West Indies - Powerhouse to Poor house

1975 and 1979 Champions (still considered by many as the best One day side of all time with names like Lloyd, Richards, Greenidge, Dujon, Roberts, Marshal, Holding, Garner, and the list goes on)
1983: Shock defeat in the finals at the hands of India started their decline in world cricket.
1987: Did not qualify for the semi-finals
1992: Did not qualify for the semi-finals
1996: The gut wrenching loss to Australia from an easy win position in the semi-finals
1999: Did not qualify for the super sixes
2003: Did not qualify for the super sixes
2007: Eliminated in quarter finals
2011: Eliminated in quarter finals

The solid powerhouse that this team once was ... cut a sorry picture in every following world cup.
It became worse in the new millennium.
All throughout that period, there were only glimpses of greatness mostly through Lara, Walsh and Ambrose 

So how does it look for them at the 2015 edition of the cricket world cup?

Batting:
Gayle, Samuels, Darren Bravo, Simmons will need to pull out one special innings after another to upset other teams in their group. 

Lack of middle order stability will be concerning.



Bowling:
Can crank up pace and suprise oppositions. Roach, Taylor, Carter.
Especially the Australian pitches will suit their seamers well.
Spin with Narine is a bright spot but Benn and others looks a bit weak.

All round ability:
Samuels, Gayle, Holder, Sammy, Russell can wield both bat and ball effectively.

Overall, very outside chances considering a lot of factors including their players squabblinh with WICB every other month, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have been huge omisions leading to lot of criticism. All the best

Team West Indies for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Jason Holder
Chris Gayle
Dwayne Smith
Marlon Samuels
Darren Bravo
Lendl Simmons
Darren Sammy
Denesh Ramdin
Sulieman Benn
Sunil Narine
Johnathan Carter
Sheldon Cottrell
Kemar Roach
Andre Russell
Jerome Taylor

Afghanistan - Will This Be A Smashing Debut For Them?

#Afghanistan, debut at this year's ICC Cricket World Cup.
As an associate member from 2001, their journey has been of ups and downs.

However, they qualified for the premier cricket event on account of finishing second in the ICC World Cricket League Championship.

A complete new team throws a lot to ponder. What are their strengths? Weaknesses? Who are the stars? Whether they will be in "awe" of the heavyweight teams or throw caution to the wind and deliver upsets? (Remember Kenya against WI in 1996, Ireland vs Pakistan and Bangladesh vs India in 2007 and Ireland vs England in 2011).



Will be very interesting indeed.
From what has been read and said, this team has good talent and like all Asian teams play and follow cricket passionately. Spin bowling and batting seems to be their key strengths. Playing in Australia is going to be their biggest test no doubt.

The general expectation from everyone would be to see them compete and not just fill up the numbers. Even if they stretch some of the sides in Pool A, it would be a great achievement. Their games against Scotland and Bangladesh would be an interesting watch.

Team Afghanistan for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Mohammad Nabi
Afzar Zazai
Aftab Alam
Asghar Stanikzai
Dawlat Zadran
Gulabdin Naib
Hamid Hassan
Javed Ahmadi
Mirwais Ashraf
Najbullah Zadran
Nasir Jamal
Nawroz Mangal
Samiullah Shenwari
Shapoor Zadran
Usman Ghani
Hasmatullah Shaidi
Izatullah Dawlatazai
Shafiqullah
Sharafuddin Ashraf

Will South Africa Bury Ghosts Of Previous Cricket World Cups in 2015?

Will #SA break the #CricketWorldCup jinx this time?

The eternal "chokers" of cricket enter yet another world cup carrying ghosts of previous editions. The dreadful #Rainrule in 1992, the #Lara magnum opus in 1996, the ultimate #KluesnerChoke in the greatest one dayer of all time in 1999, the silly miscalculation against  #SriLanka in 2003, complete annihilation by #Australia in 2007 and the #NewZeland choke of 2011.

What are their chances this time around then?

Almost every world cup has thrown a situation that has pushed them out of the cup. Ironically, on most occasions they are the team to beat. Wessels' team in 1992 was their re-entry into world cup after the apartheid era but they did tremendously well to reach the semis only to be cruelly thrown out due to the ridiculous rain rule that was being applied to rain curtailed games. The #DuckworthLewis rule came in later to even out a contest.

In 1996 and 1999, under #HansieCronje, they were arguably the best side to win both tournaments on form and man-to-man strengths. Bowling, Batting, Fielding, All round ability .. they had it all. And some of the best names at that. However in 1996, they ran into a rampaging #BrianLara in the quarterfinal to be blown under his assault. In 1999, the greatest one day match of all time (a tied semi final against Australia) saw them bow out on account of losing to the Aussies in the group stage. An eternal #choke (that went on to become a sobriquet associated with them for years to come).

