting acumen, Sanga has done it all at this World Cup tournament.

After starting poorly against New Zealand and missing out on big opportunity against Afghanistan, he has just piled it on...

Starting with Bangladesh, followed by  England, Australia and Scotland he's scored a century in every game. The situations were different, conditions different, bowling attacks were varied but oe thing remained constant .... A #Sanga #ton!

While tons against Bangladesh and Scotland can be termed as easy ones, the one against England came when they were chasing 309 to win. He walked in at a crucial moment in the game and seized it big time to overhaul the total. Against Australia, he took to a completely new level. The Australian attack and aggression were at a much higher level than the others. But he just transcended that competition to the next level with a stunning assault on the famed Aussie quicks. Although Sri Lanka eventually lost the game, they were in it for a long time and will do them a lot of good as the #knockout stage looms....

#World #Record For Consecutive Tons in Onde dayers as well as CWC

v Bangladesh - 105* - Melbourne
v England - 117* - Wellington
v Australia - 104 - Sydney
v Sco - 124 - Hobart

Who's next?

From the draw that might shape up after the league stages, Sri Lanka will most likely meet #SouthAfrica in the quarterfinals. Will Sanga continue his form there with a 5th hundred or the SA quicks have an answer? Stay tuned.....

Powered by:
http://www.whowillwinthecup.com

CWC 20115 - Ind v Pak Starts In A Few Hours !! Super Exciting This

In a few hours from now, the biggest game of the competition (in terms of traditional rivalry and passion) gets underway at the Adelaide Oval in a Day/Night fixture.

#INDIA v #PAKISTAN

The sub continent giants collide very early in the tournament and am sure that will ignite, rather explode into a gala event!

India has never lost to Pakistan in a #CWC game.
See stats here...

On form Pakistan look a better side than India.
But, the occasion is such that its more about mental skills than cricketing ones that would decide the eventual winner. #MSDhoni holds an edge over his counterpart #MisbahUlHaq in that department.

All in all an exciting prospect and look forward to a great game of cricket.
Best of luck to both teams

  

CWC 2015 - Aaron Finch becomes First Centurion

#AaronFinch - First centurion at the #ICCWorldCup2015, #CWC2015

Riding his luck of being dropped in the first over for nought, Finch goes on to stroke a superb 135 against #Eng at the #MCG

 

Why Will Pak Beat India At Adelaide In 2015 ICC World Cup?

Checked out the wonderful Ad above? Am sure all of Pak will be as frustrated as the guy shown ...

In all world cup editions till date where Pak have faced Ind, they have been on the losing side. Amazingly, all those losses have been pretty one sided.

1992 - by 30+ runs at Sydney (league match, Pak went on to win the World Cup then)

1996 - by 50+ runs at Bengaluru (quarter final - knockout game)

1999 - by 40+ runs at Manchester (super sixes match, Pak reached finals of the World Cup then)

2003 - by 6 wickets at Jo'burg 

2011 - by 40+ runs at Mohali (semi final - knockout game)

2015 - WHO WILL WIN? - at Adelaide (league match)

Clear indicator they seem to be under pressure against India at the biggest stage of cricket.

So, how is it about to change?

Will Pak beat Ind at Adelaide?

If we were to go by law of averages - it is long over due.

24 years without winning against Ind will hurt surely...

Here are some reasons to think why Pak will emerge victorious at the Adelaide Oval on 15th Feb '15:

 - Australian pitches are about bowling strengths than batting. Although AO is a belter of a track and one of the best pitches for batting in Australia, the natural bounce and swing should suit the Pak bowling (much much superior than the pedestrian Ind bowling at the moment)

 - Ind is in a hopeless situation at the moment in all departments - bowling and batting (fielding exempted because their fielders don't get enough runs to defend anyway). This is the best time for Pak to capitalize and deal a blow on their already low confidence.

 - Ind has been sledging all the way in Australia without focusing on cricket. Clearly distracted. Pak on the other hand seem to be focused on the game. Although they are finding it a bit tough in NZ, they seem more zoned in on the job.

 - They can exploit weaknesses in the Indian batting big time .. get through Kohli, Rahane and Dhoni and the rest will take care of itself. The same does not apply to India's bowling woefully struggling to get a few wickets eveyr game. Pak batsman can (although weaker of the two teams) target that and make up for loss of superstar value!

Lets see how it goes? because don't think Pak will get a better opportunity to strike early, strike dearly at Ind in a World Cup match. If they meet again later in the tournament in knock-out stages (it has never happened before) then I will back India to win that game. 

If India reach knockouts, they will be a completely different outfit to negotiate. That man Dhoni has ability and mastery of setting up "big games" psychologically and winning them.  

Go Pak grab your chance! Team India ... watch out if you need to keep your 100% record intact! 

Ind meet Pak at the Adelaide Oval in the Pool B opening match on 15th Feb.

Match starts 8:50 am India time, 9:20 am Pakistan time.

Let the match EXPLODE.........

Powered by:
http://www.whowillwinthecup.com

Top Matches in Feb 2015 atthe #ICCWorldCup2015

Here are some of the best matches to look out for in Feb 2015 at the #ICCWorldCup2015

14th Feb - NZ v SL, #Christchurch
14th Feb - Aus v Eng, #MCG
15th Feb - Ind v Pak, #AdelaideOval
20th Feb - NZ v Eng, #Wellington...
22nd Feb - Ind v SA, MCG
28th Feb - NZ v Aus, #Auckland

Huge games upfront to decide positions in their group.
Bigger excitement awaits in Mar 2015 but book your schedules for these games. They're gonna be one hella exciting stuff, especially the Aus/Eng and Ind/Pak games are massive from viewership and rivalry based!

