Zaahier Adams looks at teams who are more than capable of reaching the World Cup final in Melbourne should they find some form.
New Zealand
No longer do the Black Capes ride into a World Cup as ‘dark horses’, because the level of consistency they’ve achieved in the last 12 months makes them full-blown contenders for the title, especially with the tournament being staged on home soil.
Along with their customary ‘street-smartness’, the Black Caps now have individual skill, encapsulated by players who could easily slip into a current World XI.
Captain Brendon McCullum is one of the most destructive batsmen on the international circuit, capable of ripping any attack to shreds. Ross Taylor’s experience and talent is invaluable to the Kiwis and he is capable of winning matches single-handedly, too.
During the last World Cup played in Australasia in 1992, the home team’s Martin Crowe was the standout batsman of the tournament.
Young Kane Williamson has the technique and mental aptitude to succeed his hero Crowe and much of how New Zealand will fare this year will rest on the 24-year-old’s slight shoulders.
New Zealand also have further batting firepower lower down the order in the bulky form of Corey Anderson.
The pitch conditions have changed over the past 23 years in the Land of the Long White Cloud and the Black Caps’ attack have adapted accordingly.
Teenage pace man Adam Milne gets the speed gun clicking at over 145km/h regularly, while Tim Southee and Trent Boult are excellent with the new ball. Add the guile of veteran spinner Daniel Vettori, along with the feisty Nathan McCullum and the Kiwis have a well-balanced attack.
STRENGTHS: Pace attack. Innovative methods. Home crowd support.
WEAKNESSES: Belief that they can actually win the whole thing.
STAR PLAYERS: Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson
X-FACTOR PLAYER: Corey Anderson
BEST FINISH: Semi-finalists 1975, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2011
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s preparations for this World Cup, may not have been as bad as India’s in Australia – at least they won a couple of matches against the Kiwis, but it has not been smooth sailing either.
Angelo Matthew’s side struggled to adapt to the conditions in a seven-game series and failed to find any batsmen capable of supporting ‘The Big Three’ – Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan.
The trio are the arms, legs, brains and heart of the Sri Lankan challenge and will be hoping they can deliver one last time before they ride off into the sunset.
Captain Matthews will add some solidity to the batting order after missing a couple of games during the New Zealand series with flu, while the bowling unit will be encouraged by the performances of seamers Nuwan Kulase-kara, Shaminda Eranga and Dushmantha Chameera, who helped the tourists burgle those two victories in New Zealand.
The attack will also be more formidable once Lasith Malinga returns to the line-up.
Despite nursing an injury until just recently, Malinga’s strike-power and ability to close out games at the death remains unparalleled.
And like India, Sri Lanka are a big-tournament team.
They play the big-moments well and will be looking to achieve a hat-trick of final appearance following on from Barbados 2007 and Mumbai 2011.
Only this time they will want to finish off the job to emulate Arjuna Ranatunga and his 1996 heroes.
STRENGTHS: Experience and tactical nous
WEAKNESSES: Over reliance on ‘The Big Three’
STAR PLAYERS: Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga
X-FACTOR PLAYER: Rangana Herath
BEST FINISH: Winners 1996
Pakistan
A World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will stir up all sorts of emotions back in their homeland due to the heroics of Imran Khan and his ‘Cornered Tigers’ back in 1992.
The triumph 23 years ago remains Pakistan’s sole World Cup success and will give this current group the belief that a team from the sub-continent can win the World Cup in foreign conditions.
As has become tradition with all Pakistani teams, this side has been drifting from one controversy to another in the build-up to this event.
From the on-going criticism directed at captain Misbah-ul-Haq to the saga relating to Saeed Ajmal’s bowling action, there has not been a shortage of headlines.
Ajmal’s unavailability is a big blow to the Pakistanis, who would have centred their bowling strategies around the clever off-spinner.