In 2003, under #GraemeSmith and being hosts, was another golden opportunity. And what did they do? Fluff up a Duckworth-Lewis calculation and failed to take an extra run that would see them in the next round. Instead Sri Lanka went through. What a mega blunder!

2007 World Cup was dominated by Australia throughout and they blew away everyone along the way including SA in the semifinals. Fair and square. No bad luck involved here.

Come 2011, and again tragedy struck in the quarterfinals against New Zealand. From what seemed like a easy win, they wasted another opportunity...

Any luck this time around?

Well, they seem a bit inexperienced and a lot of fresh faces.
However their key strength is their bowling, especially #DaleSteyn and #MorneMorkel. They will hold key on the fast Australian pitches and seams NZ tracks.

Batting is in safe hands of #ABDevilliers, #HashimAmla and #FafDuPlessis.

Solid all round strength and fielding is extra-ordinary right from the #JontyRhodes era.

With SA its all going to be about self belief.
Can they conquer their mental demons this time around?

SA Team for Cricket World Cup 2015
A B Devilliers
Hashim Amla
Kyle Abbott
Farhan Behardien
Quinton De Kock
Jean Paul Duminy
Faf Du Plessis
Imran Tahir
David Miller
Morne Morkel
Wayne Parnell
Aaron Phangiso
Vernon Philander
Rilee Rossauw
Dale Steyn

AB's Historic feat - Fastest Century In One Dayers

A long standing record in cricket is broken !!!

#ABDevilliers has done it.... 
Century in 31 balls ... OMG ... unbelievable batting from the most valuable player in cricket today.

#SouthAfrica vs #WestIndies
Venue: Wanderers, Johannesburg
Date: 18th Jan 2015

Batting first and riding well on #HashimAmla and #RileeRossouw hundreds, South Africa looked to build momentum for a big score through some quick runs from their middle order. #AB decided scoring quick was not good enough. He decided to take the bullet train route. 

And boy, did he explode?

Absolute carnage followed.
The hapless #Windies could do nothing but see the bowls flowing over their heads into the crowds in what has been one of the most audacious batting display in cricket history. Scoops, Sweeps, Paddle shots, Flicks, the runs flowed from everywhere... and AB the magician provided them all  .. in just 31 balls..

And that didn't end there.
He carried on and piled up 149 in 49 deliveries (including 16 sixes, a SA record)

Records set
50 runs - 16 balls - World record #ABDevilliers
100 runs - 31 balls - World record #ABDevilliers
16 sixes - South African record #ABDevilliers
Total score 439 - just four short of that magical 443 SA scored against Australia (again at Wanderers in that classic massive scoring game few years ago)

West Indies were so blown away by that onslaught, that their reply ended before it actually started.
Although #DeneshRamdin and #DwayneSmith got half centuries, they lost the game by 148 runs. Had they plucked AB early in his innings, they could have made a game of it. Not to be.

AB take a bow!

Is David Warner The "Spoilt Brat" Of World Cricket?

Its happened yet again!

#DavidWarner is at it ... with the touring Indian team.

He was seen getting into a verbal duel with Indian batsmen #RohitSharma and #SureshRaina in an ugly incident during their #CarltonMidTriSeries tournament at Adelaide Oval.

It so happened that during India's batting innings, Sharma and Raina were rebuilding the India innings pretty well. They seemed to be on course to post a good score. 

In one of #JamesFaulkner's overs (23rd of the innings), they ran for an overthrow. The Aussies believed that the ball had ricocheted off Rohit's body and batsmen shouldn't have taken the run. (unwritten but widely followed cricket protocol). Replays showed otherwise. Nothing seemed to touch Rohit and hence the run was pretty valid and within rules of sportsmanship.

However during the change of overs, Warner decided to speak up his mind to Rohit about it. What followed was ugly exchange of words between the two and Warner was repeatedly heard saying "Speak English" to the Indian duo. The umpires and other team members intervened at the right time to sort things out and got on with the game.

Australia went to win the match by 4 wickets (although they suffered a lot of hiccups late in their innings and just about managed to get over the line)

David Warner was fined 50% of his match fee for his behavior and it instantly sparked a raging discussion whether the game has remained a #GentlemansGame? and aggressive play is being mistaken as a verbal slugfest or gibberish talk on the field?

#MartinCrowe even suggested a card system (like in #Soccer) to bring this in check.

