The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

[Pay Per Ghost]

We are just over a month away from the rollercoaster of a ride that is the Cricket World Cup. Sure, T20 has one as well, but this will always be THE World Cup for me. And guys, it's time to nominate your picks.

I'll kick this off with my favorite for the Cup:

Perhaps, the greatest all-round Indian Team of all time. Their Test form has been fantastic and their ODI performance has been stellar to say the least. The Asia Cup holders have finally assembled a pool of players that have the ability to perform according to the situation. And they have a very smart and capable Captain in MS Dhoni at the helm as well. I assume that their passage to the semis should be without much hoopla, but I do see this team winning the whole shabang. A great side, and deserves the greatest prize.

So fellow cricket lovers, bellow in your picks here!

 

[mrbrownstone]

I think this could be one of the most evenly contested world cups in years, for the past three world cups Australia have been clear favourites and they were a class above everyone else. This time around there are at least four teams who I feel have a strong chance at winning it and another four who could be viewed as dark horses. I'll run through each of the four I think could win in order of the chances I think they have of winning it.

India: Leading into this world cup they have to be favourites, they have everything going there way, the majority of the games will be played either on their home conditions or on conditions such as Sri Lanka or Bangladesh that they are used too. They have a great team at the moment although I am not entirely sure on the decision to leave Rohit Sharma out, I guess they have their reasons though. They have been in great form as of late too, thumping NZ 5-0 and doing well in SA so far with a 1-1 series as of the time I write this. Everything is poised for them to win and I will be surprised if they don't.

Sri Lanka: I think they will be a very dangerous team in this tournament, like India they will be playing in conditions they are suited to. They will also be full of confidence, coming off a one day series win against Australia in Aussie. The only thing I feel could harm their chances is the fact they don't get a series straight before the world cup and every other major team bar the West Indies does, would it have been so hard to have a WI vs Sri Lanka series out of fairness?

South Africa They are looking to be a good team at the moment, they are pressing for a number one spot in test cricket and they have a great team in one day cricket. Everything is looking good for them, Smith has found form with a good 77 in their last game, Kallis is in the form of his life, they have the best fast bowling attack in the world in Steyn and Morkel. They are a great chance of winning this.

Australia: As much as I want to, it is hard to write Australia completely out of this. Despite their dramatic drop off in test cricket they are still ranked number one in one day internationals and as they showed a couple of nights ago they are still a good one day team, Watson's hundred was amazing. I feel they have missed a major trick in leaving out Brad Hodge, his form in domestic cricket has been unbelievable I know he is old but if you want a winning team then for me he is in it.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

My favorites in the ICC World Cup are India, South Africa and England, in that order. I was surprised to see that these three teams have been slotted into the same group. Though it probably does not matter because four teams are going to qualify from each group anyway and I'd expect all three to qualify.

Here's why they are my favorites

India: This is probably the best Indian team ever. They have possibly the strongest batting lineup at this moment headed by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and the dashing Virender Sehwag, a batsman who can change the flow of the game in less than half an hour. Their bowling attack, while not the best in the world, is still competent and can certainly hold its nerve as it has shown in the recent ODI versus South Africa where India eked out a 1 run victory. Also they are gonna be playing in conditions they are accustomed to. The only vulnerability they possess is their unpredictability. Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and Team India prove this fact time and again. Despite having a great team they are capable of collapsing as they did in Durban in the first ODI versus South Africa. They need to avoid that if they want to win the WC.

South Africa: The conditions might not be bowler friendly but as Dale Steyn would tell you a good ball is a good ball on any wicket. They have the best bowling attack among all the teams. Their batting, especially their top four are very good. The only chink in their armour that I can see is that they do not bat very deep. That and their perennial tag of chokers is something that I do not think that they have gotten rid of. Still I do expect them to make the semis at least.

England: They are probably the most balanced side in World Cricket today. Like I said the conditions may not be the most bowler friendly, but it does swing around a bit in the subcontinent early in the morning and swing bowling as we know is their forte. The batting line up is great too with a good balance of attacking batsman like Petersen and Morgan and a solid player in the form of Collingwood. However England have never played very well in the subcontinent, especially India. Still they must be on a high after winning the Ashes so comprehensively.

On the whole, I feel that this is the most "open" World Cup since the 1999 edition. In 2003 and 2007 Australia were by far the favorites. India were the second best team in the 2003 edition but the gap between them and Australia was too large to overcome. That is not the case this time round. India are good and are gonna play in favorable conditions but its not that they are as invincible as the Aussies were in 2003 and 2007.

 

[neiljhonson01]

Here the list of 15 member of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, M Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Parthiv Patel, R Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, Cheteshwar Pujara, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar. I am sure that with these strong team India must win the world cup. Find out more information related to ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Schedule