Eng v Aus is legendary although Aus have always had an upper hand most of the time. In the current context too, the Aussies look too powerful for the Englishmen. Its just that being #MCG and timeless rivalry will make the atmosphere quick electrifying.

Punches will be exchanged but mostly it seems that the Aussies will end up on top in that game!

Ind v Pak is for the generations!

Traditional rivals all these years and players' careers depend on outcome of these games. Such is the intensity!

Surprisingly, all all world cup meetings till date, India have been victorius. That's an amazing stat considering Pak won the cup in 1992 (but lost comfortably to India in a league match). Same in 1999 when they reached semifinals at the world cup but lost to India. They were comprehensively beaten in 1996 quarter finals (another electric game though) and 2011 semi finals. The two teams did not meet each other in the 1975, 1979 and 2007 (both teams were ousted in the first round itself).

Whatever the results, the needle and pressure in an Ind v Pak game is amazing.

Promises to be another mouth watering clash at the Adelaide Oval on 15th Feb 2015. Cant wait to see that match...

Underestimate Pakistan At Your Peril This #CricketWorldCup2015

The most unpredictable team of all time! by a distance.
Amazing talent, extraordinary performances on one day and even minnows feel proud on others. Such has been Pakistan's journey over the last 40 years of World Cup one day cricket.

From being arguably the best bowling unit (talent wise) ever to some of the most abject defeats in the World cup (notably - loss to Bangladesh in 1999 and to Ireland in 2007). You cannot predict which Pakistan side will land up on the field on a given day.

Boy, but if you give them a sniff and they are in the zone ... they can really nail you into submission with their audacious batting strokeplay or deadly bowling spells (as Australia found out in their league game in 1999 and NZ in that heartbreaking semifinal of 1992).

So how does this 2015 Pakistan World Cup squad look like?
Does it have the firepower to go all the way?

Batting
A lot inexperience in their batting ranks. A lot of youngsters roped in Ehsan Adil, Shehzad, Sohail, Maqsood. This could be their weakest link since conditions in Australia and NZ would favor seamers and teams from sub continent generally struggle here. Having said that, the "unseen" packages may just turn out to be surprise packages for other teams (India will their first opponent .. what a mouth watering clash scheduled for 15th Feb 15 at the Adelaide Oval)
A lot will depend on the experience of Misbah and Younis Khan to carry these youngsters when settting or chasing targets.

Bowling
The traditional powerhouse of this team.
Emergence of Riaz and Irfan is a good sign but still lack of experience could spell their doom. Just don't see anyone to guide these seamers in tight situations.
Spinners will be lead by Hafeez and Afridi and they should do well.

All rounders
Plenty but its just that they may or they may not. You may see a blinder from nowhere (remember Inzamam's 60 from 37 from nowhere in 1992 against NZ to snatch victory in the end-game of that match?) but you will also see timid failures along the way (like the World Cup final 1999 against Australia)

All in all, a very inexperienced side and definitely not the favorites by a long way. May be that could be a boon in disguise. Who thought Imran Khan's team would win that 1992 in Australia world cup after an atrocious start to their campaign then. The venue this time? ... ... Australia again! Do NOT count them out.

Team Pakistan for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
#Misbah-ul-Haq
#AhmedShehzad
#EhsanAdil
#HarisSohail
#JunaidKhan
#MohammadHafeez
#MohammadIrfan
#SarfrazAhmed
#ShahidAfridi
#SohaibMaqsood
#SohailKhan
#UmarAkmal
#WahabRiaz
#YasirShah

#YounisKhan

Team Australia for World Cup 2015 - Best Bet To Win The Cup?

Obviously the firm favorites to win the cup.
No.1 ranked in ODI, hosts and well-balanced side.
This Australian side looks equipped to go the distance!

It must be said that this team is a pale shadow of the great Aussis teams of 90s and 2000s. They don't have a legendary batting lineup including Gilchrist, Ponting, Waugh, Hayden, Bevan nor do they possess arguably the best balanced bowling attacks of all time (Warne, Mcgrath, Gillespie, Lee). This is a team reinventing itself through new talent.

However, the Australian cricket structure is such that it ensures new talent comes up all the time. Take the case of #GeorgeBailey who is also their current #T20 captain. With limited experience, he has catapulted to great heights in the shorter formats of the game. Many other names including Doherty, Cummins, Hazlewood are already being termed as the #RisingCricketStars of the world !

Batting
Looks solid all the way through with low or no chinks in that armoury.
They have the firepower in Warner, Watson, Maxwell, Finch.
Consistent and steady middle order in Clarke, Bailey, Smith, Marsh
More than useful tail - Haddin, Faulkner, Johnson

Bowling
If at all, this seems to be their weak link.
New seamers in Hazlewood, Cummins, Faulkner and Starc are not experienced enough. Seasoned campaigners like Johnson will have to guide them smartly especially as the tournament moves in the elimination stages. Spinning dept lacks depth too. Doherty, Clarke and other part timers may not be very impactful although its going to be about the seamers in the Australian-NZ summer!

All Rounders
This is their big strength. Great combination of batsmen who can bowl and vice versa. Watson, Clarke, Smith, Faulkner can turn matches on their batting or bowling skills alone.

All in all, this Aussie side looks well set to dethrone India and regain the World Cup crown, unless they fluff up in important games or some match winning innings/performances snatches a game or two away from them!  

The Final 15 in the Australian squad for #ICCWorldCup2015
#Michael Clarke
#George Bailey
#Pat Cummins
#Xavier Doherty
#James Faulkner
#Aaron Finch
#Brad Haddin
#Josh Hazlewood
#Mitchell Johnson
#Mitchell Marsh
#Glenn Maxwell
#Steve Smith
#Mitchell Starc
#David Warner
#Shane Watson