The big question remains.
Who will "bell" Warner off his ways to deal with on field situations.
Hope the Australian captain is listening?

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

Pak v NZ (Semifinal, Auckland, World Cup 1992)

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
A batting superstar has arrived .... 
Best way to describe this match.

Against all odds Pakistan managed to scrape through to the semi-finals of this edition's #WorldCup semifinals (Remember the 1 point they gained from the hopeless performance against England, 74 all out, allowed them to move ahead of Australia and West Indies). Their opposition? The deadly in-form team, New Zealand. Unbeaten until their last league game (ironically their only loss came at the hands of Pakistan).

Stage was set. Eden Park, Auckland all set to stage its first ever World Cup semifinal game. The home team buoyant and clear favorites going into this game. But, as they say ... take Pakistan team granted at your own peril as the #Kiwis were to soon find out.

On a sunny March morning and a jam-packed stadium, NZ captain #MarttinCrowe won the toss and elected to bat first. Runs on the board was the clear plan. #MarkGreatbatch and #JohnWright opened the innings. Greatbatch was is great form and had blasted oppositions into submission during the course of the tournament. Danger man truly. But, the Pak bowlers had done their homework brilliantly. They pinned him and Wright by cramping them for room and no width to free their arms. #AquibJaved and #WasimAkram were awesome in that first spell. Aquib castled Greatbatch on 17.

#MushtaqAhmed then took over and had Wright and #AndrewJones caught to reduce NZ to 87 for 3. This is when captain Crowe and #KenRutherford took charge. Slowly, they built the innings before unleashing a counter-attack on the Pak bowling. Crowe's brilliant run in the world cup continued. He scored a fluent 91 before being run-out in the end stages of their innings.



Rutherford's steady 50 and some late blows for the Kiwi tail enabled them to score a very competitive 262 for 7 in their stipulated 50 overs. Wasim was the pick of the bowlers with an effective 2 for 40.

More than enough, you'd think as a Kiwi fan then.
Considering Pak's fallibility chasing scores or Kiwi tactics during the world cup to keep shuffling bowlers quickly were all stacked against Pak. Will they pull it off or would this be an end to their on-off campaign?

Then drama. Captain Crowe who suffered cramps and dehydration wasn't fit to take field. A big blow considering his audacious tactics and skill captaincy had brought them this far. His deputy John Wright certainly wasn't an inspirational figure on the ground but had to lead his side.

#AmeerSohail and #RameezRaja opened the innings for Pakistan. As usual #DeepakPatel, the offie opened NZ's bowling. This move to open with a spinner had brought them huge success all throughout. The trend continued when he had Sohail caught by Jones.

Pak 30 for 1.

Captain Imran promoted himself at No.3 to show his men how to lead from the front. He and Rameez slowly pushed things along. Plan was clear. Build and hold wickets for a late onslaught. They added 54 before Rameez fell to #WillieWatson. That brought in the wily old fox #JavedMiandad to the crease. Both him and Imran took it forward by adding 50 runs before Imran fell to #ChrisHarris.

Pak 134 for 3.

However, all this build-up was leading to required run-rate blowing up. Something had to give in. To add to their woes, Mr. Dependendable, #SalimMalik fell cheaply to #GavinLarsen reducing Pak to 140 for 4. 

Will Javed pull off a miracle with youngsters to follow? or Kiwis choke them? 

What Auckland and rest of the world witnessed after that was sheer magic!

In walked a 22 year old tall and burly youngster #InzamamUlHaq
With Javed at the other end, he unleashed an extraordinary counter attack on the Kiwis. This type of audacious strokeplay and power was never seen before!

His breathtaking hitting stunned the Kiwis. They were clueless. They were bamboozled. 

Javed held his end and encouraged #Inzi (as he later popularly came to be known) to play one of the finest match winning innings of all time. His 37 ball 60 became part of cricket folklore.

But there was still some drama to come. Inzy was run out trying to steal a single. Wasim was castled by Watson raising Kiwi hopes yet again. It needed someone to put the finishing touches from either side. #MoinKhan did it for Pakistan. Again, with Javed's astute presence in the middle.

His massive six and couple of boundaries deflated the Kiwis and Pakistan romped home with an improbable win. Amazing scenes at the Eden Park as Pakistan team engulfed Moin and Javed. 

Heartbreak for the Kiwis and more so for Martin Crowe. A golden chance to reach the finals had been lost.

But, the game belonged to the gentle giant, Inzamam.
A superstar had arrived ... in style!

MOM: Inzamam Ul Haq

Watch highlights here....