Instead, the Peter Pan of Pakistan cricket, Shahid Afridi, will shoulder that responsibility, like Younus Khan will do for the batting.
It will be interesting to see how the young Pakistani batters (Ahmed Shehzad, Haris Sohail and Sohaib Maqsood) handle the extra pace and bounce of Australian conditions, but remember it was the 1992 showpiece that launched the career – albeit a streamlined figure back then – of a certain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Pakistan remain the ultimate mavericks of world cricket. We wait with great anticipation for what they have stored in their magic box for this World Cup.
STRENGTHS: Their unpredictability. A solid pace attack with good variation.
WEAKNESS: Their unpredictability! No Saeed Ajmal. Inexperienced top-order.
STAR PLAYERS: Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi
X-FACTOR PLAYER: Mohammad Irfan
BEST FINISH: Winners 1992
England
A nation whose one-day cricket has regressed steadily ever since their last appearance in World Cup final at the MCG back in 1992.
Befuddling thinking combined with the lack of genuine match-winners has placed England in a precarious position in ODI cricket.
The extremity of the indecision was highlighted when the selectors axed long-time captain Alastair Cook only a couple of months before the tournament.
Cook’s lack of runs had a ripple effect on his leadership and the powers-that-be were forced into making the late decision. Such acts can cause panic in a dressing-room.
But be that as it may, England are at the World Cup with a group of young players trying to break free of the conservative mould that has hampered previous progress. They won’t have the larger-than-life figure of Kevin Pietersen to show them the way, but instead will be guided by the more petite Eoin Morgan.
Under Morgan there have already been some encouraging signs during the recent triangular series with Australia and India, with the reinstatement of Ian Bell at the top of the order the most positive move. Bell has been given the licence to attack the new ball and in conjunction with Moeen Ali, England have embraced a new attacking philosophy.
If their pace bowlers, especially Jimmy Anderson, who once collected a World Cup hat-trick when he still sported a racoon-like haircut with a red stripe running through it, can deliver in conditions in which they have previously won an Ashes series, then England could be in with a fighting chance come the business end of the tournament.
STRENGTHS: A good pace attack
WEAKNESSES: Inflexible, lack of dynamism
STAR PLAYERS: Joe Root, Jimmy Anderson
X-FACTOR PLAYER: Moeen Ali
BEST FINISH: Losing finalists 1979, 1987, 1992
West Indies
The winners of the first two World Cups are in a complete state of disarray. Off-field politics that consists of everything from boardroom squabbles, player and management conflicts and tour abandonments have resulted in this once major force in world cricket being more ‘Collapso’ than ‘Calypso’ these days.
It has been a long time coming, but with the advent of the Twenty20 cricket freelancer now a part of the game, the West Indies Cricket Board have struggled to ensure their best players are available for the national team.
And when they are, they are still not being selected due to differences of opinion with the executive board, thereby resulting in former captain Dwayne Bravo and fellow all-rounder Kieron Pollard being omitted from their World Cup squad.
Their absence left gaping holes in the Windies attack during the recent South African series, where the Proteas batsmen caused all sorts of mayhem. Mystery spinner Sunil Narine’s withdrawal from the World Cup due to his action still not being “100percent ready” is a further hammer blow.
However, the charming bunch from the Caribbean still have strikingly good individual talents within their team, and are capable of pulling off a shock victory or two – like they showed in Port Elizabeth when the tunes of the St George’s Park band took to them to an unlikely win.
Young captain Jason Holder will be hoping his team keep feeling that sort of rhythm ...
STRENGTHS: An abundance of big hitters
WEAKNESSES: Lack of team spirit. No Sunil Narine.
STAR PLAYERS: Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels
X-FACTOR PLAYER: Andre Russell
BEST FINISH: Winners 1975, 1979 Tomorrow we feature the rank no-hopers. Or are they? Which one of Ireland, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe or Afghanistan is likely to upset the big boys? - The Star